My judgment of my own actions. That’s the killer. Listen to that voice, and learn.
In the 75 Hard program, the “rules” are adaptable. You define the criteria, and you stick to them. Example: one of the things you do for 75 days is “follow a diet.” And . . . no cheat meals. You define the diet. You define cheating.
In a recent podcast, the creator of the 75 Hard program (Andy Frisella) discussed this with his guest (Ben Newman). They noted that many people have questions about what will meet (or not) the requirements for the program.
“If you have to ask the question, the answer is no.” That was the statement from them. I love it.
The 75 Hard battle is entirely between your ears, and if you’re trying to cut corners with yourself at the front end, you have already lost the war.
You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.
Romans 14:22 NLT
The KJV version is simultaneously a bit more archaic and obscure, yet crystal clear:
Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. Romans 14:22 KJV
If you are condemning yourself for what you allow yourself to think or do, you’re going to have a hard time.
I came across the verse while doing my 10 pages of reading for 75 Hard this morning.
There’s a little verse in the Book which says: “Blessed is he who condemned not himself in that which he allowed.” What does that mean? I believe it means that if you can do a thing without condemning yourself, it’s not so bad. But if you condemn yourself for it, you jolly well better quit or it’ll kill you.
A New Pair of Glasses, page 94.
And once you get on The Path, the number of things you can do without condemning yourself becomes smaller. The author continues:
Personally, I could do many things five years ago that today I cannot do. And so it depends on where we are as to what we can do, and what we have to get rid of. And it’s a continuous process because the higher we go the more we have to discard, and the more we discard the freer we become. It’s amazing.
A New Pair of Glasses, page 94.
Don’t do anything that would make you hate yourself. Don’t do anything that you know — or even dimly and subconsciously feel — is not aligned with who you are or want to be.
This may be the same idea as that barbarically-worded verse “If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.” Root out all thoughts and behaviors that make you feel bad about yourself. One at a time. Deal with the obvious stuff first; more will bubble up later, and you will deal with it later.
Even a simple self-questioning should be enough of a tug on the reins to make you pay attention.
If you are comfortable with what you’re doing, keep doing it. (I can tell you from experience that what you are comfortable with will change in time.) But if you have even the slightest twinge of doubt, cut it out.
Get on The Path. Stay on The Path.