It’s a funny thing getting used to a new schedule. It hurts.
The adjustment I have made is nothing more than getting up 45 mins earlier than usual, at 6 instead of 6.45.
This allows me to meditate and write before breakfast. But it also hurts.
It hurts because my body wants to be asleep at 6AM. It hurts because as I get used to it I am hitting a wall mid afternoon, which I need to figure out a way around.
But the short term discomfort of adjusting to this new schedule is worth it, because it allows me to do more. To be more connected to my work.
To be more connected to you.
And importantly, over the last few months I have allowed my self care routine to slip. which has had a noticeable effect on my mood, energy level, creativity, motivation…everything.
COMFORT MANAGEMENT
One of the amazing memories I have from school was playing bulldogs in the summer evenings. (Yes, even I have to admit it wasn’t ALL bad!)
Every evening, after dinner, people from all age groups, even some of the teaching staff, would gather on the front lawn and play together for an hour or so.
Bulldogs, for anyone who doesn’t know, is kind of like American Football but with out the ball or the pads. You start with everyone in a line at one end of the pitch, and one ‘bulldog’ in the middle. Everyone runs from one side to the other, and the bulldog has to tackle as many as possible. They then become bulldogs and the goal is to be the last one uncaught.
It gets pretty brutal.
And it has now been banned in schools, along with playing conkers, and even outdoor activities, for health and safety reasons. Even tag has been banned in some schools in the UK.
But the beauty of those evenings playing bulldogs was that everyone knew how rough to be. It was an opportunity for the younger kids to play and bond with the older kids and staff, and everyone knew that you used as much aggression as necessary but no more.
And everyone felt like they were playing the same game.
Of course, people got hurt sometimes, myself included, and on occasion someone needed a talking to for going too hard, but it was overall an incredibly positive experience for everyone involved.
We live in a world of RISK management. Whole departments, even whole companies dedicated to the elimination of risk.
Heated seats in our cars. Drive-thru McDonalds. No sailing trips for school kids.
We have forgotten what it means to be uncomfortable.
But here’s the thing. Throughout evolution, risk-taking was a necessary part of survival. To bring down a mammoth or a sabre-tooth so that your tribe could eat was incredibly dangerous, but necessary.
So over millennia, risk taking got encoded into our DNA.
But now we have no outlet for it.
And so we turn to computer games, drugs, and other numbing activities. Gangs prey on vulnerable young kids who are desperate to FEEL something. We have forgotten what it means to be ALIVE.
So what happens if we flip the switch. What happens when we start managing the COMFORT level in our lives?
How ALIVE is it possible to feel?
How CONNECTED is it possible to feel?
How INSPIRED is it possible to be.
This new schedule for me is uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable to commit to publishing an article every weekday. It is uncomfortable to wake up early.
My body craves the comfort of my bed. Of an extra few minutes sleep.
But here’s the thing. It’s not the new schedule that hurts. It is the CHANGE that hurts. And I am excited about who I become and what is possible as this new routine becomes normal.
It is uncomfortable going on an adventure. Stepping into the unknown. But it is in the unknown that we discover resources we never knew we had access to. It is in the unknown that the layers are stripped back and our true essence is revealed to us.
It is in the unknown that we can become who we already are.
I am managing the level of comfort in my life this Friday at 10AM PST. I’m doing something I haven’t done before. I am EXCITED to extend myself and lean into that fear.
I’m hosting a zoom call to talk about impossible goals. To talk about YOUR impossible dreams, and how to make them a reality.
If you are ready to manage the comfort level in your life, to step into the unknown and take action on your impossible dream(s) I’d love you to join me.
Email me at tom@altitudeevolution.com.