plan a & plan b
At this point, you’ve scheduled several weeks worth of daily movement rituals using The 3 Specifics. This is setting you up to establish regularity of practice and get results from the MVMNTCHVRCH program.
Congratulations! This is so much more than most people do when starting out with a new venture, and it is going to be a huge help to you moving forward.
In the first section of The #makeithappen Guide, I talked about a certain Big Bad that you’ll end up facing as you engage with regular practice. This big meanie is an obstacle that is guaranteed to show up, and without intervention, will derail your regular practice and keep you from creating results.
We already unmasked this villain, but to refresh your memory, the biggest obstacle to regular practice that you will face is this: you won’t practice.
It doesn’t matter why you won’t practice. This big obstacle can be caused by any manner of smaller obstacles and all obstacles are valid obstacles. Even so, it can help to discuss some of them now so that you know what to look for.
Here are some potential obstacles that might take you by surprise and keep you from practicing: you woke up late, your kids are sick, your cat barfed on your pillow, your dog pooped on your pillow, your partner needs a ride to work, your washing machine exploded, you’re sick, you had to work late, traffic, you don’t feel “motivated,” alien abduction.
These are all things that can happen (except that last one, but if you do get abducted by aliens please ask them for one phone call and then call me because I want to hear all about it!).
Not only are these things that can happen, these are things that will happen.
They are inevitable.
And that is why preparing yourself with Plan A & Plan B will help you to keep going and be regular in your practice as opposed to not practicing when you inevitably come face-to-face with one of these obstacles.
Good news: you’ve already done most of the work! Using The 3 Specifics, you’ve already created your Plan A.
Now, you simply need to repeat that process to create your Plan B.
• You’re going to again pick a specific time, a specific amount of time, and a specific action; except this time, these will be at a different time on the same day.
Am I suggesting that you practice movement twice a day?!?!? No, I am not. (But if you’d like to, that is great, and you now have the tools to schedule that as well.)
Instead, I’m directing you to take a few moments to first consider that it is inevitable that an obstacle will arise and derail your practice, and then to consider when else you could fit your practice into your day so that you are not derailed.
Plan B is your back-up plan.
Get it? B for “back-up!”
Your Plan B is not supposed to be the most “perfect” time for you to practice, it simply needs to work. This isn’t the time you’re going to practice every day, it’s just there in case you need it.
• Right now, head back to The #makeithappen Calendar and make a note of your Plan B for each day that you’ve already scheduled your practice (aka your Plan A).
Here’s an example of how Plan A & Plan B will look in your Calendar:
Monday from 8:00-8:35 am -- MVMNTCHVRCH daily movement ritual
(Plan B: Monday from 5:45-6:20pm)
Now, in case disaster strikes, you’re prepared to deflect the Big Bad of not practicing. You’re prepared to adapt to the inevitabilities of everyday life, stay regular with your practice, and keep taking action so that you can create results.
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One last note on this technique: if you notice that you’re using your Plan B more frequently than your Plan A (your #makeithappen Calendar is a great way to note this each day so that you can track patterns over time), then it’s a good idea to re-evaluate your Plan A.
Don’t worry about not getting it “right,” the human learning pattern is based on making mistakes and then adjusting. When you make a mistake you are actually doing it right!
• • •
Next up, I’m going to share with you an approach to making positive changes (in this case, regularly practicing the daily movement rituals from MVMNTCHVRCH) that will help you shift your mindset, and stack small victories on top of each other to create a big impact over time.