Welcome to the Hyper Focus.
12th Jan 3-3-3
Resetting the mind, body and soul
Resetting the mind, body and soul
Starting from scratch:
Sometimes in life, everything feels like it's going wrong. Arguments with loved ones, past regrets stirring in your mind, the new job, the new flatmate that you secretly hate, the death of a loved one, a fight with your friend. You get the point. The feelings or often lack of them can become too hard to deal with. TOO LOUD. You want quiet you want peace of mind.
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David Goggins is a Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, and motivational speaker known for his incredible resilience and mental toughness. Born in 1975, Goggins faced numerous challenges throughout his life, including obesity, poverty, and racism. By his own account by age 23 he was a mess, 80kg overweight spraying for cockroaches making under $1500 dollars a month. Most people would give up but Goggins started from scratch and despite these obstacles, he would go on to lose 87kg in 7 months joining Buds and becoming just the 36th African American Navy SEAL and later went on to serve in Iraq. Goggins later gained attention for his remarkable athletic feats, such as completing multiple ultra-marathons and setting the Guinness World Record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours. His journey is characterized by a relentless pursuit of self-improvement, pushing the limits of physical and mental endurance.
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Goggins embodies the fearlessness to start again from scratch. If he had continued his self-destructive ways he would have never become the person he is now, never inspiring millions to change their habits.
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In my own best practice and being someone who can not help but be inspired by Goggins to relentlessly ensure my own self-improvement despite my ADHD whenever quite frankly ‘shit is hitting the fan’ I like to remind myself I can close my eyes and take 3 deep focused breaths and make the mental agreement with myself that when I open my eyes I am reborn, I'm starting again. I take it all in, I look at myself in the mirror, I slowly unravel all the problems leading me to this point and I surgically pick them apart one by one whilst recognising my unchecked privileges at the same time.
This practice Goggins would call ‘starting from scratch’. It’s been a sobering practice I have used when I'm in my worst state of mind and it has always worked.
Lets build a healthy body
Building a strong exercise routine has been one of the most important steps in pursuing personal development. The outer advantages of having a nice body, gaining respect from people around you and looking better in t-shirts are appealing and are a nice perk to have but the truth is, once you incorporate the gym into your life everything else seems to fall more easily into place.
No one can dispute you will live a more fulfilling, happier, healthier and better life by exercising. The trick is for people with ADHD you have to make exercise work for YOU. Not anyone else but for yourself.
A framework and benchmark for weekly exercise I'd like to offer is:
Amazing: 5+ 45 minutes of exercise a week.
Great: 4+ 45 minutes of exercise a week
good: 3+ 45 minutes of exercise a week
Minimum: 2+ 45 minutes of exercise a week
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Remember, “exercise” is anything that gets your heart rate into an active zone. 55-75% of your max BPM. So please incorporate exercises you find enjoyable.
Person A: Hates riding a bike, pushes themselves to ride a bike 3x a week for an hour. Thanks to themselves they are disciplined. Burns 400 Kcal per ride.
Person B: He hates riding a bike so instead plays 5 aside football 3x a week for an hour. Think to themselves how much they Loved every minute. Burns 600 Kcal per 5 aside football match.
This is one of the reasons why “exercise” confuses people, they believe the lies that the fitness industry tells them that they have to 'grit their teeth' and 'push harder', No this isn't the most optimal way. We should sprinkle in workout sessions that are mentally taxing but this shouldn't be our normal zone. We should learn to love exercise not hate it.
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Many great forms of exercise are:
Weightlifting, MMA (Mixed martial arts), Boxing, JuJitsu, Football, Basketball, Dance, skiing, Running, Biking (indoors and out), Hikes and Long runs.
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Just get your heart rate up and experience a better life.
Leave your Ego behind
Don't attach your ego to titles or possessions, EGO will eventually grow more than your spirit and it will be your main pillar of self. We need to understand that possessions and titles can be taken away from us, if we have our sense of self deeply routed in our possessions and titles upon being taken away we are literally left empty. Titles and possessions are temporary. They can be gained or lost due to various circumstances such as job changes, economic shifts, or personal changes.
If your entire sense of self is deeply tied to these external markers, losing them can lead to a significant feeling of emptiness and an identity crisis. Conversely, if your sense of self is based on internal qualities, values, and a deeper understanding of your identity, the impact of external losses is lessened. Focusing on personal growth and character rather than defining yourself solely through external achievements or possessions can help you navigate life's changes with greater adaptability and a more enduring sense of self-worth.
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My ADHD way of putting this in practice whilst starting small. Understand you will grow old and wrinkly, your new phone will smash, your new shoes creased you may find a new wife and then divorce all in a matter of a few years. Life is temporary and that's okay.
Quotes of wisdom for your next 7 days
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” - Seneca
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“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm? So you were born to feel “nice”? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands? You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.” - Marcus Aurelius
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"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hope you enjoyed it, let's continue our pursuit of excellence. Remember we’re in this together.