“We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.” David Goggins
This quote is reminiscent of two (semi-contrarian) realisations from recent memory.
- There is no such thing as being on time. You are either early, or you are late.
- There is no such thing as being busy. Either it matters or it doesn’t.
Now I have a storied history of being late. This distinct lack of punctuality became so pronounced that I wrote a song about it. In my defence the research of Geert Hofstede - a famous Dutch social psychologist who sadly passed away this year - predicts this!
His work on cultural dimensions examines how a society’s culture affects the values of its members, and how these values relate to behaviours. The work goes some way towards explaining how, for instance, a Japanese train company’s apology for a train departing 25 seconds ahead of schedule included the words “truly inexcusable”. Incredible. Where i am from…let's just say things are very different. Seems we really are a product of our environment. There’s a great infographic that captures this phenomenon here.
On being too busy. Perhaps, for some, this is a little black & white. For me, that’s exactly as it should be. One way to put it, which Derek SIvers does emphatically well, is to consider answering ‘yes’ to a proposal/opportunity/challenge as anathema to true fulfillment. I prefer either it's an absolute hail mary, HELL YES, I gotta do that. Or…...no thanks. The premise being that time is limited, spend it doing stuff that truly matters/excites/enlivens you.
And when on the receiving end of “i’m too busy” i’ll veer one of two ways. Either whatever it is just isn’t currently (or ever will be) a priority - usually the case. Or, the person struggles prioritizing and gets flustered/stressed/worked up. Both those forks in the road end at NO.
All that being said, back to David Goggins’ quote - and the whole point of this blog. My hope is to harness the power of a simple idea [do something everyday] to achieve a series of goals that have long eluded me. One Year No Fear is born out of a frustration at the miasma of distraction that seems to curtail my smallest aspirations on a daily basis. It is born out of years of plateaus in music, in sport, in life. It is a personal commitment to strive, with all my will, for the realisation of my true potential.
Write goals, work on them everyday, track what gets done, do whatever it takes to be better.
First up, Mental Goals 2020
● A blog encapsulating the magic in the podcasts I enjoy (4/12 completed)
● A blog reflecting on the majesty, complexity and joy of sport (0/12 completed)
● A blog cataloging my exploits learning/performing open mic comedy (0/6 completed)
● A blog cataloging my professional (tutoring & marketing) career (2/6 completed)
● First draft of my debut fiction novel: The Book of Ages (2/20 chapters completed!)
● Start a Music Youtube Channel & contribute to it weekly/monthly (7/50 completed!)
● Starting Sports podcast + contribute to it weekly/monthly (0/50 episodes completed)
March has been a turning point, given the enforcement of WFH around the world to battle coronavirus. The silver lining for me has been the freedom, afforded by isolation, to pursue this agenda relentlessly.
Progress
Since last month there’s been a leap Mentally (intellectual capital). Four blogs complete, affectionately named: Fond of the Pod. Small strides with the professional blog & the book. Physically, I've started putting in gold blocks when I nail it. Muscle ups and BIrds of Paradise are feeling much easier. Running volume has gone up. Musically I played guitar and sang everyday (!), what a blessing. Though I lost access to a piano, drumming consistency is up - starting to memorise key patterns. Emotionally my sleep was solid, though i’d still feel a little tired on half the days there. Diet was solid, though little movement in weight. Pleased that writing consistency increased later in the month. Spiritually Wim Hof and I are now one, love that breathing exercise. Have gone up from 1 min average hold to 1 min 30 average hold (in lotus position). Meditation is serene, Nirvana just round the corner!
Next Month
As I have lost access to a pool, swimming is out. Same with piano and dance (classes). New additions include: reading, stretching and maintaining a food + sleep diary. Also I have begun a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule, known technically as time restricted eating. The research on the benefits of this endeavour is resounding. The main one I am targeting is a shift in my body from glucose metabolism to fatty acid metabolism, producing ketones. Dr Rhonda Patrick has a short summary of the benefits. I may look into a prolonged fast in May - these are next level!
Prognosis
I am forecasting a productive month. The fasting element will really switch things up and add some challenge. About two years ago I really got into fasting after spending some time in Bali, Indonesia. The max I got up to was a seven day water fast, which I wouldn’t recommend. Had a fun episode in Scotland with a mate actually, we fasted for three days and all we talked about was food. Thirty minutes before the end of the fast we called up five or six deliveries and ordered a feast. The chaos was magnificent. Taste buds soared. The heavens opened. The aftermath however was brutal. We were down & out for a week!
Minutiae
A final note. Each of the columns above is riddled with a litany of smaller action points, mini goals and productivity markers. Take the planche for instance, likely my loftiest goal. You can break this down into mastering eight stages: Warmup, Push Strength, Basics, Tuck, Advance Tuck, Straddle, Planche, Advance Planche. And each of those stages has a set of mini goals e.g. I am currently mastering the warm up (!) and push strength which includes hollow body holds, cobra holds, specific stretches etc. I may look for an avenue to record these in due course.
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