Non-Negotiables
"What are your daily non-negotiables?" This was a question I recently asked a client. He just looked at me funny. Turns out, this is a concept I often discuss with myself in my own head, but not with actual humans.
Daily non-negotiables. These are the things we are going to do each day, no matter what else is happening. Moreover, they are so important to us that we intentionally structure everything else around them to keep them from becoming negotiable.
I'll give you mine:
No eating between dinner and noon the following day. Intermittent fasting, regardless of the situation. No matter how tasty the breakfast looks, eating before lunch is a no-no.
10,000+ steps per day. No excuses. If it's 10PM and I only have 3,000 steps under my belt, well, I better start walking.
Write, edit, and publish a blog daily—1,400 days in a row. Regardless of sickness, location, energy level, or circumstance, a blog must be published.
Track my expenses. This one only takes 1-3 minutes, but every single day I will open my budgeting app and allocate whatever expenses have synced into the app. I've followed some version of this for more than 15 years. 90 seconds per day can change your life.
Take my kids to school. If I'm in the state, I'm taking my kids to school. Years ago, my assistant and I decided I would never schedule a meeting or appointment before 9AM. Taking my kids to school is a sacred act.
Tell Sarah I love her during every goodbye. Even if I'm mad. Even if I'm upset with her. "I love you," every single time.
Pray with the kids at bedtime. Some variation of the four of us will pray each night, though Finn insists he prays every single night.
I think we can tell a lot about ourselves by looking at our non-negotiables in black-and-white. Those types of lines in the sand show us who we are, but more importantly, who we are trying to become. There are a few items NOT on my list that I wish were, so either I need to add them, or it's unlikely I will create a trajectory toward them.
Today's encouragement is simple. Define your non-negotiables. What are your proverbial lines in the sand? Make a list; write them down. A few questions to ask yourself:
Do you like what you see?
What do your non-negotiables say about who you are, and more importantly, who you are trying to become?
What items need to be added to your non-negotiable list?
Then, act.
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