I want you to think about an instance or duration of time that you were absolutely unstoppable.
This could be for any length of time. Maybe an hour, maybe a full morning, maybe an entire week. When were you an unstoppable force of complete and total domination?
Felt pretty damn good, right? You felt like you could accomplish anything that was put in front of you. You were smashing through emails, tackling your projects head on, checking off items on your to do list with speed, and gaining some serious momentum along the way.
You were in the ZONE.
You were UNSTOPPABLE.
You were CRUSHING LIFE.
Let’s think a little deeper.
How did you FEEL in that moment? How could you describe that feeling?
Here’s how I describe it… When I’m in that zone, I am the human version of FIRE.
DID YOU GET THAT?
I.
AM.
FIRE.
Fire is powerful. Fire moves with speed. Fire grows rapidly. Fire is destructive.
Fire has ONE task – to completely overwhelm anything and everything in it’s path with a force so dominant that the likes of thousands of trained professionals can’t even stop it.
YOU. CAN’T. STOP. ME.
I am Daenerys Targaryen, first of her name, The Unburnt, Khaleesi of the Great CrossFit Sea, Queen of the Metcons and Lord of the barbells, and the rightful heir to the iron throne of Gainz.
I’m addicted to this feeling. Why? Because when I’m fire, I can do anything. It doesn’t matter what I have to do, it’s going to get done.
I workout hard. I crush my at-home to do list. I coach awesome classes. I build the business.
If you told me I couldn’t fly, I’d probably jump off the nearest roof and show you how wrong you are.
I crush life, and I crush anything that tries to stop me. (but please don’t tell me I can’t fly. I’ll try and prove you wrong. This would end poorly for me.)
Let’s be perfectly clear though… this is NOT “motivation.” I don’t believe in motivation. Motivation ebbs and flows. Motivation can be left up to outside factors determining your levels of motivation.
Screw that.
Don’t let outside forces determine if you are successful or not. We can’t rely on others for that. We can only rely on ourselves.
So let’s think back to that time you were on fire. How did you get there?
This is a really important mindfulness practice. Kind of like getting into a winning mindset by recognizing your wins first thing in the morning, you can get into your FIRE mindset by auditing how you got there, and recreating these steps.
When you can recreate this, absolutely nothing can stop you.
Because you’re fire, duh.
So here’s how I light myself on fire and crush life. It’s a routine/practice that I turn to whenever I’m feeling unproductive, a bit lost, and lazy.
I recognize that I’m feeling unproductive, a bit lost, and lazy.
This is the first step. When you aren’t doing so hot, recognize it so you can get back to this list.
I write down a list of things that need to get done.
This is pretty generic for me. It could be anything that I think of that needs to get done at some point. Make that Facebook post, send that check-in email, walk the dogs, call Mom, write Saturday’s workout… whatever. Just get it all down on paper.
Prioritize the List.
This is the biggest thing that I struggle with. If you don’t get anything else from this post, get this. Prioritizing your list is the most important step for FIRE. Here’s how I prioritize my list.
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The Spark – a small item that you can knock out with ease. This get’s the fire started.
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This is probably a task that could be done in less than 10 minutes. “Respond to that quick email.”
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The Oxygen – a more substantial task, but nothing overwhelming. This helps build the fire.
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This is something that requires a bit more work, but isn’t intimidating or stressful. “Pay that bill.”
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The Catalyst – an item that may have been on a previous to do list that just hasn’t been completed yet. This is lighter fluid. This is where you kick it up a notch.
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This is more work than the oxygen section, because you’ve put it off! This may be a slightly more intimidating task. Get it done, and watch the blaze erupt. “Edit that blog post, post that blog, publicize that blog.”
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The Inferno – this is everything else. You’re on fire now. You can do anything.
After this list is prioritized, it’s time to get to work.
Turn Off Notifications and Ship The List
Step 1: turn off notifications. Notifications are a distraction from you and your list. Close out Facebook. Turn off desktop notifications. Put your phone on Do Not Disturb. If you have a smartwatch, take it off. Get rid of these distractions.
Step 2: Ship the list. There is a concept that Seth Godin (master marketer) has that I have adopted and have grown to love. It’s called “shipping.” This concept came out of a paralysis by analysis conundrum that many businesses face. They get so caught up in thinking about every possible scenario that they forget to actually produce, finish, and ship their work.
The same thing happens to us. Instead of getting paralyzed by over analysis, get the work done, and ship it. (read this post from Seth’s blog — http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
For me, I dedicate a specific duration of time to ship every day. It doesn’t have to be much. Sometimes 30 minutes to an hour. Other days I say noon to 4PM. Whatever that duration is, I turn off my notifications, ship my list, and turn into the Human Torch.
I am fire.
If you made it this far, I hope you’re as excited about the rest of the week as I am. You’ve got some tools to light yourself up and get some serious work done.
Bruce Lee once said, “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”
Much respect to Mr. Lee, but let’s not let outside forces determine who we are or how successful we become.
Be fire, my friends.
-Clark Hibbs
