What I Learned from #75Hard

Here’s what I learned. I’m much weaker than I thought. But I’m much stronger than I realized.

I thought this thing would be a piece of cake, but it wasn’t. A wise person once said, “If it were easy, everybody would do it.” But that wasn’t the most important thing I learned. The most important thing changed the way I look at life altogether.

I guess I should first explain what #75Hard is. On the surface, it looks like a fitness challenge, but it’s far from it. It’s exactly what its creator, Andy Frisella, says it is: a mental toughness challenge.

Here are the rules. For 75 days straight, before you go to bed, you do the following: two 45-minute (minimum) workouts a day, at least 3 hours apart — one outside, no matter the conditions. Drink a gallon of water a day. Take a progress picture every day. Create and follow your own diet — no alcohol, no cheat meals, no exceptions. Read 10 pages of a personal development book each day — real books, really read. And there are no excuses, no exceptions, no do-overs. You miss one thing, one day, one time, you start over at day one.

So what did I learn about myself, really?

The challenge was hard, but I seem to thrive on making it harder on myself. There were several times I didn’t start the first workout until midnight, which meant working out 45 minutes, then waiting 3 hours to start the second one — not finished until almost 5 a.m. In between, I guzzled water and read the ten pages, then took a picture at the end of the second workout.

Why did I wait so long?

The challenge was easy if you just do the work. I waited until it became harder, so I could feel more accomplished — knowing I did what most people wouldn’t be willing to do in the time I had left to do it. I wanted to make it as hard as possible so I could accomplish something harder than anyone else. That’s sick, right?

I say all of that to say this: when I completed the challenge on the first try, with no misses and no excuses and no failures, I felt… well, accomplished. This is a pattern I’ve developed in my life. I need the pressure of having my back against the wall. I don’t procrastinate — not the way people define it, and not for the reasons people identify. I do it because I like the pressure.

So… what now? Someone really put it into perspective for me. Lauren, my soon-to-be ex-wife, told me, “You’re very much an all-or-nothing guy. You go to the extremes in everything.” And I guess that’s true.

Learn your drivers

I’ve realized you need to truly identify your drivers. It will help you prioritize your day and your life. When you know what drives you — what makes you tick — you can be much more productive. I no longer feel like I need to accomplish this task or that in the middle of the day. I take the time to have fun and enjoy myself. I don’t make excuses anymore about why I’m waiting. I simply say, “Doing it now isn’t hard enough. Pressure drives me. I’ll do that tonight.”

Is it weird? Probably. But it’s always been me. It’s always been part of who I am. My whole life I made excuses about why I waited. Now, I don’t have to. I can embrace who I am and not apologize for it.

Did I lose weight? Yes. Am I in the best shape of my life? No doubt. Do I feel inspired by the challenge? Absolutely. Was all of this worth it? For sure. And the most valuable thing I gained? Knowledge about me.

Pressure = Driver.

And I’m okay with it. Learn your drivers. Don’t make excuses. Live authentically. Embrace who you are, stop paying attention to how it “should be,” and love what you’ve made it — because that is all that matters.