4/20 Transformation Tuesday

Duane show his spirit!

​How to Level Up 

For the past few #transformationtuesdays I have been sharing strategies and tactics to help us make significant, meaningful and sustainable changes in our lives. 
Change is hard, yet it is the only constant in our life. How ironic is that? The very things that is certain, change, is the very thing most of us have trouble accepting. 
As I explored in a recent post, making big audacious goals and changes can be seductive and alluring, yet big sweeping changes are often doomed to failure. 
You can reframe your goals by "leveling up" on habits you already do to create a healthy and happy life. 
Leveling up means using small, gradual steps to work toward your goals.
Let's say your goal is to run a 10k or do a multi-day backpacking trip through the Beartooth Mountains this summer. You probably think you need to start running a 5K every day NOW. NOPE! 
Instead, level up a daily habit you already have. Let's say you take your dog for a daily walk. Level up your walks by wearing a small backpack with a 20# bag of rice. You've just leveled up your daily habit. Your heart rate will be higher and you'll increase your endurance. In a few weeks, when that becomes easy, add 5 mins to your walk. Or do an easy jog for 10 paces and walk for 20 paces. Level up again when it becomes easy and automatic. 
The idea behind leveling up is to break down your goal into steps that are so ridiculously easy you can’t fail. 
I did this last Friday when I was doing the Hotshots 19 workout. I'm not fan of running, and usually for my CrossFit runs I create little goals, "get to the fire hydrant," "get to the trees," etc. Last Friday I had to shrink the change. My steering marks were much shorter, "get to the white Tundra, make it to the 2nd car past that, go to the third truck past that." I literally dissected each 400m run into more than a dozen very small achievable milestones. 
I have written many times on the habits of successful people. It's momentum and consistency that create success. Success creates motivation. It's a positive feedback loop. Start small. Succeed. Increase motivation. Keep going. 
I have heard from many of you in our Check-ins that you want to improve your mobility. Or, as someone in my noon class said, "I want to be more bendy." GREAT! I want you to be more bendy, too. 
Start small. Start with 2 mins (yes, just TWO minutes.) Sit on the floor and reach for your toes for 2 mins. When that becomes easy, and it will, try for 3 minutes. Or level up by adding another pose for 2 mins. Start small and easy and then level up. 
It's sexy to create big and exciting goals. A goal without consistency is doomed to failure. All too often we try to jump into achieving our goal with big and exciting changes. That is why we fail. Start small. Succeed. Level Up. Keep Going. Achieve Goal. That's it. 

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