Shameless Leadership 145: The Power of Doing Something 5,500 Times
Last Thursday morning I tortured myself with a Tempo run (which involved hard running for 1-4 minutes, with rest intervals in between). To distract myself from the pain, I started mentally calculating how many workouts I've probably done since I started working out (in secret) 22 years ago (after never breaking a sweat in my youth).
I figure I've logged at least 5,500 workouts in at this point.
That means:
* 5,500 times I SHOWED UP even if I didn't want to (which is often).
* 5,500 times I did something I didn't know I could do (I doubt myself at the beginning of almost every workout)
* 5,500 times I did my best, regardless of how ugly or imperfect it was
* 5,500 times I proved I can do hard things
These 5,500 workouts have translated into:
* Setting higher goals in all areas of my life
* Trying new things, even if they are scary or I'm not sure I can do them
* Remembering that I am strong, powerful and capable - even when life tries to show me otherwise
* Knowing that I am in control, no matter how crazy things get
* A sense of pride in everything I do - even if it's imperfect
You don't have to do something 5,500 times to understand this or live this. But you do need to:
1. Start
2. Show up even when you don't want to
3. Allow for imperfections
4. Stay humble
5. Own your wins
6. Keep going
It's really simple, actually. Just START.
Here are some things you might have done 1,000-5,500 times without realizing the positive impact on your life:
Change your kids’ diapers first thing in the am
Eat dinner with your family
Walk your kid to school
Drive your kid to soccer practice
Pack school lunches
I know… I KNOW. These do not seem like life altering tasks. But they are. Truly. Listen in to learn why.
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