I didn’t want to go run the other evening. It had been a long day, and I’d met with clients for 8 hours. In addition to making some calls to parents during my commute. I got home felt like I wanted to just reward myself by just relaxing. This is how the conversation went.
Me: I don’t want to go running tonight. It’s been a long day and I’ve been pretty good this week so we’ll take the evening off.
Bigger Me: Don’t listen to that. That’s just a thought.
Me: Damn it. Okay, I’ll go.
Bigger Me: That’s what I thought. Hahaha!!
Me: Hey, I see what you did there.
There’s a popular bumper sticker that reads, “Don’t believe everything you think.” This is often connected with meditation. It’s also as often read and not practiced. If we practice this little skill, not believing everything we think, it transform our lives.
David Goggins, a Navy SEAL and an ultra endurance athlete, is known for making a SEAL belief more widely known. In short, this is called The 40% Rule. It’s the idea that when we believe we are finished, that we have nothing more to give, the we are only 40% of the way into our full capability and capacity.
If we play around with bringing this into our lives and practice overcoming are limiting beliefs and times when we are ready to give up, be it in relationships, emotionally, in recovery, athletics, business, etc., our lives are certain to transform.
Experiment with keeping the 40% Rule at your fingertips. We can find when you stop believing all your thoughts as that you can push yourself Beyond your previous limitations. And you’ll find that you gain trust and confidence in yourself beyond what you thought was possible. You may also look at the horizon and the path ahead with fresh eyes that see limitless possibilities. And notice the conversation that unfolds between the “Me” and the “Bigger Me”, and get ready to watch your life in the lives of everyone around you transform for the better.
(The picture here was the “reward”. This is a picture from the beach on my sunset run this evening when I didn’t believe my thoughts and went on a run despite “not wanting to”.)