I received a note from a friend of mine that stumbled upon the blog and he decided to start and keep the 365 Commitment. He send me the following, and with his permission I am posting it:
Okay, 1 day down and 364 to go!
I must admit that initially I struggled with finding a 1-year goal and how to best achieve that goal prior to making the 365 commitment. Once I chose my one-year goal; I then struggled with making my first “Before the Day is Done” list. The hardest thing for most of us in life, is taking that first step down a new path.
As I was creating my first daily list, I recalled a viral video from a few years ago: the commencement speech given by former Navy SEAL instructor Admiral William McRaven to the graduating class at the University of Texas. In that speech Admiral McRaven tells the UT class of 2014 that if you want to change the world, start by making your bed each and every morning. His rational was that you will then have completed the first task of the day, giving you a sense of pride and accomplishment. …and more importantly encourage you to complete another task, followed by another, and so on. If you are seeking inspiration you can view that video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OoCaGsz94
Admiral McRaven goes on to recall several stories from his SEAL training days and uses some great metaphors to describe the struggles we all have daily when he speaks of the toughest physical training in the world. Whether it is your size, the sharks circling you, or the cold wet mud of the Tijuana mud flats; “Nothing matters but your will to succeed” he tells the audience.
As I watched a video I had seen several times in the past, I realized that I was mired in the daily “mud” of life, stuck there cold and shaking in the wind, with the “sharks” all out to get me. I have to muster the strength and will to succeed! If a “shark” is coming at me, I need to punch that sucker dead in the nose with all my strength!
In the story about the mud flats and the singing students, I visualized the singing to be my higher power. I won’t let anyone tell me not to “sing”. I grew up very religious and was an alter boy for most of my childhood. But as I grew into my teens and adulthood, I abandoned my “singing” and rarely consulted that higher power. I think my only visits to church since then were for weddings, funerals, and baptisms. With the recent struggles in my personal life, I have turned back to that higher power and started conversing with him on a nightly basis. Now that I have made this commitment, I am also asking him for guidance and help on this new journey.
Now armed with my first accomplishment of the day and supported by my higher power — I then added and accomplished more tasks on my BTDID list. It truly is infectious… even if I can barely lift my arms today!
TAKE THAT 1st STEP!
Jonathan Leavitt (2)
365 Member
