How non-negotiables save your life

I have an odd philosophy:

Non-negotiables you perform daily are a worthy measurement of success.

So... What do I mean when I say "non-negotiable"?

I mean the activities that keep you well.

The activities that you know bring stability and wellness into your life. Even during the most chaotic and turbulent events.

I firmly believe that if we doggedly stick to a foundational set of practices, we will have an immensely high quality of life. We'd experience what we truly wanted (but couldn't find in most worldly pursuits).

To feel well.

Non-negotiables can look like anything...

It's up to us to determine which activities to pick.

One way of figuring out what to do is to ask yourself:

"What ten activities/practices make me feel energetic & expansive?"

Then, without thinking too much, create a list of 10 practices that fit the bill.

Non-negotiables are NOT NEGOTIABLE

No quitting allowed.

The math here is simple. We have a list of activities that cultivate wellness, openness, and expansiveness. Why would you not do them every day?

No reason could justify it. It just has to be done.

Non-negotiables are NOT WORK

Try to avoid folding your worldly pursuits into your practices.

These practices can be anything but work.

However... The kicker is that these practices will supercharge your work in a way you could have never imagined. The benefits spill over into your work.

You can improve your work without ever having to think about your work.

Non-negotiable example

Here are my non-negotiables:

MORNING

• Morning Walk
• Meditation
• Cold Shower
• Breathwork
• Exercise
• Spiritual Reading
• Morning Writing

AFTERNOON

• Afternoon Walk
• Yoga Nidra
• Mindfulness Breathing
• Learning Sessions

EVENING

• Meditation
• Reading
• Evening Walk

Whenever I execute these – I feel at my best. So I do them every day. There is no excuse I could honestly give that would stop me from doing them.

Why?

Because I believe that success is not an end-state, it's just a function of momentum.

We're not going from state A (not successful) to state B (successful).

It looks more like pushing a snowball down a hill. I call it "Success Momentum," where it would make less sense for you to fail because it would take too much friction to stop the momentum you've built cumulatively.

Little wins and steps build momentum. After a while, the momentum builds quicker than you need to push. (The practices become a habit). And it's at this point you experience incredible benefits.

A helpful metaphor

What is the true goal of worldly pursuits? To feel something.

The modern strategy is to try to conjure lightning ⚡⚡🍼🍼 from a bottle. Using artificial means to get us what we want (the lightning). But, alas, most bottles don't hold lightning, so we suffer by constantly trying.

A better strategy is this. Go to where there are thunderclouds ☁️ and wait for lighting to strike. 🌩️🌩️

Set the conditions for lighting to strike. Don't pray for it. Don't force it. Don't expect anything.

Your non-negotiables are like these thunderclouds.

Where there are thunderclouds, you will find lightning.

Where there are non-negotiables, you will find success.