Set Your Alarm: You’ll Get In Shape

I’m still chugging along with Seth Godin’s newest book, The Practice. I’ll likely go back to this book repeatedly. It’s full of gems. The gems, as Godin writes about them, apply to creative work. But, really, they apply to any meaningful work that we want to engage in to achieve a goal that has deep meaning to us. Any goal that requires daily and consistent practice.

Like getting in shape.

Yes, getting in shape requires work. It requires consistent practice.

As much as we’d all love to believe headlines like 5 Minutes to 6-Pack Abs, they’re simply not true.

The only way to get in shape is to do the work. To embrace the process. To do…The Practice.

Do It Because It’s 11:30pm

When we moved down to Florida, I joined the T2 Aquatics Masters swim team. It had been almost 8 months since I had done any consistent swimming, and it was time to get back in the water on a regular basis. Practices are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30am to 7:00am, and Saturday from 6:30am to 8:00am.

It’s early.

Four days a week: it’s early.

But, if I want to be part of the Masters swim team, it’s what’s required.

That’s when the work happens. That’s the promise that I made to myself when I signed up for the team.

Like Godin tells us, “Saturday Night Live doesn’t go on at 11:30 p.m. because it’s ready. It goes on because it’s 11:30.” Similarly, the members of T2 Aquatics don’t jump in the water at 5:30am because they’re ready. They jump in the water because it’s 5:30am.

I don’t get up at 4:45am because I’m ready. I get up because it’s 4:45.

I walk out to the kitchen to start the water for coffee.

I come back into our room, go to the bathroom, and search in the dark for clothes to throw on.

I close the door, head back to the kitchen, grind the coffee, and then set my coffee up and Julie’s coffee up.

I peel two bananas, cut them into pieces, put them in a bowl, and put the bowl in the freezer for my smoothie after practice.

By now, the water is usually boiled, and I pour it into the AeroPress to brew.

I read the day’s reflection in Jesus Calling. I reflect.

It’s 5:05am.

I press the coffee into my cup, add hot water, and stir.

I grab my keys, wallet, and cup of coffee, and I’m out the door.

I drive 3 miles down the road to the pool, enter the gate code, and then drive to the parking lot.

A quick change, bathroom stop, and then I find my lane.

It’s 5:30am and people are starting to jump in

I jump in.

Sometimes I’m ready.

Sometimes I’m not.

I don’t jump in the water at 5:30am because I’m ready. I jump in the water because it’s 5:30.

Photo by Julie Anne Photography

Find Your Time Anchor

For me, it’s 4:45am and, again, at 5:30am. What started out as 3-4 times a week has now turned into a daily habit. And, it’s working.

I’m building momentum.

I’m swimming faster.

I’m getting fitter.

Embracing the process…doing the work…The Practice…works.

We often think of anchors as only helping to stop us; to prevent us from drifting. But, when it comes to getting in shape—to embracing the process—maybe we need to rethink anchors. Maybe they can be the grounding force that actually gets us to do the work.

“Anchors can drag us down. That’s their job on a boat.” Godin continues, though: “But for a creative person, an anchor can also be a beacon, the thing we work toward relentlessly. Not because it’s perfect. But because it’s 11:30. We promised. The process, not the outcome. That’s the heart of our practice. Good process leads to good outcomes.”

At your 4:45am, 5:30am, or 11:30pm, you may not be ready.

…you may be tired.

…you may be sore.

…working out may be the last thing that you want to do.

But, by ignoring all that—every perceived roadblock—and honoring your promise, the work will get done.

It may not be perfect, but it will be work.

It may not be the best you can do, but it will be part of the process.

It may feel terrible the entire time, but you’re engaging in The Practice.

You’re creating momentum. And, according to Godin, “[f]orward motion is the only sort of motion that we’re interested in.”

But, Really, Is It A Barrier?

My anchor of 4:45am is extreme. I know. It’s not for everybody.

Or…is it?

Ask yourself: “What’s keeping me from getting up at 4:45am?”

Rather than be too blunt, I’ll take the easy way out on this one and fall back on Seth Godin: “The truth: if a reason doesn’t stop everyone, it’s an excuse, not an actual roadblock.”

Stop with the excuses. Find your time anchor. Do the work. Embrace the process. The outcome will, eventually, come.