Depressed… overweight… weak. I stared disgusted at the reflection in the mirror and asked, “what in the hell happened?” It was November 21, 2018. After a few more moments of turning around and looking at my physique from different angles I stopped the mini-pity party and got in the shower. After awhile my mind started to wonder. I had a crystallizing moment where several ideas that have been floating around in my head finally got aligned. I had just finished reading Jordan B Peterson’s “The 12 Rules of Life,” the day before. I had read Andy Andrews “The Travelers Gift” and Darren Hardy’s “The Compound Effect” several times each. Rule #4 from Jordan Peterson’s book was “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Andy Andrew’s book gave the first principle of personal success, which is “You are responsible for where you are in life based on your choices.” Darren Hardy’s book states that “small, almost unnoticeable changes, applied consistently over time, equals miraculous results.” And in that moment in the shower it all became clear…

I wasn’t happy with my physique because I knew I had made poor choices. Choices of eating and drinking too much and not being disciplined when it comes to working out. I also knew that it wouldn’t help to compare myself to others and how ripped they looked because I can’t control what they do. And I also knew that if I made a change, I would just need to apply it everyday, little bit little… and later a miracle might happen.

So I exited the shower and dried myself off. Got dressed. Got down on the ground and did 1 single push-up and 1 single crunch. I went to a notebook I had and marked the date and what I did. I pushed the snowball off the top of the mountain. I took the first step. It may seem stupid. Not even worth the time. But I knew the truth. This was going to be special.

The next day I got down on the ground and did 2 push-ups and 2 crunches. Then the following day I did 3 and 3. 4 and 4. And I increased by 1 rep each day for 100 days. I kept going. I added more exercises. Squats, bicycle kicks. 200. I added planks. 215… and counting.

I’ve lost 14 pounds since I started. I have a strong chest and core. I like the reflection I see in the mirror now. My workout now only takes about 10 minutes per day. That’s it. I’ve achieved incredible results in averaging less than 10 minutes per day.

It doesn’t take a life shattering moment to change your course. It doesn’t take a huge, momentous, and improbable luck to strike you. You just need to decide to take the first step. First it takes focus to know what you want to achieve. Then it takes discipline to stay consistent over time. First others might question what you are doing. Then later others will wonder how you did it.

What first step are you taking today?