Non-negotiable

What do you want to be non-negotiable in your life?

My friend Steve had a long running streak of exercising every day. He rode his elliptical exercise machine for 45 minutes every day for nearly eight years. Every single day.

Think about that. Every day. Is there anything beyond the mundane necessities of life (breathing, eating, waking up, etc) that you’ve done every day for 8 years? This is an amazing demonstration of commitment, will, creation.

Early on, when I asked him how he thought about this commitment, he described it as non-negotiable. Which resonates deeply with me. No excuses. What are you committed to? What must be done? No ifs ands or buts?

Last year, I “committed” to doing 10 pushups a day. How on earth could I fail at that? It’s unsurprisingly easy: One day, I forgot to do it. And then I let that failure erode my belief in myself. Anytime I didn’t feel like doing it, all I had to do was remember that I’d already failed, so I didn’t even try.

Steve had his own failure moment: He got into a motorcycle accident. He was pretty banged up and it was literally impossible for him to ride his elliptical at all—never mind 45 minutes. Now, Steve is no dummy. He had a notion of acceptable alternatives. If he was traveling and couldn’t find an elliptical, he had some list of alternative activities—e.g., walking for 45 minutes.

But he could barely walk! So the streak was broken. I talked to him recently. He’s got hip surgery coming up. Once he heals from that, he’ll be back on the streak. I’m excited for him, because he inspires me, and I know he’ll be back, better and stronger than ever.

What do you want to create? What are you absolutely committed to having present in your life? What habits or rituals serve that vision? What habits or rituals do you currently have that compromise that vision?

I want to find my voice. I want to speak. I want to write. About what matters. With wisdom, joy, and humility. So that I can help others. Find their voice.

Some absolutely essential rituals for creating that vision are: Write every day. Write about what matters. Listen to others, deeply, passionately—elicit what matters to them. Care about them.

So that’s my commitment: Write every day. No matter what. I think the rest will take care of itself.