Small But Mighty. The 3-Foot World.

In the last week or so, I have been to 3 states, plenty of work meetings, and read two books. I have also been to more playgrounds than I can count, I jumped in roughly 9 different puddles, and built some serious block towers. My best effort at architecture.

Whether the day is dictated by work, young kids, or uncontrollable distractions, it has become clear to me that the day is won or lost in the morning. (I keep trying to come up with my own profound quotes, and I haven’t seen this anywhere so I am taking credit and trademarking it.)

The day is won or lost in the morning. – Me.

It is a small victory, but waking up 20, 30, and especially 90 minutes earlier allows you to start the day with a win. A small win that has huge compounding effects. Before I get into the good stuff for the week, shout out to Tik Tok for the perspective: If you wake up 2 hours earlier every day for a year, that is 730 hours. 730 hours is equal to 30 days.

You can literally create an entire month of extra time for yourself over the course of a year.

I’d even go as far as saying that creating two more hours in your day will require sacrificing something that is not very important or productive. Movies and phone use come to mind. Possibly truer for my generation, and I love both. I wish I could argue that I am constantly learning from TV or from reading on my phone, but I know that is not the case. Instead of bed at 11pm and up at 6:30am, I try for 9:00pm and up at 4:30am. It is not about sleeping less or literally creating more hours in a day, it is about creating more windows of productive time. Thanks for the extra month.

Like my sleeping routine, this week is all about what we can control (I realize I just said I control my sleeping routine with a young child in the house, hope I didn’t jinx it). I have learned a lot recently, as I work alongside and read about the lives of military heroes and successful business moguls. Not all of us will fight in wars or make hundreds of millions of dollars, but some core principles apply to the entire spectrum of everyday life to achieving our most unrealistic dreams.

Small But Mighty.

“I woke up happy today.” This is the first thing I wrote in my journal this morning. I can say that I am happy most days but some mornings are just better. It is hard to explain the feeling. Part of it is emotional and part of it is physical. I’d say I spend more time than most acknowledging another day of being capable. It is a small victory for some. I hope that most people appreciate it; I also like to acknowledge it. I woke up capable of standing up, capable of getting dressed, walking downstairs, and capable of exercise. Instead of dreading an hour of hard work and shortness of breath, I appreciate the ability to get out of bed.

When we acknowledge the small victories, they become mighty. Waking up 20 minutes early is a small victory. When repeated for 3 days, an extra hour is created. Reading 10 pages per day is small. When repeated for 30 days, you have read the average length of a book. After one year of 10 pages per day, you will have read roughly 12 books, which I know is more than most people read. For many, standing up or reading 10 pages each day is small compared to the stress that is associated with larger goals. We are constantly trying to accomplish more, but I promise that standing up can eventually lead to running faster, jumping higher, and feeling stronger. Reading 10 pages per day can lead to greater knowledge and greater fulfillment over time.

When we breakdown our days and/or goals into smaller, manageable victories, it is possible to chip away at the mighty victories that feel less attainable.

The 3-Foot World.

In his book, No Hero, Mark Owen tells stories of his time as a Navy SEAL. Trying to read more or wake up earlier does not compare to jumping out of planes or scuba diving with explosives in pitch-black darkness, but sometimes comparing extremes can really drive home a good point.

Owen explains some of the challenging situations he found himself in during training and combat, and he kept coming back to the lesson he learned while rock climbing up a 300-foot cliff: stay in your 3-foot world. While rock climbing, Owen got stuck several hundred feet up on the face of a rock wall. He started to panic, look down, and look out across the desert behind him. His hands felt tired. His knees buckled. Suddenly the climbing guide approached from below and explained that he would not get himself out of the situation unless he focused on the next 3 feet in front of him. The ground would not help him climb out, and neither would the sky or the desert. He had to focus on his next move, the one he could control. Owen put this into practice on the rock wall, on the shooting range, and in many combat scenarios.

Staying in your 3-foot world applies to parenting, work, and life in general. At times I am overwhelmed by the combination of responsibilities throughout the day. They all feel like priority number one, but when I slow down and focus on the next, manageable task at hand, I am able to maneuver efficiently and effectively.

Tackle what you can, when you can. Appreciate and acknowledge the small victories. They will eventually become mighty. Stay in your 3-foot world and let go of the rest. Make it a great Monday.