Finding Your Superpower — How to Win the Day
I lot of people will tell you I’m crazy when I tell you how I start my day. And, honestly, they’re probably right. Nobody ever accused me of being sane. But, I’ll tell you this, I also crush the rest of my day harder than most crush a week.
And for the youngsters out there that only crush avocado on their toast…when I say “crush” I mean “get shit done”.
My day starts at 3 am. My alarm goes off, there’s the occasional snooze, and then I get out of bed. Most of the time this is when my low back screams at me to get climb the fuck back into bed. But, I know if I walk it off for a few minutes the pain will simmer down to a more bearable level. Then I head into the bathroom and pull my running gear on. I set it out the night before so my brain doesn’t have to work so hard to get dressed while it’s still strewn with last night’s cobwebs.
Into the kitchen. I mix up a little pre-workout / vitamin C combo. I need all the antioxidants I can get. There’s usually a pre-run dump in there someplace too, but that’s not all that necessary for the routine.
Then into the gym. I do a little stretching to get my blood flowing and I’m running on the treadmill by about 3:45.
And. I. Crush. My. Day.
First thing. I don’t walk or trot or “jog” my first mile. I throw 100% of myself into my run as soon as the treadmill starts moving. And I don’t stop. I don’t stop until my run is over. And sometimes I even con myself into running a little longer than I planned.
I run fast. And I run long. I can consistently average a 6-minute mile for over an hour. That means I can run 10 miles per hour sustainably. For those of you that don’t run, that’s a little insane. I’m 46 years old. You can say 50 is the new 40 all you want, but that doesn’t mean my back doesn’t hurt any less. It doesn’t mean that my calves don’t burn when I’m done.
And here’s the kicker. You’ve heard of the runners’ high? Yeah, I don’t get that. There’s no release of endorphins that heighten my mood. I don’t get any sort of run boner. I’m not sure if that’s a thing of not. As a matter of fact, I’m usually limping around a little bit when I’m done.
So you’re probably asking yourself why I do it at all. The answer is simple. When I step off that treadmill, I have already Won the Day.
I know I run at an insane pace. I know I can do something that a lot of people wish they could do. And I can do something that even more people will never be able to do.
That’s my superpower. And if I can do that one thing that some people only wish they could do and others couldn’t if they tried? BOOM. The rest of the day is going to be a piece of cake.
Let’s talk about a quote I like.
If truer words were ever fucking spoken, I’d like to hear them.
OK, Nick, first you tell us you’re a superhero and then you come at us with motivational quotes? What’s next a poster with a guy (or cat) hanging off a cliff on the wall?
That’s not it at all. And I didn’t say I was a superhero. And if I was, I sure as hell wouldn’t be the Flash. I’d more likely be My-Hair-Sticks-Up-No-Matter-Which-Way-I-Comb-it Man.
And I’m not telling you to take up running. Runners are crazy.
I’m saying find your One Thing. That thing you can do better than other people. And it doesn’t have to be on the scale of mine. Can you play the guitar? I can’t. Are video games your thing? Maybe you’re really good at “self-love” if you know what I’m saying.
Pick your thing. Do it first thing in the morning. Get that win. That first win is important to how the rest of your day will play out. When you get that win you show yourself that it’s possible. That you can beat the day (no pun intended if “self-love” is your thing). Showing yourself that you can win your first battle of that day lets your brain know that you’re ready for war and you’re not just going to phone it in today.
There’s much more of a mental battle that everyone goes through each day than we care to admit. Letting your brain know first thing in the morning that you’re not taking any shit today? That’s the best way to stay on the winning side of that battle all day.
Step 1 — Find your thing.
Step 2 — Get your Win.
Step 3 — CRUSH the day.
Step 4 — Repeat.
