I have deliberately chosen a hard path for 75 days: the 75 Hard challenge, suggested by my daughter.
Most of the things on the list are things I’m doing now. The difference is the rigor imposed by having a binary question to ask myself.
Did I or did I not drink a gallon of water today? (Previous aim: “drink a lot”).
Did I read 10 pages of a nonfiction book? (Previous aim: read every morning, which I am doing with the Stoics).
Binary is truth.
One target is a bit daunting: two forty-five minute workouts a day. I am on a three day a week gym schedule (Starting Strength) so this is a big change to life.
But really. What’s important to me? Physical health or . . . what? Given a “pick A or B” when A is physical health, there is no universe in which B is a good idea. (A few hypothetical situations to the contrary — like the soldier who jumps on a grenade to save his buddies. That’s not my life and those are not, realistically, going to be presented to me.)
Another is daunting in a different way: take a picture of yourself daily. I hate taking pictures of myself. When I see a picture of myself my reaction is not healthy: that person a stranger to me, and not physically appealing. I do not accept or like my physical appearance.