“I know what I need to do, but I can’t seem to make myself do it”
or:
how to #makeithappen
OK, let’s talk about Bruce Lee for a minute.
Not where you thought I was going to start? Well, buckle up, buttercup -- I’ve got a lot more surprises in store for you!
But first: Bruce Lee!
Bruce Lee was the name in action films back in the 70’s. When you watch his most famous film, Enter The Dragon, it feels like watching a force of nature move across the screen; he’s almost superhuman; and his speed, grace, and style have inspired generations of martial artists as well as action star hopefuls.
On top of all that, Lee was wise beyond his youth and the philosophies he espoused have kept him culturally relevant for almost 50 years since his untimely death.
My favorite Bruce Lee quote is this one:
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
In Part 1 of this program, I told you that MVMNTCHVRCH is not a workout, it’s a ritual; and I explained that a ritual is any practice done with regularity.
Regular practice is what guarantees that we will repeatedly take the actions which culminate in the result we desire.
To put it even more simply:
regular practice = results.
If you were to “practice one kick 10,000 times,” what do you think the result would be? You would become an expert. And Bruce Lee would be wise to fear your kicking fury!
Now, MVMNTCHVRCH is not designed to make you an expert, or a human kicking machine (man, I really hope you weren’t expecting that); instead this program is designed to help you experience fewer aches and pains in your body, and more freedom and capacity in your life.
This is a more humble goal, perhaps, but the path to it is the same: regular practice.
Earlier, I said that Bruce Lee appears superhuman when we watch his films. And the reason for that is a simple one: in his films, we see Bruce Lee after he “practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
When we see the results of regular practice it can seem magical. We can make the assumption that an individual was simply born talented. And that is because we have not seen the hours and hours and hours of practice that this person has invested in honing their skills over time.
But the only magic here is regular practice.
Action, when taken repeatedly, creates a result. As you know from the Introduction, regular movement is required to keep your body functioning well and feeling good. The action is movement and the result is a body that functions well and feels good. And the crux on which achieving this result hangs is regular practice.
It doesn’t have to be 10,000 hours -- around 15 minutes a day is sufficient to create a positive change in how you move and how you feel.*
• • •
So now we get to the real down and dirty: how the heck do we make you do that?
Look, I haven’t spent all this time talking about Bruce Lee just because I like to talk about Bruce Lee (well, I do like talking about Bruce Lee); I’ve been giving you the facts you need to get over the biggest hurdle you’re going to face when it comes to successfully implementing MVMNTCHVRCH into your life and creating the results you desire.
But — good news first and then we get into the Big Bad and the Final Battle!
If you’ve ever said or thought something along these lines: “I know what I need to do, but I can’t seem to make myself do it” then let me set your mind at ease: you don’t have to “make” yourself do anything in regards to this program.
Phew! Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief!
I know that can be a surprising thing to hear (I warned you, buttercup!) and it might take a minute to sink in, so I’ll repeat myself: you don’t have to “make” yourself do anything in order to succeed with this program.
OK, if you don’t have to make yourself do it, then how do you do it? Simple: you choose to do it.
And the best way to make a choice is to look at the facts, so let’s review:
1. Regular practice = results.
2. If all we see is the result, it looks like magic. But it’s not magic! It’s regular practice.
Let’s hold here for a moment to discuss how these facts will help you stop trying to make yourself do something and instead choose to do something.
You might have a belief that you are lacking in some way (and if you think that, you’re definitely not alone!); maybe you think that you aren’t motivated, focused, driven, or organized enough; or maybe you think that you’re not talented, athletic, or coordinated enough.
But none of those things are necessary in order to create a positive change with this program.
The only thing required is regular practice.
When you know this you can stop chasing after things you don’t need and you can instead choose to put your energy toward the one and only thing that actually makes a difference.
You don’t have to make yourself into some other version of you. You don’t have to be “more, better, different.” Instead, you can choose to do the one thing that creates the result you want, and that one thing is regular practice.
When you know what you want and you examine the facts, choosing regular practice is the only thing that makes sense.
• • •
OK, I’ve got three more facts to share that are going to help you engage with regular practice, but for you to understand why they’re important we’re gonna have to talk about this Big Bad that you’re going to face: the great, big obstacle that will keep you from succeeding.
It sounds scary, I know, but it’s best we just get it out of the way. So here it is, here is the great big obstacle that will keep you from succeeding with MVMNTCHVRCH: you won’t practice.
Yup, that’s it. And because I’ve got over ten years of experience under my belt coaching this, I already know that you’re rolling your eyes and thinking, “You don’t know me! I’m going to do it! This time will be different!”
But I want you to pay attention to exactly what I said.
I didn’t say, “if you don’t practice,” I said, “you won’t practice.” Because I know you won’t. Because it’s inevitable, it’s unavoidable.
Wait, wait, wait... didn’t I say there was good news? What’s up with this bummer train? This is the good news, buttercup (surprise!); so double check that you’re buckled up and let’s get into it!
The obstacle that will derail you (not practicing) is also going to lead you to the solution to that obstacle. When you know that this obstacle is coming (spoiler alert: it’s coming), you can prepare for it and you can win.
Let’s get back to the facts to see how this will work:
3. 10,000 hours of regular practice? Nope, just 15 minutes!
It might take 10,000 hours to become a lean, mean, fighting machine but luckily for all of us that isn’t the intended result of MVMNTCHVRCH. All we’re doing here is getting you moving more frequently in specific ways so that your body gets what it needs to function well and feel good. And to do that you only need about 15 minutes a day.
Does that mean you have to practice for 15 minutes every single day or you're a total failure and the program won’t work? No, of course not! Let’s look at our next fact, which while not said outright in my fascinating (and well written, if I do say so myself!) blurb on Bruce Lee, is implied:
4. Regular practice doesn’t mean “perfect” practice.
Regular is not the same as “perfect.”
Perfect is in quotes because it’s not a real thing. Perfect is impossible by it’s very definition; you can’t achieve perfection. So just like you did with trying to “make” yourself do something, you can feel free to let go of the concept of “perfect” as something worthy of your focus and effort.
Instead of worrying about being perfect, focus your efforts into being regular.
In other words, show up as often as you can for as long as you can and then do that again the next time you can.
It might look like 15 minutes one day and 5 the next and 20 minutes the day after and then maybe 10 minutes after taking a day off. It might look like just 5 minutes every day.
It is the regularity or your practice, not some imaginary perfection, that makes the magic happen because when action is taken repeatedly it creates results.
5. A ritual is any practice done with regularity.
In the Introduction, I talk a lot about other rituals that you already engage in and why they are effective in creating positive results in your life (TL;DR: brushing your teeth).
If you read the Introduction you probably noticed that the following things were missing from my list of everyday rituals: going to an amusement park, riding a pony, eating an ice cream sundae, running away with the circus, an all expenses paid shopping spree at your favorite store, meeting a unicorn.
A ritual is not entertainment. It is not the most fun thing you’ve ever done in your life. A ritual is any practice done with regularity that we prioritize because we value the positive outcomes it contributes to over time.
So, yeah, just like brushing your teeth.
Brushing your teeth probably isn’t fun for you, and most of the time you barely think about it. But I know you like having teeth and so I know you value the positive outcomes brushing your teeth contributes to over time (positive outcomes like still having teeth, for example).
And that’s the power of ritual. It takes something that you’re not necessarily “motivated” to do in the moment (because, honestly, it’s boring) and creates a container in which you can regularly practice it so that you still get the benefits of the results it creates.
• • •
Now that we’ve examined all the facts, let’s get back to the Big Bad and the Final Battle! Onward to adventure!
The Big Bad that you’re going to face is that at some point you won’t practice.
And this can potentially throw a real wrench into establishing regularity of practice. But have no fear! You already know the Big Bad is out there and you know what it is, so you’re prepared to do battle. And now, thanks to our examination of the facts, you know how you’re going to beat it:
• First, recognize that your goal is regularity, not perfection.
What you haven’t done is irrelevant, all that matters is what you do.
You can’t change the past. Today is the only day that matters.
Feeling bad about not practicing is akin to throwing your money into a fire and then wondering why your bank account is empty when it’s time to pay the heating bill. Focus your efforts into what you have control over and what will create the results you desire: regularity of practice.
In other words, show up as often as you can for as long as you can and then do that again the next time you can.
• Next, since 15 minutes is your goal, start there.
You don’t have to do it all. You don’t have to push yourself, punish yourself, “make up for it,” or anything like that.
Don’t have 15 minutes? No big deal -- start with just five minutes!
Something is always more than nothing, and if you add enough “somethings” together you end up with a whole lot. As long as you are aiming to be regular with your practice, you will be able to accumulate enough practice to create the effect you want, whether that happens in fifteen, five, or two minute increments.
Start with today, with the time you have available to you.
• Finally, set yourself up to establish regularity of practice by harnessing the power of ritual.
Engaging in a ritual will ensure that in the future, you will continue to repeat the behaviors that create the result you desire, independent of how motivated you feel in the moment.
Trust me when I say it really, truly does not matter why you eventually will have a period of time when you won’t practice; it will happen no matter who you are and what your intentions are (it happens to me and I’m positive it happened to Bruce Lee, too).
The only thing that matters is returning to your practice and establishing regularity of practice, since that is the only thing that creates the results you want.
Letting go of the need to be perfect and starting with the minimum necessary amount of time (15 minutes, or less if needed) are half the battle. The other half is creating a ritual that works in the context of your life, and that is what the tools in The #makeithappen Guide are for.
The way you #makeithappen when it comes to succeeding with this program doesn’t have to do with “making” anything happen (but I’ll bet that hashtag got your attention, so whatever), it has to do with looking clearly at the facts and then choosing what actually works i.e: regular practice …but you knew I was going to say that, didn’t you?
• • •
Now that you’re clear on the facts and ready to choose what works, I’m going to give you five concrete tools you can use to harness the power of ritual and #makeithappen for yourself.
First, you’ll be introduced to The #makeithappen Calendar, so you can schedule your practice and track your success.
Then you’ll learn the most effective way to use scheduling to your advantage, so you can get done what you want to get done.
Next, I’ll give you an easy system to manage any obstacle you will inevitably face before it arises.
I’ll also share two of the most powerful ways to approach making positive changes to your life (whether that’s starting your movement practice with MVMNTCHVRCH or something else entirely); these are tactics that I use with all of my coaching clients to help them go from stuck and frustrated to focused and consistently taking action to create the results they want.
• • •
*15 minutes is approximately how long it will take you to move through two rounds of one daily movement ritual from MVMNTCHVRCH, which is what I recommend as a daily practice. You’ll notice that the long form videos are about ten minutes longer than this on average to accommodate the time required for your initial learning. As you continue to practice and gain proficiency (which usually takes 1-3 weeks) you’ll need less instruction from me and your practice time will naturally shorten.