The other day I came across a very simple, but seemingly effective method of encouraging us to do what we say we're going to do. It comes from Jerry Seinfeld, a show I never watch... and it's called, Don't Break the Chain.
Quite simple really... get a calendar... maybe the one that you got for free from the pharmacy or the garage. Choose what it is that you want to do... exercise every day, drink 8 cups of water in a day, meditate... whatever it is... and then for every day that you follow-through on your commitment to yourself, put a big red X through that day on the calendar. And the next day... and the next day. The idea is to create a long, continuous chain of big red X's as you consistently do what you say you're going to do. Just don't break the chain. And if you do break the chain, then start over again.
This is not a new idea. Factories and other workplaces often have signs that say "We have 723 days injury-free". They don't want to break the chain either!
I use a website called www.750words.com to write my "morning pages" (a la Julia Cameron) every day. The idea is to do it everyday... to create a consistent chain of writing. I started out as an Egg... after 3 days, I earned the Turkey Badge... after 5 days, the Penguin Badge... after 10 days, the Flamingo Badge... after 30 days... the Albatross badge... and at Day 52, I missed a day through forgetfulness... and went back to being an Egg! Now, the little virtual badges might not work for everyone... but they sure work for me... The ultimate goal at this point is 500 days of consecutive writing to earn the lofty title of Space Bird.
It's all the same idea... create an unbroken chain of doing whatever it is that you want to do... and do it. One day at a time. That's all it takes... just do it for today - don't worry about tomorrow. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other... and a mountain can be climbed. And with each footstep, our trust in ourselves rises...
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