When I transitioned from collegiate athletics to training post-collegiate, it was incredibly hard to say the least. I would work 8-9 hours and make my way over to the track to complete an intense training session (and still do 😀).

I was digging deep every session. Drawing on internal pain or external motivators to keep me going.

I would fight an internal dialogue telling me, “It’s not worth it. Quit now.” Or “How the hell am I going to manage all of this.”

But something interesting happened.

I made a deal with myself, and I kept at it for 2 weeks straight. No days missed, no reps skipped, and no habits omitted.

After the two weeks, it felt EASY. It was now a part of me. It was my identity. It’s who I am now. I work, I train, I recover.

Did that two-week period suck? God yes. Every single day, I just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

But if you can last 2 weeks doing something hard that you know will improve your life for years to come, it becomes part of you.

There’s no questioning how you feel, no debating skipping, and sure as hell no seeking motivation to get you through.

You simply keep that end goal in mind and do the work that’s necessary to attain it.

My personal brand has brought me opportunities, connections, and deals I never imagined possible. I want to help a wider range of people reap the same benefits, so I put together a kit covering everything I’ve learned in building my personal brand. There are anecdotes, reasons to build your brand, best practices, habits to build, and even journal entry reflections at the end of each chapter…check it out if you’re looking to grow your influence!

This shows true in all areas of life now. Be it in my personal finances, networking, positive work habits, building my personal brand, etc. There are daily habits that you have to build. Some of mine include:

• Checking my bank accounts, budget, bills, and spending daily

• Cold reaching out for networking meetings I’m not even sure will happen

  • And then showing up for the meeting well read on the person and enthusiastic…even when you’d rather take time to yourself^

• Sending numerous messages to check in on contacts from the past

• Responding to every message / email I receive throughout the day

• Hitting every deadline without fail

• Spending my time late at night creating and editing content to share on social media

• Taking my supplements

• Rehab exercises, rolling out, self-massage, etc.

• Taking time to visualize success in all areas of my life

• Journaling to understand my thought processes and emotions

Many of these tasks are not my favorite thing in the world, but I have done them without question for so long they are now a part of me and my identity.

And to be honest, they’re simple tasks. They’re not hard. It’s just a matter of taking the 2-week period to hit them every day without fail. That’s when the magic happens.

These routines and habits are by no means perfect…but I’m constantly working to understand what works and what doesn’t.

And I’m not sure what’s next for me and where my life goes from here…

But there is one thing I’m sure of: Building positive habits and an unbreakable discipline will never harm your chances of success down the road.

So, whatever it is we’re doing, let’s do it with intention and great enthusiasm. The skill of building habits without the need for motivation will serve us for the rest of our lives.

Here’s to the work and figuring it out as we go 🙂 

And remember…2 weeks is all it takes!

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