So life is hard, life sucks, life is pain and we constantly have to go through obstacles to get where we want to go. This is nothing new. This is life, stripped and cut down right to its size, when you look at the big picture, it’s not all beautiful sunflower fields and a gorgeous sunset at the end and living happily ever after. It’s rarely like that. 

Life is tough, and this is the test we have been given by The Higher Power (whatever it may be). 

There is a reason why life rewards us when we do uncomfortable things and then goes stale when we stay in our comfort zone.

It’s funny when you think about it… we love the comfort zone, I do too. I’m a human being with thoughts feelings and sensitivities just as much as you. Humans don’t like change, it’s a threat to what we already know. And this dates back to our ancestors with the dinosaurs if you read up on evolutionary biology and psychology. But to become better, to get into better situations and reach goals, hopes and dreams… we have to change, we have to leave the comfort zone, we have to step into the unknown and uncertainty. 

We basically have to do the opposite of what we like right now, what feels good in the moment. And it’s always been like that. 

So why do we continue to struggle to do the things we need to do to get where we want to go?

I believe it’s not entirely our fault. We play a part, yes, but there is also another factor that plays a big part. Our subconscious. 

We are the sum total of all human experience that’s ever existed right now. Everything that has ever happened in the world has been passed down to us… and a lot of things have happened. It’s been passed down genetically, emotionally and spiritually. 

We are carrying the past of our ancestors within us. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Some of the experience is going to spill over into our lives. 

Our brains have been evolving for millions of years and want us to be as safe as possible. But we sometimes need to do things that seem unsafe or risky to get the outcome we want. So we are in a bit of a battle with ourselves, our minds and our being. 

I’ll give you an example,

I’ve been doing straight cold showers in the morning for about 2 months now. I used to do hot to cold but now I just do straight cold. I’ve got the habit and I’m on a streak but this morning (Sunday as I’m writing this), without thinking… my brain and body went on autopilot mode and turned the hot tap. I noticed this straight away and said “No.” Paused for a minute and just sat with myself. And I was envisioning the day, I just went for a hard swim and if I had a comfortable shower I could see myself slacking throughout the day, being lazy, half-assing, doing comfortable things, scrolling on my phone and eating fast food. 

The fact that I stopped and sat with myself and took a moment and reminded myself to ‘do the hard thing’, ‘do the uncomfortable thing’ made all the difference in the world. And I feel fantastic from having a cold shower after a good workout. 

It’s the 1%’ers that matter, the things that are easy to do and also easy not to do and this can be a deadly trap. The small things add up. If I do 1000 things 1% better then I’m going to be 1000% better. We can’t see it in the moment, it’s only in hindsight when we can see the magic that occurred, looking back that we can connect the dots. 

Sweat the small stuff! I’m going to be reminding myself of this from now on.

How do you anything is how you do everything. Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Are you going to be a person of excellence? Are you going to be the type of person to execute the 1%’ers as best you can?

You don’t have to. But what’s it going to cost you if you don’t? 

Until next time,

Brody

PS

"Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.” - Zeno