How a $1,000 bet is injecting me with artificial motivation.
I’ve often found benefit in self-induced challenges. In 2021 I completed the 75 Hard Challenge with some buddies. The challenge was simple, the hard part was the consistency.
It had 5 rules:
- Pick a diet to follow, with no alcohol or cheat meals.
- Drink a gallon of water daily.
- Complete 2 daily workouts. 45 minutes each minimum.
- Read 10 pages per day of a non-fiction book.
- Take a progress photo every day.
It was surprisingly difficult to push through and achieve all of these tasks on top of my already packed day. But nevertheless, my friends and I completed the challenge. The biggest mindset shift I got out of this challenge was this… I always have the time and energy when I prioritized high enough. I loved what I gained from the challenge. Before, I would have thought, “No way do I have time for 2 workouts a day!”.
I started to incorporate the Artificial Motivation and Habit Building of a good challenge into new “self-challenges” that were more in-line with accomplishing my personal goals.
I had to decide, what is the template for a “great challenge”?
High Stakes + Tight Deadlines = Results
For 75 Hard:
- High Stakes = Accountability of 4 other friends
- Tight Deadline = Daily yes/no tasks.
For My Personal Bet
- High Stakes = $1,000 Bet, to a friend that will hold me accountable.
- If I don’t accomplish my daily and weekly goals, I owe my partner $1,000
- Tight Deadline = Daily and Weekly Yes/No tasks.
…
How it’s going?
…To be continued
Leave a Reply