#350 Don’t wait for the storm to pass

Voting fraud doesn’t exist in your body and mind.

You can’t cheat your way into being a writer. Your body and mind count every word as a vote for being a writer.

You can’t cheat your way into being a runner. Your body and mind count every every stride as a vote for being a runner.

You can’t cheat your way into being healthy. Your body and mind count every nutrient.

Luckily, you don’t need a landslide to change your identity. A simple majority is enough to make the power balance tip over.

Tiny Trust Builders.

I commit to taking a cold shower. To publish a daily blog post. To do a yoga class, because these actions contribute to my vision for who I want to be.

I commit, despite the knowledge that when the time has come, right before I turn the shower tap to cold, I won’t want to take a cold shower.

That right before I start writing an article, my mind will throw a million distractios at me.

That right before my yoga workout, my mind will start negotiating with itself, coming up with reasons why I’d better do something else.

“Today it’s cold outside, what if I start tomorrow?”
“I don’t feel like it today, maybe I’ll just write two articles tomorrow?”
“{{insert any excuse my mind makes up to avoid short-term discomfort}}

But now is not the time to negotiate.

Do I choose the long-term pain of regret over the short-term pain of discipline?

Do I choose to cultivate a procrastinator identity, or do I become a go-getter?

Who do I want (and choose) to be?

I can evaluate and adjust my plan afterwards.

But now is not the time to negotiate.

Every time I commit to do something and then follow through, I’m building self-trust in my ability to persevere (because actions overrule thoughts).

Now here’s the pitfall: the action you commit to doesn’t have to be grand or impressive for you to build trust.

There’s only one thing that matters: commit, then follow through.

I set out to meditate 30 seconds today – and I follow through? I’m building self-trust. I’m a meditator now.

I set out to write one sentence – and I actually write one sentence? I’m building self-trust. I’m a writer now.

I set out to do one push-up – and I do one push-up? I’m building self-trust. I’m an exerciser now.

Such tiny actions might not make a huge difference in your skill level, but that’s irrelevant. You’re not building skill (yet). You’re building self-trust by making commitments, then following through.

Once you trust yourself to follow through, you can start thinking about skill. That’s the flow of skill- and habit-building.

So… first things first. Commit to a tiny action. Follow through. Build self-trust and self-esteem.

The magic is in the Tiny Trust Builders.