There is no greater power when it comes to personal growth than doing something every day. My favorite phrase is that every day is every day. Now, people will argue with me about this. They will say things like, “You need a rest day,” or “You need a break,” or “Sometimes you get sick.” I understand these objections, and on their surface, they are technically accurate. However, every day is every day.
You see, there is a giant chasm of a difference between someone who does something every day and someone who does not. An everyday person will run around the block at 11:30 p.m. because they made a commitment, and even though the run is not that effective, they are still doing it, still getting it done, still making good on the commitment.
I have a group of commitments that I keep every day, no matter what happens. I would have to be physically incapacitated to not accomplish them, and admittedly, I do not do my best effort each day, but I keep the commitment regardless. One of my immutable habits right now is pushups. Every day. Let me just say this: pushups absolutely suck. They are one of the worst exercises to motivate yourself to do when you do not want to do anything. So when I get home after a long drive, late at night, and crawl upstairs to bed, and then suddenly remember I forgot to do the pushups, what goes through my mind?
As you would expect, a million reasons will surface in my mind as to why I should not do the pushups. The litany of excuses my brain will come up with in a desperate attempt to get out of this commitment is legion. However, the immutable law of every day is inescapable. You cannot get out of it; you are not allowed to skip or have a cheat day. You do it. Right there. I get on the ground at the base of my bed and do the pushups. I am up to 47 right now; tomorrow will be 48.
Writing, for instance; writing is almost as bad as pushups. There are times when the last thing on earth that I want to engage in is this exercise. Sitting down and coming up with something to write about. Trying to be witty and clever. Trying to sound smart and come up with something interesting to write about, and then actually going through the effort of writing a thousand words or so. Sometimes my inner self is screaming with absolute vitriol: NO! YOU CAN’T! NOT TONIGHT! However, I tell that part of my brain to shut the hell up, and I write anyway. So here I am, late at night after a busy day, writing and doing pushups at midnight.
When you commit to follow the immutable law of every day, you overcome the biggest resistance that you face in your life: yourself.
