Fortitude Fridays #30

read time: 6 mins

A few ideas as you head into the weekend.

Today at a Glance:

• Quote: Change is magic.
• Question: Compounding Progress.
• Book: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
• Tactic: The Seinfeld Strategy.

 

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Quote to Ponder:

"Embrace the seasons and cycles in your life. There is magic in change."

-Bronnie Ware (Australian author)

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Change is a natural and inevitable part of life. Just as the seasons transition, so do our own circumstances and experiences.

Embracing these changes can lead to personal growth, new opportunities, and a deeper appreciation for the beauty of life's ever-shifting landscape.

​Find your magic.

 

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Question to Ask Yourself:

How can today's efforts build upon and enhance the progress from yesterday?

Compounding progress by layering today's efforts on top of yesterday's achievements is essential for several key reasons. Firstly, it enhances efficiency by eliminating redundancies and streamlining processes. When you build on what you've already accomplished, you can work more effectively, making the most of your time and resources.

Secondly, this approach fosters a mindset of continuous improvement. By reflecting on your past work and seeking ways to enhance it, you ensure that you're constantly evolving and getting better at what you do. This commitment to refinement leads to better results over time.

Additionally, compounding progress significantly boosts productivity. By leveraging the foundation you've established, you can achieve more with the same resources or effort. This increased productivity can lead to faster progress towards your goals.

Furthermore, it promotes sustainability through gradual progress, maintaining motivation with tangible results, and encouraging strategic alignment with long-term goals.

In essence, compounding progress is a powerful strategy that can be used for a wide variety of habits to leverage cumulative growth. It enables sustained progress and success by maximizing efficiency, fostering continuous improvement, boosting productivity, supporting sustainability, enhancing adaptability, maintaining motivation, encouraging strategic thinking, and building resilience.

My Answer: It is currently Walktober at the university I work at, and many of my colleagues and clients are participating. The goal of this challenge is to get 10K steps in each day for the month of October. Using this example, you can see how the compound effect took place for my clients below. Pretty cool.

1. Efficiency: Started with a daily walk, later incorporating efficient high-intensity workouts.
2. Continuous Improvement: Set new fitness goals and gradually intensified workouts showing a commitment to improvement.
3. Productivity: The initial routine allowed the individual to explore other exercises without consuming more time.
4. Sustainability: Consistency in daily walks ensured a sustainable fitness routine.
5. Learning and Adaptation: Educating about nutrition and adapting diet to complement the exercise journey.
6. Motivation: Physical improvements like increased stamina kept motivation high.
7. Strategic Thinking: Exercising aligns with broader health goals.
8. Resilience: Adapting on busy days shows resilience, recognizing setbacks as part of the journey to better health.

 

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Book to Check Out:

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose YOur Mind and Create a New One

By: Dr. Joe Dispenza

This book was a mind trip.

Dr. Dispenza explores personal transformation and the mind's role in creating positive change. It underscores that thoughts shape reality and by altering thought patterns, life can improve. The book also delves into repetitive behavior and advocates self-awareness for breaking these patterns. It also highlights meditation and mindfulness for rewiring the brain toward positivity and combines quantum physics and neuroscience to explain how consciousness affects the world. While visualization and intention are tools for manifesting desires, addressing past traumas and emotions is crucial for fulfillment. As a reader you are encouraged to become observers of your thoughts and beliefs to regain control of your life and create a better future.

I must admit, this book is quite a dense read, and I feel that I'd benefit from reading it again to fully absorb all the information it presents. While some parts of the book struck me as truly remarkable, there were others that I found a bit too pseudoscientific for my taste. Nevertheless, I found it absolutely fascinating. For those who may not be ready to dive into the entire book just yet, here is the 11-minute YouTube video introducing the concepts of the book.

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Key Takeaway: If you want a different outcome in your life, you must become a different person.

 

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Tactic to Try: The Seinfeld Strategy

There is a well-known tale from Jerry Seinfeld's early days as a comedian. It's said that he dedicated time each day to write jokes. After completing this daily ritual, he would take a thick red marker and place an "X" on that day's spot on the calendar. Over time, his objective evolved into sustaining an unbroken chain of these red X's, a method often dubbed the 'Seinfeld Strategy.' This consistent practice of joke-writing is often credited with contributing to Jerry's remarkable success in comedy.

Nevertheless, while the accuracy of this specific routine in Jerry's success is debated, the principle of 'not breaking the chain' has demonstrated its value.

High achievers in various fields, whether they're athletes, musicians, CEOs, or artists, share a common trait: unwavering consistency. They display steadfast dedication, consistently delivering results day after day, even when others succumb to the daily grind, battling the perpetual struggle between procrastination and motivation.

While many people tend to lose motivation and veer off course after a disappointing performance, an underwhelming workout, or a challenging day at work, top performers seamlessly return to their routines the following day.

The Seinfeld Strategy is effective because it shifts the focus away from individual performances and directs it toward the process. It doesn't hinge on your emotions, inspiration levels, or the brilliance of your work on any given day; it centers on the simple notion of "not breaking the chain."

Studies have revealed that, on average, it takes about 66 days for a habit to become automatic. So, imagine having a tool to help you stay motivated and track your progress as you cultivate that habit. To apply this strategy in your own life, all you need is a calendar (even an inexpensive one will suffice) to begin building your chain.

One piece of advice: Choose a task that is meaningful enough to make a difference but simple enough to complete consistently.

Here’s how it works:

1. Choose a specific habit or task you want to develop or complete regularly. It could be anything from exercising, reading, writing, practicing a musical instrument, or working on a project.
2. Get a calendar or create a digital tracking system.
3. Each day you complete the chosen task or habit, mark that day with an "X" or a checkmark on the calendar or in your digital system.
4. Your goal is to maintain an unbroken chain of Xs or checkmarks. The longer the chain, the more motivated you become to continue the streak.

Even on days when you might not feel like doing the task, aim to do it anyway, even if it's just a small amount or for a short duration. The key is to maintain the consistency of not breaking the chain.

If you miss a day or break the chain, don't be too hard on yourself. It's natural to have setbacks occasionally. The important thing is to get back on track the next day and start a new chain.

The "Don't Break the Chain" technique leverages the psychological principle of momentum and the desire to maintain a streak. Over time, this can help you establish a strong habit and make progress towards your goals.

There are various tools and apps available that can help you track your habit streaks digitally, which can be especially convenient if you prefer to use your smartphone or computer for this purpose.

Bringing it Home:

Frequently, we tend to believe that achieving excellence necessitates monumental effort and that our ambitious objectives require vast reserves of willpower and motivation. In reality, all it takes is a commitment to small, achievable tasks. Consistency leads to mastery.

Don't break the chain of your workouts and you will find you get fit quickly.

Don't break the chain on studying the foreign language and you will find your ability to converse improve exponentially.

Don't break the chain on your business and the positive growth will come that much faster.

Don't break the chain on maintaining a clean workspace and productivity will bloom consistently.

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Thanks for reading and I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Until next week...

You got this,