Day 5: ‘7 to Unstoppable’

DAY 5: INNER QUIET

Welcome to Day 5 of ‘7 to Unstoppable’! Look at you – almost at the home stretch!

For the last four days, we focused on strengthening our mind, our emotions, our bodies. They are all interrelated, and the best part is, the benefits of strengthening one of these spills on to the others too.

Today we will work on our minds some more. We will be making our minds quiet and contemplative, and then condition it to how we want. We are after strength and clarity.

Ready? Here we go.

Today’s challenge is:

1. Find a quiet, interrupted place in your house. Sit in a comfortable position and slowly rid yourself of all the trivial thoughts in your mind. If the room is bright, turn off the lights – it will help you focus better. Or if it is daytime, just close your eyes. Now back to your thoughts. The phone call you had to return, your plans for the weekend, all those non-essential thoughts – eject them from your mind, one by one. This is NOT easy – we are used to crowding our minds to the point of chaos nowadays. So this may take some time. Don’t stress out too much though – go at it slowly. One by one, push trivial thoughts from your mind.
2. Once your mind is sufficiently empty, we will go into ‘conditioning’ mode. Think how you want to feel this week. To make this easier, you can imagine how you want to be that is going to make you feel the best, most awesome version of yourself. For example: “I want to feel in control of everything happening around me” OR “I want to feel badass and powerful” or something else. Think of just one sentence. NOW, switch the “I want to feel” to “I am”.  Example: “I AM in control of everything happening around me” OR “I AM badass and powerful!” This is your affirmative thought for the day.

3. With your eyes still closed, or the lights still turned off, repeat your affirmative thought to yourself over and over for a few minutes. You can do it in your head or out loud – depending on how you feel. I personally like to do it in my head.
   (Steps 1 to 3 should take about 15 minutes in total)
4. Once your 15 minutes are up, open your eyes and leave the room. Now commit to spending at least one hour in silence without the use of technology, social media, etc. You can still go about your day i.e. do the dishes, get ready for work, etc. But for ONE HOUR, try to refrain from speaking to anyone or grabbing your phone to check Facebook.
   The reason for this is to keep you MINDFUL and FOCUSED on your affirmative thoughts, and not let the outside work detract you from the ‘zone’ your brain is in.
5. After your hour is up, go about your day as you normally would, but try to repeat your affirmative thought to yourself every few hours.

BONUS: Try to do this at least once a week, starting from now. You will be amazed at the mental clarity you start to gain once you make a habit of it.

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Day 4: ‘7 to Unstoppable’

Day 4: FACING YOUR FEARS

Welcome to Day 4 of ‘7 to Unstoppable’! Congrats on completing the first three days – consistency is so important if you want to build unshakeable mental strength.

Today, we will step outside our comfort zones a bit more. We are going to do that by diving into our FEARS.

The challenge today:

Identify TWO fears that you have. These could be fear of heights, fear of dogs, fear of crowded places, fear of public speaking, anything.

Now, do TWO things that will look that fear in the eye. 

For example, if you have a fear of crowded spaces, go to a flea market or an airport or a very packed bar and spend some time there. If you have a fear of dogs, go on a walk, and go up to the first dog you come across to pet it. If you have a fear of public speaking, ask your boss if you can give a 3-minute presentation at the beginning of the next meeting.

Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear.

 

FACE your fears. PUT yourself in the place of discomfort. Stepping into discomfort is when growth happens.

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How did that feel? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Day 3: ‘7 to Unstoppable’

Welcome to Day 3 of ‘7 to Unstoppable’! How are you feeling so far?

Today we are going to tackle emotion and vulnerability. Mental toughness does not mean removing oneself from emotion. In fact, true mental strength means being aware of one’s vulnerabilities, and striving to keep oneself in balance.

For today’s challenge:

Think of someone you have a difficult relationship with. Perhaps someone you feel a great deal of resentment towards. Call them today. Have a conversation with them and address why the relationship feels difficult for you. Be vulnerable. And then, propose to move on in good spirits. If they have done you wrong, forgive them. If you have done them wrong, acknowledge it. If the relationship is difficult due to other reasons, acknowledge the reasons and let go of the resentment.

For example, if you have a difficult relationship with an old friend, speak to them gently but openly. Acknowledge how you feel, and then propose to move on in good spirits. Point out that you are working on bettering yourself and would love for him/her to join you in your journey towards letting go of this resentment.

This conversation is meant to be difficult. Vulnerability, especially with someone you have a difficult history with – is incredibly hard. But you will come out of the conversation feeling lighter, and you will feel in much better control of your emotions.

You commanded your emotions, your emotions did not command you today. Give yourself a pat on the back. 

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How was this Day 3 for you? Shout out below!

DAY 2: ‘7 to Unstoppable’

Day 2: The Mental

Welcome to Day 2 of the ‘7 to Unstoppable’ challenge! (Did you complete Day 1? How was it? Leave a comment below and let me know).

Yesterday you told your mind to focus so you could finish your physical feat. Today, we will be getting inside our own heads to master our emotions.

Today’s challenge:

Think of one of the wildest goals/visions you have had that you never pursued because you thought it wouldn’t work. The key here is to think of a big/crazy goal that you have had that you talked yourself out of in the past, because it was so crazy that you got discouraged (i.e. “that will never happen” / “I could never do that”). For example, it could be to start a crazy importing business, or compete in a fitness competition, or to publish a book.

As part of today’s challenge, think about this specific goal in depth.

Then take a pen+paper and make two columns. One the left column, write down all the reasons you told yourself why it will not work. One by one, make a list on the left column. Write down the details. For example, “that will never happen because I have no idea how to even start a business. I have never done it.” These are your FEARS you are writing down.

Once you are done, take a step back. We are now going to shift your thinking. Imagine that you are your own personal cheerleader or coach. This cheerleader and coach wants you to win. They are there to encourage you, show you why it IS possible, and they believe in you 100%. So step outside your own head and into the head of your cheerleader or coach. They want to see you succeed. They want you to win – to overcome your fears and make your goals happen. Take at least a few minutes to stay there mentally, and really step into the headspace of someone who really BELIEVES you can WIN and wants you to.

Now, go back to your list. Remember, you are still in that head space. So go to the right column, and beside each FEAR, write down your rebuttal. Beside each “I don’t think this will work because of X logistic”, write down why it WILL work, because you will do Y. One by one, work through your list, still being in personal cheerleader or coach mode. They have a insightful rebuttal / smart solution for everything.

Once you are done, sit back and go through the list again. Watch how your fears have vanished, or been turned into an obstacle that can easily be tackled with the right attitude. All you needed was someone to believe in you and show you HOW and WHY you can do it.

YOU are that ‘someone’ for yourself. Once you start to fully develop an inner voice that can act as your personal coach or cheerleader, you can always count on it to eradicate your fears. You will look intrinsically for strength or support instead of outwards. Extrinsic support in friends, family – no matter how reliable – is not always fully under your control. But your inner voice is there for you WHENEVER you call upon it.

Today’s challenge is the first one of a few where we will be strengthening your inner voice to call upon in times of fear and discouragement.

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Done with this challenge? How do you feel? Any insights? Comment below.

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