It’s the everyday things that change us. “Watch your thoughts, they become your words;watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits;watch your habits, they become your character;watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”– Lao Tzu For some reason, I remember the end of the quote as your habits become who you are.   I sit right now trying to make my habits into who I want to become.  But it seems like that daily grind of doing something everything every day is what is getting me.   I want to be a motivational writer and podcaster.  And this blog is my attempt at doing that.  I am working to make myself better, and helping those around me become better, so they can make the ones around them become better, and if everyone becomes a better person, the world would be a better place.  Lately, I’ve let everything get in the way of this simple goal.  I haven’t been writing or podcasting.  I haven’t been working on myself as much as I should.  And I haven’t been growing.  Everything has a season, but I think we shouldn’t let a season go by without improving ourselves. I just let a season go by without improving me and it sucks.  I feel horribly behind at everything.  At work I haven’t been doing the simple things to keep going.  I’m a salesman, and I haven’t been prospecting, which means I haven’t been bringing in new business.  I’ve just been working the business I have and now I’m behind.  At home, I haven’t been working on being a better husband and father and I think it is affecting my relationships with my family. Physically I’ve been missing workouts and eating poorly so I haven’t been losing weight or improving my physical prowess like I want to. It all comes back to the simple habit of trying to improve yourself every day. For me, that is reading at least 10 pages a day out of a self-help or business book, listening to a book, and listening to podcasts that help me be better. (Andy Frisella’s Feal AF, the guy that came up with the 75 Hard Program that motivated me to start this site is a good one to listen to). Over the last week, I’ve started reading again and listening to more podcasts.  I’m hoping to motivate myself into getting better a little at a time.  As I get better at me, I’ll get better at doing the grind, which includes this blog. If you are still reading this blog, thanks.  I hope it is helping you become better. Ben Branam  The post The Grind… appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

It’s the everyday things that change us. “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu For some reason, I remember the end of the quote as your habits become who you are. I sit right now trying to make my habits into who I want to become. But it seems like that daily grind of doing something everything every day is what is getting me. I want to be a motivational writer and podcaster. And this blog is my attempt at doing that. I am working to make myself better, and helping those around me become better, so they can make the ones around them become better, and if everyone becomes a better person, the world would be a better place. Lately, I’ve let everything get in the way of this simple goal. I haven’t been writing or podcasting. I haven’t been working on myself as much as I should. And I haven’t been growing. Everything has a season, but I think we shouldn’t let a season go by without improving ourselves. I just let a season go by without improving me and it sucks. I feel horribly behind at everything. At work I haven’t been doing the simple things to keep going. I’m a salesman, and I haven’t been prospecting, which means I haven’t been bringing in new business. I’ve just been working the business I have and now I’m behind. At home, I haven’t been working on being a better husband and father and I think it is affecting my relationships with my family. Physically I’ve been missing workouts and eating poorly so I haven’t been losing weight or improving my physical prowess like I want to. It all comes back to the simple habit of trying to improve yourself every day. For me, that is reading at least 10 pages a day out of a self-help or business book, listening to a book, and listening to podcasts that help me be better. (<a href="https://andyfrisella.com/blogs/realaf-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Frisella’s Feal AF</a>, the guy that came up with the 75 Hard Program that motivated me to start this site is a good one to listen to). Over the last week, I’ve started reading again and listening to more podcasts. I’m hoping to motivate myself into getting better a little at a time. As I get better at me, I’ll get better at doing the grind, which includes this blog. If you are still reading this blog, thanks. I hope it is helping you become better. Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/the-grind/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Grind…</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

The Grind…

Changing you and your focus. How to change you and your focus in life is simple, just not easy.  You just have to reprogram yourself.  And it takes a long time. I’m going through a tough time with my sisters and father.  My mother passed away suddenly about two years ago and my father spent the time since her passing in the bottle.   He was an alcoholic growing up but gave it up about 15 years ago because a doctor told him it was killing him.  So he quit.  Simple, not easy.   But my father is a great man when it comes to stuff like that.  He had smoked for 18 years and a doctor told him the more he smoked going into surgery, the less likely he was to wake up.  So he quit.  He retired a couple of years before my mom passed so once she was gone, he had no reason to get up in the morning.  It’s easier for me than for my sisters because once he started drinking I knew it wouldn’t be long and I excepted his passing and spiraling health.   It is also easier for me since I live in Texas and they are all in California.  My youngest sister just can’t let go of the worry and stress.  And it is starting to affect her and her husband’s life very negatively.   I told her to stop it and she said it’s just who she is.   She has told herself this for years and years.  It’s just who she is.  Our mom told herself the same thing for her entire life.  So my sister just assumed it is genetic and she got it from mom.  Whether it is genetic or not, I don’t know, but I know it can be changed. My sister programmed herself her entire life to care for others first, then herself and her husband.  I gave her some Zig Ziglar advice, look yourself in the mirror every morning and tell yourself that your husband and you come first above all else.  Say “I will take care of myself and my husband first.  Then I will take care of the rest of the family.”   You can reprogram yourself with anything the same way.  Anything you want to change about yourself, you can change.  Get up every morning, look yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself who you want to be.  For years I was a very negative person.  I could see the bad in everything.  It was just who I was.  And I thought that was how it was going to be forever.  In 2009 I decided to change that when I came back from Iraq for the last time. It took me years and asking lots of people to help me, but now I’m a much more optimistic person.  I still have self-help cards that I read and one of them says “I am a happy, grateful, and joyful person.  I will spread that joy to those around me to make the world better.  Being positive will help me do everything better.”   Every so often I slip and say something very negative.  But I have people to remind me and this card to read.  But now I’m seen by others as a positive and optimistic person.   What do you need to reprogram yourself to be? What do you want to reprogram yourself to be?  Ben Branam The post Changing You appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Changing you and your focus. How to change you and your focus in life is simple, just not easy. You just have to reprogram yourself. And it takes a long time. I’m going through a tough time with my sisters and father. My mother passed away suddenly about two years ago and my father spent the time since her passing in the bottle. He was an alcoholic growing up but gave it up about 15 years ago because a doctor told him it was killing him. So he quit. Simple, not easy. But my father is a great man when it comes to stuff like that. He had smoked for 18 years and a doctor told him the more he smoked going into surgery, the less likely he was to wake up. So he quit. He retired a couple of years before my mom passed so once she was gone, he had no reason to get up in the morning. It’s easier for me than for my sisters because once he started drinking I knew it wouldn’t be long and I excepted his passing and spiraling health. It is also easier for me since I live in Texas and they are all in California. My youngest sister just can’t let go of the worry and stress. And it is starting to affect her and her husband’s life very negatively. I told her to stop it and she said it’s just who she is. She has told herself this for years and years. It’s just who she is. Our mom told herself the same thing for her entire life. So my sister just assumed it is genetic and she got it from mom. Whether it is genetic or not, I don’t know, but I know it can be changed. My sister programmed herself her entire life to care for others first, then herself and her husband. I gave her some Zig Ziglar advice, look yourself in the mirror every morning and tell yourself that your husband and you come first above all else. Say “I will take care of myself and my husband first. Then I will take care of the rest of the family.” You can reprogram yourself with anything the same way. Anything you want to change about yourself, you can change. Get up every morning, look yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself who you want to be. For years I was a very negative person. I could see the bad in everything. It was just who I was. And I thought that was how it was going to be forever. In 2009 I decided to change that when I came back from Iraq for the last time. It took me years and asking lots of people to help me, but now I’m a much more optimistic person. I still have self-help cards that I read and one of them says “I am a happy, grateful, and joyful person. I will spread that joy to those around me to make the world better. Being positive will help me do everything better.” Every so often I slip and say something very negative. But I have people to remind me and this card to read. But now I’m seen by others as a positive and optimistic person. What do you need to reprogram yourself to be? What do you want to reprogram yourself to be? Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/changing-you/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Changing You</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Changing You

Books will change your life even in the most unusual way. In 2002 I was part of an Anti-Terrorism unit on Camp Pendleton as a U.S. Marine.  By then I’d figured out I liked reading and was into spy novels and saving the world adventure books.   When my unit was activated and placed on alert as part of an Anti-Terrorism unit after September 11th I started reading everything on weapons and tactics I could get my hands on.  At the time Marines could do MCIs (Marine Corps Institute) as a way to earn credits and advance in rank.  I’d already done all the ones I could by the time we settled into strip alert. Once we started training more I had access to libraries of different units and areas.  I got more books on combat, terrorism, and war.  Most of the books were from the Vietnam era and World War II.  Not much new had been written.  So I actually ordered books on terrorism from outside the Marine Corps.  And people, agencies, and other services sent them to me.  And I read them all.   Consequently, I always had a book on hand and would read a lot in my downtime.  One of my academically challenged leaders asked me why I always had a book.  So I told the truth, I was trying to learn.  He said what do you think you are ”some kind of brain?” as a snipe meant to tear me down in front of my Marines.  It didn’t work.  My Marines gave me my nickname and call sign right then and there, Brain.  I’ve been that ever since. Even in other units I went to and eventually as a contractor that continued to fight terrorism years later, my call sign went with me.  It’s actually an honor to get a call sign assigned to you.  And in conventional forces, not everyone gets one.  In the contracting world, you get a call sign for some stupid thing you do.  So I enjoyed walking in with one and not getting a horrible nickname.   But my love for books continued.  I can’t tell you there is one book that changed my life, I just know that books over time make me more motivated, better mentally, and better physically.  I still read, or actually, listen to, a lot of books now, anything that looks interesting that could improve me.   Books will change your life, but not in the way most people want them to.  It takes a long time.  And a lot of them. I wish I could give you one book that would change your life and put you on the path to being the best person you could be.  I can give you a couple about combat and leadership that changed the way I thought, but most of the books I read take years to work. It could be me.  You might be able to read a book once and change your entire world.  I hope that works for you.  My experience is it is painful, hard, and takes way more time than I want it to.  I guess that is the painful lesson I’ve gotten from every book I’ve ever read, it takes time.  It takes lots of time.  Yes I will give you a list of books that could change your life (in a minute).  I want to let you know it is okay that it takes time.  I want you to be patient.  Life change takes a while.  Keep working on it, you can do it. Ben Branam My Favorite “change-your-life” books:  The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker can teach you what fear actually is and how to use it.  In today’s world, we don’t deal with real fear (something is going to kill you right now fear) as much as we use to.  So w don’t understand it.  Read the book and see how you can use it and why we have it. Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink is one of the best leadership books ever.  Whether you are leading a team, your family, or just yourself.  If you put the concept of Extreme Ownership into your life it will help you be a better person.  It’s a simple concept, but it sure as hell isn’t easy. Profit First by Mike Michalowicz is the best book on business accounting for a business leader.  It flips traditional accounting practices on their head to give you a way to think about accounting in a business fashion to help you make money and keep your expenses in check.   Take Charge of You by David Novak is what I’m currently reading and hoping it will change my life.  I’m going through this one slowly and doing all the exercises and answering all the questions.  I want to coach myself to make myself better and learn something along the way. The post Books Will Change Your Life appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Books will change your life even in the most unusual way. In 2002 I was part of an Anti-Terrorism unit on Camp Pendleton as a U.S. Marine. By then I’d figured out I liked reading and was into spy novels and saving the world adventure books. When my unit was activated and placed on alert as part of an Anti-Terrorism unit after September 11th I started reading everything on weapons and tactics I could get my hands on. At the time Marines could do MCIs (Marine Corps Institute) as a way to earn credits and advance in rank. I’d already done all the ones I could by the time we settled into strip alert. Once we started training more I had access to libraries of different units and areas. I got more books on combat, terrorism, and war. Most of the books were from the Vietnam era and World War II. Not much new had been written. So I actually ordered books on terrorism from outside the Marine Corps. And people, agencies, and other services sent them to me. And I read them all. Consequently, I always had a book on hand and would read a lot in my downtime. One of my academically challenged leaders asked me why I always had a book. So I told the truth, I was trying to learn. He said what do you think you are ”some kind of brain?” as a snipe meant to tear me down in front of my Marines. It didn’t work. My Marines gave me my nickname and call sign right then and there, Brain. I’ve been that ever since. Even in other units I went to and eventually as a contractor that continued to fight terrorism years later, my call sign went with me. It’s actually an honor to get a call sign assigned to you. And in conventional forces, not everyone gets one. In the contracting world, you get a call sign for some stupid thing you do. So I enjoyed walking in with one and not getting a horrible nickname. But my love for books continued. I can’t tell you there is one book that changed my life, I just know that books over time make me more motivated, better mentally, and better physically. I still read, or actually, listen to, a lot of books now, anything that looks interesting that could improve me. Books will change your life, but not in the way most people want them to. It takes a long time. And a lot of them. I wish I could give you one book that would change your life and put you on the path to being the best person you could be. I can give you a couple about combat and leadership that changed the way I thought, but most of the books I read take years to work. It could be me. You might be able to read a book once and change your entire world. I hope that works for you. My experience is it is painful, hard, and takes way more time than I want it to. I guess that is the painful lesson I’ve gotten from every book I’ve ever read, it takes time. It takes lots of time. Yes I will give you a list of books that could change your life (in a minute). I want to let you know it is okay that it takes time. I want you to be patient. Life change takes a while. Keep working on it, you can do it. Ben Branam My Favorite “change-your-life” books: <a href="https://amzn.to/3FNPpBQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker</a> can teach you what fear actually is and how to use it. In today’s world, we don’t deal with real fear (something is going to kill you right now fear) as much as we use to. So w don’t understand it. Read the book and see how you can use it and why we have it. <a href="https://amzn.to/38zy57g" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink</a> is one of the best leadership books ever. Whether you are leading a team, your family, or just yourself. If you put the concept of Extreme Ownership into your life it will help you be a better person. It’s a simple concept, but it sure as hell isn’t easy. <a href="https://amzn.to/3FUImHx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Profit First by Mike Michalowicz </a>is the best book on business accounting for a business leader. It flips traditional accounting practices on their head to give you a way to think about accounting in a business fashion to help you make money and keep your expenses in check. <a href="https://amzn.to/3FKqhvP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Take Charge of You by David Novak</a> is what I’m currently reading and hoping it will change my life. I’m going through this one slowly and doing all the exercises and answering all the questions. I want to coach myself to make myself better and learn something along the way. The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/books-will-change-your-life/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Books Will Change Your Life</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Books Will Change Your Life

You have to go your own way when setting and accomplishing goals.  No one will set goals for you; this is your first thought, right?  But lots of people will set lots of goals for you over your life.  When you are a kid, your parents set lots of goals for you.  Most of them you probably don’t even know about.  Or at least didn’t know about it at the time.  Bet you didn’t know that they just wanted you to walk on your own after carrying you around for the better part of a year.   As we get older more people set goals for us.  You have goals at work that your boss expects you to achieve.  You still have goals your parents expect you to rise to.  And you have goals your spouse, your siblings, or your closest friends will try and set for you.   Sometimes we care about those goals, but most of the time I bet you are like me.  I don’t really care what my parents’ goals are for me anymore.  I’m a grown man.  My spouse has all sorts of goals for me and half of them I don’t even know what they are.  I don’t care about most of those goals.  If you think that is mean, the problem is that I don’t really care about most of the goals I set for myself.  But I’m working on it. For me, working on goal setting means going my own way.  All these people around me have goals for me.  But I have to set my own, on my own, and do them on my own.  Strategically looking for partners, not just using people around me. I was trying to run a 5K with my wife.  I’m horribly addicted to Monster Energy drinks (I like the blue lo-carb ones) and my wife hates that I drink them.  I hate that my wife is a couch potato and doesn’t have any physical goals.  One of my wife’s good friends wants to run a 5K without walking for her 50th birthday in June of this year.  I thought it would be great if my wife and she did it together.  They could push each other and make both of them accomplish something big.  I roped my wife into it and said I would do it with her.  I also said I will completely quit drinking Monsters if she finishes the 5K without walking.    My wife trained for two weeks a month ago and hasn’t hit the pavement since.  I’ve been hitting the treadmill for the last month twice a week trying to get up to a running speed so I could keep up with them.  I really have no desire to run a 5K and my friend invited me to do another bike race. I loved doing the bike race last month!  Now there is another one right here in San Antonio that is at the end of June.  And I can go from doing 25 miles to doing 40 miles this time.  A nice progression. I tried having a heart-to-heart with my wife about the 5K goal and she really didn’t seem into it.  So I went my own way.  I signed up for the Tour De Boerne bike race on June 25.  I’m going to do 40 miles and I’ve already started training. Today I rode 32 miles with a group.  Next week I’ll try and ride a bunch. I’m learning that despite what others do or don’t do, have goals, or don’t have goals, you have to find your own goal and go after it for your reasons.  That way the monotony of every day doesn’t get in the way of you achieving your goal.   Your goals are something that you have to work on every day.  So you better like working on your goal.  If you don’t enjoy the process, if you don’t like the direction of your goal, you aren’t going to get it done.  And if you do complete the goal it will be empty and have no meaning. Go your own way.  Pick your own goal.  Then work on it every day, of every week, of every year until you achieve that goal.  Once you hit that goal then go on to the next one.   The last thing I’m learning about goals is you can only work on as many as you can work on every day, of every week, of every year.  If you don’t have time, energy, or enough drive to work on all your goals today, you need to put some of them on the back burner and do the ones you can work on every day. Now get after your goals,  Ben Branam   What I’m using to work on my goals right now:  The Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt:  I used this on and off and back onto it.  It is a daily planner that puts your goals upfront.  I think it needs a little more.  Use it, but cut your goals down to a couple.  There is room for like 20 upfront.  Then add a section on the daily pages in the notes or other areas that says what you are going to do that day to work on each goal.  The Bucket List Journal:  I’m just starting this one, but heard the writer, Ben Nemtin, on a podcast and was so inspired by how his life changed by working on his bucket list (I hear BIG GOALS) that I bought the book and the planner to work through it.  The post Go Your Own Way… When it comes to your goals appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

You have to go your own way when setting and accomplishing goals. No one will set goals for you; this is your first thought, right? But lots of people will set lots of goals for you over your life. When you are a kid, your parents set lots of goals for you. Most of them you probably don’t even know about. Or at least didn’t know about it at the time. Bet you didn’t know that they just wanted you to walk on your own after carrying you around for the better part of a year. As we get older more people set goals for us. You have goals at work that your boss expects you to achieve. You still have goals your parents expect you to rise to. And you have goals your spouse, your siblings, or your closest friends will try and set for you. Sometimes we care about those goals, but most of the time I bet you are like me. I don’t really care what my parents’ goals are for me anymore. I’m a grown man. My spouse has all sorts of goals for me and half of them I don’t even know what they are. I don’t care about most of those goals. If you think that is mean, the problem is that I don’t really care about most of the goals I set for myself. But I’m working on it. For me, working on goal setting means going my own way. All these people around me have goals for me. But I have to set my own, on my own, and do them on my own. Strategically looking for partners, not just using people around me. I was trying to run a 5K with my wife. I’m horribly addicted to Monster Energy drinks (I like the blue lo-carb ones) and my wife hates that I drink them. I hate that my wife is a couch potato and doesn’t have any physical goals. One of my wife’s good friends wants to run a 5K without walking for her 50th birthday in June of this year. I thought it would be great if my wife and she did it together. They could push each other and make both of them accomplish something big. I roped my wife into it and said I would do it with her. I also said I will completely quit drinking Monsters if she finishes the 5K without walking. My wife trained for two weeks a month ago and hasn’t hit the pavement since. I’ve been hitting the treadmill for the last month twice a week trying to get up to a running speed so I could keep up with them. I really have no desire to run a 5K and my friend invited me to do another bike race. I loved doing the bike race last month! Now there is another one right here in San Antonio that is at the end of June. And I can go from doing 25 miles to doing 40 miles this time. A nice progression. I tried having a heart-to-heart with my wife about the 5K goal and she really didn’t seem into it. So I went my own way. I signed up for the Tour De Boerne bike race on June 25. I’m going to do 40 miles and I’ve already started training. Today I rode 32 miles with a group. Next week I’ll try and ride a bunch. I’m learning that despite what others do or don’t do, have goals, or don’t have goals, you have to find your own goal and go after it for your reasons. That way the monotony of every day doesn’t get in the way of you achieving your goal. Your goals are something that you have to work on every day. So you better like working on your goal. If you don’t enjoy the process, if you don’t like the direction of your goal, you aren’t going to get it done. And if you do complete the goal it will be empty and have no meaning. Go your own way. Pick your own goal. Then work on it every day, of every week, of every year until you achieve that goal. Once you hit that goal then go on to the next one. The last thing I’m learning about goals is you can only work on as many as you can work on every day, of every week, of every year. If you don’t have time, energy, or enough drive to work on all your goals today, you need to put some of them on the back burner and do the ones you can work on every day. Now get after your goals, Ben Branam What I’m using to work on my goals right now: <ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3P1ScvB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt:</a> I used this on and off and back onto it. It is a daily planner that puts your goals upfront. I think it needs a little more. Use it, but cut your goals down to a couple. There is room for like 20 upfront. Then add a section on the daily pages in the notes or other areas that says what you are going to do that day to work on each goal. </li><li><a href="https://bucketlistjournal.co/product/the-bucket-list-journal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Bucket List Journal:</a> I’m just starting this one, but heard the writer, Ben Nemtin, on a podcast and was so inspired by how his life changed by working on his bucket list (I hear BIG GOALS) that I bought the book and the planner to work through it.</li></ul> The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/go-your-own-way-when-it-comes-to-your-goals/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Go Your Own Way… When it comes to your goals</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Go Your Own Way… When it comes to your goals

How do you get back to what you know you should be doing after a lapse in time? Have you ever hit a goal and then just stopped doing things you know you should be doing?  Or worse, in my case, have you given up lots of things you know you should be doing to hit a goal and now have to restart all those things that you shouldn’t have given up.   It’s like getting back on target after a hit or miss with a rifle, handgun, or even a mortar system.  As a U.S. Marine, I was an 0341, infantry mortarman.  I worked with the little tubes, the 60mm man-portable gun systems.   A mortar system is an amazing weapon that can fire an (in the case of the 60s) 3-pound exploding projectile out miles and hit within 25 yards of where it is intended.  Which is plenty close enough with your projectile is basically 2 pounds of high explosive wrapped in a pre-cut metal tube.  The weapon is devastating when used correctly.   But you have to use the system correctly to get consecutive, repeatable results.  We fire a round to seat the base plate which is almost a throw-away round because it probably won’t be accurate or repeatable.        Seating a Base Plate    After that everything has to be repeatable to adjust from.  Mortarmen do this by setting the weapon up to the exact same position after the round was fired as before.  Then they wait. When we did direct lay, meaning the gunner could see the target and was firing without outside direction at the target, once the round was fired and the gun is back up (or bubbled up as we would say) he would wait with his eye in the site, on the target waiting to see the round to hit.   The time of flight on a mortar round is between 15 and 45 seconds.  So the gunner gets to wait a while.  When firing live rounds even in training that seems like forever.  And the rest of the team is prepping for the next shot or doing other things in combat waiting for that round to hit.   In the real world when we fire something out into the world it could take weeks, months, or even years to see where that round impacted.  We still have to watch our target and wait. What happens, if you are like me, you take your eye off the site (or our goal) and nothing happens.  Then we stay out not looking for longer.  And nothing happens.  Then something happens and we miss where that round impacts and we try to adjust anyways, or just give up.    In the real world, everything has gone cold and we need to reseat our base plate to start again. That is where I am with this blog.  I started it to help people and then let distractions get in the way.  Then I missed where my last couple of rounds hit entirely.  I even ignored one I sent out in January even though people were pointing it out to me when I asked if anyone wanted to do a 75 Hard Challenge for the new year with me on the podcast associated with this website.   Now I’m throwing away time, effort, and rounds trying to reseat the base plate and get going again.  It’s all because I let things get in the way of what I’m trying to do.  I took my eye out of the site. How often do you let things get in the way of what you are trying to do? How often do you have to reseat your base plate to start again? I don’t know a different way because just jumping in there and starting again.  We are all looking for the easy button, but there really isn’t one. When it comes to firing a mortar system, every time you pick up and move you have to start all over again, set up your system, reseat the base plate, and fire another round to adjust from.  Not to mention the actual work of moving the system.  Even the 60mm (by far the lightest weight at about 50 pounds for the gun and all the accompanying stuff plus ammo at 3 pounds per round) is a lot of work to move from one spot to another. Maybe, if possible, you should dig in where you are, keep your eye on the site, and adjust instead of moving, resetting up, reseating your base plate, and starting your mission again. Do the work,  Ben Branam75Hard.biz  The post Getting Back on Target; How to Get Back After it appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

How do you get back to what you know you should be doing after a lapse in time? Have you ever hit a goal and then just stopped doing things you know you should be doing? Or worse, in my case, have you given up lots of things you know you should be doing to hit a goal and now have to restart all those things that you shouldn’t have given up. It’s like getting back on target after a hit or miss with a rifle, handgun, or even a mortar system. As a U.S. Marine, I was an 0341, infantry mortarman. I worked with the little tubes, the 60mm man-portable gun systems. A mortar system is an amazing weapon that can fire an (in the case of the 60s) 3-pound exploding projectile out miles and hit within 25 yards of where it is intended. Which is plenty close enough with your projectile is basically 2 pounds of high explosive wrapped in a pre-cut metal tube. The weapon is devastating when used correctly. But you have to use the system correctly to get consecutive, repeatable results. We fire a round to seat the base plate which is almost a throw-away round because it probably won’t be accurate or repeatable. Seating a Base Plate After that everything has to be repeatable to adjust from. Mortarmen do this by setting the weapon up to the exact same position after the round was fired as before. Then they wait. When we did direct lay, meaning the gunner could see the target and was firing without outside direction at the target, once the round was fired and the gun is back up (or bubbled up as we would say) he would wait with his eye in the site, on the target waiting to see the round to hit. The time of flight on a mortar round is between 15 and 45 seconds. So the gunner gets to wait a while. When firing live rounds even in training that seems like forever. And the rest of the team is prepping for the next shot or doing other things in combat waiting for that round to hit. In the real world when we fire something out into the world it could take weeks, months, or even years to see where that round impacted. We still have to watch our target and wait. What happens, if you are like me, you take your eye off the site (or our goal) and nothing happens. Then we stay out not looking for longer. And nothing happens. Then something happens and we miss where that round impacts and we try to adjust anyways, or just give up. In the real world, everything has gone cold and we need to reseat our base plate to start again. That is where I am with this blog. I started it to help people and then let distractions get in the way. Then I missed where my last couple of rounds hit entirely. I even ignored one I sent out in January even though people were pointing it out to me when I asked if anyone wanted to do a 75 Hard Challenge for the new year with me on the podcast associated with this website. Now I’m throwing away time, effort, and rounds trying to reseat the base plate and get going again. It’s all because I let things get in the way of what I’m trying to do. I took my eye out of the site. How often do you let things get in the way of what you are trying to do? How often do you have to reseat your base plate to start again? I don’t know a different way because just jumping in there and starting again. We are all looking for the easy button, but there really isn’t one. When it comes to firing a mortar system, every time you pick up and move you have to start all over again, set up your system, reseat the base plate, and fire another round to adjust from. Not to mention the actual work of moving the system. Even the 60mm (by far the lightest weight at about 50 pounds for the gun and all the accompanying stuff plus ammo at 3 pounds per round) is a lot of work to move from one spot to another. Maybe, if possible, you should dig in where you are, keep your eye on the site, and adjust instead of moving, resetting up, reseating your base plate, and starting your mission again. Do the work, Ben Branam <a href="http://75Hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75Hard.biz</a> The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/getting-back-on-target-how-to-get-back-after-it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Getting Back on Target; How to Get Back After it</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Getting Back on Target; How to Get Back After it

The command to execute a breach, mission, or takedown of anything in the Military is always given in threes. My Marines waiting on the execution plan in the trash pitIn 2003, Iraq, just outside of Baghdad I sat in a trash collection area with my mortar team waiting to rain fire on the enemy to support my fellow Marines breaching an intel compound and prison where political prisoners were hunted, jailed, and torched.  Our intelligence was thin at best, so we had no idea what we would find.  Which was just another day for us after spending the last 22 days pushing through Iraq from Kuwait.  I remember hearing the go signal to breach the wall of the compound and laughing when they used the wrong rocket launcher to make the hole.  The line platoon (basic infantry) used an AT4 anti-tank weapon and blew a 1 foot perfectly round hole in the cinderblock wall.  Marines in full battle rattle would not fit.  So they backed up and hit it with the right weapon system and made a hole the size a truck could drive through. Marines poured into the 1-mile square compound to clear it.  It was a mess and took forever going from building to building looking for bad guys and intelligence to collect.Marines of Golf 2/23 Clearing the Intel Compound I sat in this trash collection area waiting on the go signal for my mortar section to either fire a mission or run to consolidate with our company.  In combat, everything always seems like an eternity especially sitting in the open with multiple buildings looking down at us.  At the time I wanted to be in any position other than where we sat.   But it was the only clearing we could work from inside the city.  The mortar system has to be in the open for the rounds to clear the buildings.  Cover isn’t really something a mortarman gets.  So we waited. We finally got the word over the radio to displace and consolidate on the second objective, a UN Compound another mile up from the Intel Compound.  “CSMO! CSMO! CSMO!” I shouted to my team and they shouted back ”Grab your shit and go!”  It was an inside joke that we used for the last year of training knowing that this was going to have to be fast or suck a lot.  My Marines packed up their mortar systems and rounds and were prepared to go in less than a minute.  At the time we were the best in the business.   After packing up, we headed toward our company to link up.  Our security is in our speed, so we ran the mile or two with full gear, packs, and weapon systems.   My combat loadout was about 80 pounds of ammo, grenades, and everything else a modern Marine carries to do battle.  In my pack were 4 mortar rounds, food, clothing, water, more ammo, more grenades, and a bunch of other stuff totaling about 60 pounds.   Every one of my 20 Marines had about the same load.  And we ran for our lives.   Nothing like running over the bodies of dead Red Cresent workers to motivate you to run faster.  We ran the couple miles.  When one of my Marines faltered with some of the gear I picked that up.  By the time I had to stop and shoot at a couple of guys that tried to run up behind us, I had two ammo cans full of mortar rounds.  I had to drop those and grab my rifle off the sling, shoulder it, fire a couple of rounds to keep them back, and then push on.   We made it to the relative safety of our lines without much incident.  We were spent but had to go again to set up our weapon systems.  And then about half an hour later we were attacked by a squad and fought to a stalemate.  Never a dull moment in Baghdad, Iraq 2003.   How do you prepare for something like that?  How do you prepare for life?  You know when things happen they happen in threes.  I should have known we would be attacked after we reached ”safety” because things always happen together. When you are training, working, preparing, or just living life,  You have to be prepared for things to happen one after another.  I know my story is in the extreme and I hope you don’t have challenges like that in your life.  It sucks to have someone trying to take your life. But right now you have things that are trying to do it slowly to you.  The TV is probably trying to kill you over the next 20 to 40 years.  The internet is trying to do it a little faster with all the crap.  Like most tools, the internet can be used for bad or good.  Make sure it isn’t killing you. Take on challenges one right after another.  Make them hard for you.  And just keep going.  It is how life is.  It’s how to move forward.  It is how to win. If you get used to doing challenges one right after another you will be able to handle life when it throws things at you one right after another.   If you do hard things now, back to back, and harder and harder, by the time life throws crap your way, it will be easier for you. Running through the streets of Baghdad with my own bodyweight of gear was something we had prepared for a little at a time, with challenge after challenge, each harder than the last.  We made everything a challenge. What are you doing to challenge yourself now so when times get hard you can handle things back to back? I’m doing a bike race next month and then going to run a 5k with my wife and her friend the next month.  That may not sound tough for you, but it’s been almost 15 years since I’ve run more than around the block.  I’ll have to work on it to survive the 5K.  It’s going to suck a lot.  But I’m going to get the challenge done. I’ll ask you again, what are you doing to prepare yourself for life?  What hard thing are you doing now to make the impossible easier?  It may not be someone actively trying to kill you, but cancer may try just as hard to kill you as Saddam’s soldiers had tried to kill me in Iraq.   Prepare now.  Do hard things Ben Branam The post GO! GO! GO!  Everything Comes in Threes appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

The command to execute a breach, mission, or takedown of anything in the Military is always given in threes. My Marines waiting on the execution plan in the trash pit In 2003, Iraq, just outside of Baghdad I sat in a trash collection area with my mortar team waiting to rain fire on the enemy to support my fellow Marines breaching an intel compound and prison where political prisoners were hunted, jailed, and torched. Our intelligence was thin at best, so we had no idea what we would find. Which was just another day for us after spending the last 22 days pushing through Iraq from Kuwait. I remember hearing the go signal to breach the wall of the compound and laughing when they used the wrong rocket launcher to make the hole. The line platoon (basic infantry) used an AT4 anti-tank weapon and blew a 1 foot perfectly round hole in the cinderblock wall. Marines in full battle rattle would not fit. So they backed up and hit it with the right weapon system and made a hole the size a truck could drive through. Marines poured into the 1-mile square compound to clear it. It was a mess and took forever going from building to building looking for bad guys and intelligence to collect.Marines of Golf 2/23 Clearing the Intel Compound I sat in this trash collection area waiting on the go signal for my mortar section to either fire a mission or run to consolidate with our company. In combat, everything always seems like an eternity especially sitting in the open with multiple buildings looking down at us. At the time I wanted to be in any position other than where we sat. But it was the only clearing we could work from inside the city. The mortar system has to be in the open for the rounds to clear the buildings. Cover isn’t really something a mortarman gets. So we waited. We finally got the word over the radio to displace and consolidate on the second objective, a UN Compound another mile up from the Intel Compound. “CSMO! CSMO! CSMO!” I shouted to my team and they shouted back ”Grab your shit and go!” It was an inside joke that we used for the last year of training knowing that this was going to have to be fast or suck a lot. My Marines packed up their mortar systems and rounds and were prepared to go in less than a minute. At the time we were the best in the business. After packing up, we headed toward our company to link up. Our security is in our speed, so we ran the mile or two with full gear, packs, and weapon systems. My combat loadout was about 80 pounds of ammo, grenades, and everything else a modern Marine carries to do battle. In my pack were 4 mortar rounds, food, clothing, water, more ammo, more grenades, and a bunch of other stuff totaling about 60 pounds. Every one of my 20 Marines had about the same load. And we ran for our lives. Nothing like running over the bodies of dead Red Cresent workers to motivate you to run faster. We ran the couple miles. When one of my Marines faltered with some of the gear I picked that up. By the time I had to stop and shoot at a couple of guys that tried to run up behind us, I had two ammo cans full of mortar rounds. I had to drop those and grab my rifle off the sling, shoulder it, fire a couple of rounds to keep them back, and then push on. We made it to the relative safety of our lines without much incident. We were spent but had to go again to set up our weapon systems. And then about half an hour later we were attacked by a squad and fought to a stalemate. Never a dull moment in Baghdad, Iraq 2003. How do you prepare for something like that? How do you prepare for life? You know when things happen they happen in threes. I should have known we would be attacked after we reached ”safety” because things always happen together. When you are training, working, preparing, or just living life, You have to be prepared for things to happen one after another. I know my story is in the extreme and I hope you don’t have challenges like that in your life. It sucks to have someone trying to take your life. But right now you have things that are trying to do it slowly to you. The TV is probably trying to kill you over the next 20 to 40 years. The internet is trying to do it a little faster with all the crap. Like most tools, the internet can be used for bad or good. Make sure it isn’t killing you. Take on challenges one right after another. Make them hard for you. And just keep going. It is how life is. It’s how to move forward. It is how to win. If you get used to doing challenges one right after another you will be able to handle life when it throws things at you one right after another. If you do hard things now, back to back, and harder and harder, by the time life throws crap your way, it will be easier for you. Running through the streets of Baghdad with my own bodyweight of gear was something we had prepared for a little at a time, with challenge after challenge, each harder than the last. We made everything a challenge. What are you doing to challenge yourself now so when times get hard you can handle things back to back? I’m doing a bike race next month and then going to run a 5k with my wife and her friend the next month. That may not sound tough for you, but it’s been almost 15 years since I’ve run more than around the block. I’ll have to work on it to survive the 5K. It’s going to suck a lot. But I’m going to get the challenge done. I’ll ask you again, what are you doing to prepare yourself for life? What hard thing are you doing now to make the impossible easier? It may not be someone actively trying to kill you, but cancer may try just as hard to kill you as Saddam’s soldiers had tried to kill me in Iraq. Prepare now. Do hard things Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/go-go-go-everything-comes-in-threes/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GO! GO! GO! Everything Comes in Threes</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

GO! GO! GO!  Everything Comes in Threes

Challenge can teach you everything you would ever want to know about yourself and becoming better.   Finishing a challenge isn’t how you get better, it’s the road there that makes you who you are.   Think about the hardest things you have ever done in life.  When you finished, was it about the destination or about the climb that made you great? For me, most of my accomplishments in life made me who I am by having to overcome the challenge and grow into that person. In 1998 I set foot on the Yellow Foot Prints at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) San Diego to become a United States Marine.  The Yellow Foot Prints are the first place you stand when you get off the bus going into a three-month challenge that would make you part of an elite group. The Marine Corps is the smallest branch of the U.S. military and has by far the longest and hardest initial training of any other force.  In fact, all the other branches take Marine Boot camp as their basic training, but the Marine Corps won’t take anyone else’s.   All through Boot Camp, I was told to gain the coveted title of Marine.  During Boot Camp, you are a Recruit.  It isn’t until you finish Boot that you become a Marine.  In fact, there is a private ceremony to give you the Eagle Globe and Anchor (EGA) to wear on your uniform signifying you are a Marine.  Later you get a gradution ceromony.  But no one cares.  All of us just wanted that EGA that said we were a Marine and would be called that. I was on a high for about 10 days (that is your leave after Boot Camp).  Once I reported to the next step, MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) School no one cared that I was a basic Marine.  In fact, everyone there was a Marine and had gone through the same thing.  But it was on to the next step, School of Infantry for me.  Now I had to become an Infantry Marine. And so our journeys go.  I was a much better version of myself after every evolution of my training as a Marine.  And I become better after going to combat and then battling my PTSD demons.  Now I’m a much better version of myself mentally.   But there is always the next challenge.  If there isn’t one, you need to make one. Right now I’m signed up for the L’Etape of San Antonio.  It is a qualifying race for the Tour de France.  No, I’m not really racing with those guys.  There are fun rides normal people can sign up for.  I signed up for the 25-mile race.  Which is a lot for me.  I’ve never finished 25 miles on a bike before signing up.  Now I have.  And it was painful but it makes me better. Every training ride is harder than the last and makes me better physically and mentally. I believe you are either growing as a person or regressing.  Do you want to grow into a better person?  Or regress to something you use to be?  Or worse, become the worst version of yourself there has ever been.  All three are possible.  It’s your choice. The growth is in the struggle to be ready for a challenge.  Do you want to be the hero of your story and overcome the challenge or the victim that someone has to come and rescue? You become a hero by moving towards challenges in life.  Look at any movie.  No hero wants to go on the journey but does for sometimes great reasons and sometimes dumb reasons.  But they all reluctantly go at first, then go all in. Most of the time they have had a life of struggle that prepares them for the journey. If you are part of the modern world, struggles are getting less and less.  Which is both good and bad. But you can decide to take on a challenge and make yourself better.   Then do another and another.  Sometimes physical challenges are the best, and sometimes you might have to take a mental challenge.  Sometimes they are great challenges like completing a physical race that is further than you have ever gone before and sometimes they are mental and as simple as taking a couple of minutes a day to read a book to improve yourself.   Find a challenge that looks almost impossible to complete.  Sign up and go after it.  It will make you a better person. As you complete that challenge, find someone to help along the way become a better person.  Then they can help someone else, and someone else, and pretty soon, everyone will be better.   And if everyone in the world was a better person, the world would be a better place. Make yourself better and make the world a better place.  Find a challenge and complete it. Ben Branam P.S.  Check out my guide to completing the 75 Hard Challenge here.  If you can’t find a challenge, this one will make you better.  All you have to do is complete it. The post Challenge Can Teach You Everything appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Challenge can teach you everything you would ever want to know about yourself and becoming better. Finishing a challenge isn’t how you get better, it’s the road there that makes you who you are. Think about the hardest things you have ever done in life. When you finished, was it about the destination or about the climb that made you great? For me, most of my accomplishments in life made me who I am by having to overcome the challenge and grow into that person. In 1998 I set foot on the Yellow Foot Prints at MCRD (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) San Diego to become a United States Marine. The Yellow Foot Prints are the first place you stand when you get off the bus going into a three-month challenge that would make you part of an elite group. The Marine Corps is the smallest branch of the U.S. military and has by far the longest and hardest initial training of any other force. In fact, all the other branches take Marine Boot camp as their basic training, but the Marine Corps won’t take anyone else’s. All through Boot Camp, I was told to gain the coveted title of Marine. During Boot Camp, you are a Recruit. It isn’t until you finish Boot that you become a Marine. In fact, there is a private ceremony to give you the Eagle Globe and Anchor (EGA) to wear on your uniform signifying you are a Marine. Later you get a gradution ceromony. But no one cares. All of us just wanted that EGA that said we were a Marine and would be called that. I was on a high for about 10 days (that is your leave after Boot Camp). Once I reported to the next step, MOS (Military Occupational Speciality) School no one cared that I was a basic Marine. In fact, everyone there was a Marine and had gone through the same thing. But it was on to the next step, School of Infantry for me. Now I had to become an Infantry Marine. And so our journeys go. I was a much better version of myself after every evolution of my training as a Marine. And I become better after going to combat and then battling my PTSD demons. Now I’m a much better version of myself mentally. But there is always the next challenge. If there isn’t one, you need to make one. Right now I’m signed up for the <a href="https://www.letapesanantonio.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">L’Etape of San Antonio</a>. It is a qualifying race for the Tour de France. No, I’m not really racing with those guys. There are fun rides normal people can sign up for. I signed up for the 25-mile race. Which is a lot for me. I’ve never finished 25 miles on a bike before signing up. Now I have. And it was painful but it makes me better. Every training ride is harder than the last and makes me better physically and mentally. I believe you are either growing as a person or regressing. Do you want to grow into a better person? Or regress to something you use to be? Or worse, become the worst version of yourself there has ever been. All three are possible. It’s your choice. The growth is in the struggle to be ready for a challenge. Do you want to be the hero of your story and overcome the challenge or the victim that someone has to come and rescue? You become a hero by moving towards challenges in life. Look at any movie. No hero wants to go on the journey but does for sometimes great reasons and sometimes dumb reasons. But they all reluctantly go at first, then go all in. Most of the time they have had a life of struggle that prepares them for the journey. If you are part of the modern world, struggles are getting less and less. Which is both good and bad. But you can decide to take on a challenge and make yourself better. Then do another and another. Sometimes physical challenges are the best, and sometimes you might have to take a mental challenge. Sometimes they are great challenges like completing a physical race that is further than you have ever gone before and sometimes they are mental and as simple as taking a couple of minutes a day to read a book to improve yourself. Find a challenge that looks almost impossible to complete. Sign up and go after it. It will make you a better person. As you complete that challenge, find someone to help along the way become a better person. Then they can help someone else, and someone else, and pretty soon, everyone will be better. And if everyone in the world was a better person, the world would be a better place. Make yourself better and make the world a better place. Find a challenge and complete it. Ben Branam P.S. Check out my <a href="https://75hard.biz/guide/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">guide to completing the 75 Hard Challenge here</a>. If you can’t find a challenge, this one will make you better. All you have to do is complete it. The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/challenge-can-teach-you-everything/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Challenge Can Teach You Everything</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Challenge Can Teach You Everything

Is fear a legitimate problem that keeps you from getting things done so that you can become the best you? I don’t know about you, but for me, that answer is a legitimate yes right now.  I feel like I have so many things going on that I’m afraid if I try to do even one more thing, I’ll fail.  It’s overwhelming (you can read more about being overwhelmed here). When it comes to a challenge, failure doesn’t feel like something you just try again.  I know the world is full of people that failed but just simply tried again and completed whatever they were working on.  But can you do that when fear is a problem constantly in the way? I want to start another 75 Hard Challenge and finish it.  When I finish a challenge it always feels great.  When I fail it feels horrible.  75 Hard will make you a better person.  If you do as prescribed 75 Hard Program designed by Andy Frisella you will become mentally tougher than you have ever been before.  But if you fail, you will feel like a failure more than ever before. I completed my original challenge years ago and it gave me everything that was promised.  I was tougher than I think I’ve ever been (mentally), I lost weight, and I got more physically in shape.  It was great.  But that feeling quickly dissipated as life got in the way of me being better. Does life ever get in the way of you becoming a better person?  Me Too!  The hard part is doing the little things, again and again, every day to be a better person. Doing things that make you better is important but not urgent and gets buried by everything else you have to do every day. Right now I’m looking at a way to overcome the fear of starting so that I can become better.  And I haven’t found some profound thing that I can share with you… yet.   I know every slogan about overcoming fear out there right now… even Nike’s “Just Do It” isn’t very helpful.   What I’m learning, the hard way is to overcome the fear and get started again, I’m going to have to give something up.  And I don’t know what to give up. Should I give up sleep, time with family, time at work, or rest and recovery time?   The one thing I’d like to give up is rest and recovery time.  I have never felt like that was productive.  But when I try and give that up; I can’t get off the couch to do anything and feel lazy. This fear problem is a vicious cycle that will take all your willpower to overcome.  Right now I’m changing my schedule and doing my long bike rides (I’m training for the L’Estape bike race in San Antonio) and to hit my time goal, I need hours in on the bike.  But after doing a long ride, I need lots of rest and recovery time.  So that is going into the afternoon part of my day so that I can get this done now. The only thing that I’ve learned about overcoming the fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) problem is to tinker with my life and add one little thing in.  Then tinker with my life and add one more little thing in. What are you doing to overcome the fear problem in your life? Ben Branam The post Is Fear a Legitimate Problem? appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Is fear a legitimate problem that keeps you from getting things done so that you can become the best you? I don’t know about you, but for me, that answer is a legitimate yes right now. I feel like I have so many things going on that I’m afraid if I try to do even one more thing, I’ll fail. It’s overwhelming (you can read more about <a href="https://75hard.biz/overwhelmed/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">being overwhelmed here</a>). When it comes to a challenge, failure doesn’t feel like something you just try again. I know the world is full of people that failed but just simply tried again and completed whatever they were working on. But can you do that when fear is a problem constantly in the way? I want to start another 75 Hard Challenge and finish it. When I finish a challenge it always feels great. When I fail it feels horrible. 75 Hard will make you a better person. If you do as prescribed 75 Hard Program designed by <a href="https://andyfrisella.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Frisella</a> you will become mentally tougher than you have ever been before. But if you fail, you will feel like a failure more than ever before. I completed my original challenge years ago and it gave me everything that was promised. I was tougher than I think I’ve ever been (mentally), I lost weight, and I got more physically in shape. It was great. But that feeling quickly dissipated as life got in the way of me being better. Does life ever get in the way of you becoming a better person? Me Too! The hard part is doing the little things, again and again, every day to be a better person. Doing things that make you better is important but not urgent and gets buried by everything else you have to do every day. Right now I’m looking at a way to overcome the fear of starting so that I can become better. And I haven’t found some profound thing that I can share with you… yet. I know every slogan about overcoming fear out there right now… even Nike’s “Just Do It” isn’t very helpful. What I’m learning, the hard way is to overcome the fear and get started again, I’m going to have to give something up. And I don’t know what to give up. Should I give up sleep, time with family, time at work, or rest and recovery time? The one thing I’d like to give up is rest and recovery time. I have never felt like that was productive. But when I try and give that up; I can’t get off the couch to do anything and feel lazy. This fear problem is a vicious cycle that will take all your willpower to overcome. Right now I’m changing my schedule and doing my long bike rides (I’m training for the <a href="https://www.letapesanantonio.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">L’Estape bike race in San Antonio</a>) and to hit my time goal, I need hours in on the bike. But after doing a long ride, I need lots of rest and recovery time. So that is going into the afternoon part of my day so that I can get this done now. The only thing that I’ve learned about overcoming the fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) problem is to tinker with my life and add one little thing in. Then tinker with my life and add one more little thing in. What are you doing to overcome the fear problem in your life? Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/is-fear-a-legitimate-problem/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Is Fear a Legitimate Problem?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Is Fear a Legitimate Problem?

How many times a year do you challenge yourself?  And do you enjoy it? I want to challenge myself a bunch, but it’s hard.  Last year in July I went to Yosemite National Park in California.  One of the most beautiful places in the world.  And the further away from people you get, the more beautiful it gets.  The park is in the High Sierra’s and the change of elevation is incredible.   It goes straight up and straight down to different places.  We hiked and hiked, and hiked some more.  I walked 6 miles the first day, 8 miles the second, and 4 miles the last day.  That might not sound like a lot for you, but it was a lot for me.  It was actually as much as I could do.  It was a great test to see if I could actually finish.  I did and it felt great. This year, on New Year’s Day, I went for a 25 miles bike ride.  It took me two hours and it is as far as I’ve ever ridden a bike.  I enjoyed it when I was done.  Not so much while doing it.  Most challenges are like that.  But if you don’t challenge yourself how will you ever know if you can handle hard things. It is not about doing physical accomplishments, it is about doing hard things so that you know you can do hard things.  The military, law enforcement, the 75 Hard Challenge all use hard physical things so shape you mentally.  Your mental toughness is the thing that will let you accomplish anything.  The best way to build mental toughness is to do hard things.  Doing hard (for you) physical things is something you can do almost every day.  If you want to be mentally tough so you can accomplish anything in life, do physically hard things.  And increase that toughness every time by making it different or harder. This year I signed up for a bike race.  I am doing the 25-mile part for my first race ever.  Next time I’ll do something harder.  This one is a lot harder than anything I’ve done lately.  The last 25 miles I road was from point A to B with it being mostly downhill.  This race is a loop with as much elevation gain as possible in the San Antonio area (yes, Texas is really flat).   What physical hard thing could you do today in order to improve your mental toughness to become a better person and make the world a better place?  Ben Branam  The post Challenge Yourself appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

How many times a year do you challenge yourself? And do you enjoy it? I want to challenge myself a bunch, but it’s hard. Last year in July I went to Yosemite National Park in California. One of the most beautiful places in the world. And the further away from people you get, the more beautiful it gets. The park is in the High Sierra’s and the change of elevation is incredible. It goes straight up and straight down to different places. We hiked and hiked, and hiked some more. I walked 6 miles the first day, 8 miles the second, and 4 miles the last day. That might not sound like a lot for you, but it was a lot for me. It was actually as much as I could do. It was a great test to see if I could actually finish. I did and it felt great. This year, on New Year’s Day, I went for a 25 miles bike ride. It took me two hours and it is as far as I’ve ever ridden a bike. I enjoyed it when I was done. Not so much while doing it. Most challenges are like that. But if you don’t challenge yourself how will you ever know if you can handle hard things. It is not about doing physical accomplishments, it is about doing hard things so that you know you can do hard things. The military, law enforcement, the 75 Hard Challenge all use hard physical things so shape you mentally. Your mental toughness is the thing that will let you accomplish anything. The best way to build mental toughness is to do hard things. Doing hard (for you) physical things is something you can do almost every day. If you want to be mentally tough so you can accomplish anything in life, do physically hard things. And increase that toughness every time by making it different or harder. This year I signed up for a bike race. I am doing the 25-mile part for my first race ever. Next time I’ll do something harder. This one is a lot harder than anything I’ve done lately. The last 25 miles I road was from point A to B with it being mostly downhill. This race is a loop with as much elevation gain as possible in the San Antonio area (yes, Texas is really flat). What physical hard thing could you do today in order to improve your mental toughness to become a better person and make the world a better place? Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/challenge-yourself/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Challenge Yourself</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Challenge Yourself

Are you overwhelmed?  Me too!  Can you believe that most people feel just like you? About a third of Americans report feeling overwhelmed in their everyday lives (American Psychological Association reports) and United Press International reports two-thirds of Americans feel overwhelmed by the issues facing the nation.  If you are in another country, I’m sure the numbers are about the same.  We live in interesting times.  I have no idea what to do about the overwhelm of nations.  But I know problem-solving starts at the bottom.  It starts with you.  If you can solve your own overwhelming situation, then you can look at the nation and the world.   This blog is about my struggle with these things because I am not an expert.  Hell, if you ask me, I’m not even good at it.  Ask my wife, she’ll tell you.  But I thought I’d share what I’ve been learning so you can skip ahead of me and go further faster by not repeating my mistakes. Mistake #1; my to-do list sucks!  I have always been working on a to-do list and have never been able to get it done.  I know there will always be more that I want to get done in life than I ever will get done.  But I’d like to make a dent in it.   My solution in progress; prioritize and execute.  This comes from Jocko Willink at Echelon Front.  I don’t spend enough time looking at my list to put the important things on top.  At work, I don’t shut my door enough to shut out everything else and focus on my list.  If you never work on your list, it never gets done.  Mistake #2; I procrastinate… a lot.  At work, I will do some easy task that isn’t really important.  But at home, it is worse.  I plop in front of the TV and watch something worthless while playing games on my iPad or looking at social media.  I’m always telling myself I have plenty of time and I’ll get to that blog and podcast and all the other things I want to do in my private life later… and then later it’s too late.   My solution in progress; What is the most productive thing I can be going right now?  This comes from Tom Hopkins’s book The Official Guide to Success.  I’ve been asking this more and more of myself lately when I get home and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.  Sometimes the most productive thing is nothing when I’m stressed and pissed from work.  And me being stressed and pissed from work seems stupid.  I’ve had a great life lately and have a great job.  And my new profession doesn’t have lives hanging on the balance of my performance, unlike my past careers.  So I feel even worse because of this “first world problem.”    I have to stop and take stock of what I have in life right now.  If you really look at how bad it could be, if you are reading this, you probably have a really good life.  Remind yourself of the little things and try to push forward.  It has been working for me more.  I’m warm, fed, dry, and no one is actively trying to kill me.  I’m not worried about where my next meal is coming from.  I have it pretty good.  How about you? Mistake #3; getting sucked into everyone else’s jobs.  At work and at home, I get really upset when something else isn’t getting done.  I either sit and fret over it or take it on to get it done myself.  Both don’t work. My solution in progress; I’m learning to let go.  It’s taking a long time to learn.  Maybe in another 10 years, I’ll have it… hopefully.  The true answer is to focus on what only I can do at home and work.  Focussing on only what you can do is the problem with most managers and supervisors.  There are things that only you can or will do at work and home.  You need to do those first.  Then you can look at the rest of the things that can or should be done.  Those are the top three mistakes that I make and it makes me overwhelmed in life.  What are the things you know are a mistake that overwhelms you?  Share in the comments with everyone so we can all learn to move forward faster. Ben Branam The post Overwhelmed? appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Are you overwhelmed? Me too! Can you believe that most people feel just like you? About a third of Americans report feeling overwhelmed in their everyday lives (<a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2021/october-decision-making" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">American Psychological Association reports</a>) and <a href="https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2021/02/03/Poll-Most-people-in-US-overwhelmed-by-issues-facing-the-nation/5721612308585/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">United Press International</a> reports two-thirds of Americans feel overwhelmed by the issues facing the nation. If you are in another country, I’m sure the numbers are about the same. We live in interesting times. I have no idea what to do about the overwhelm of nations. But I know problem-solving starts at the bottom. It starts with you. If you can solve your own overwhelming situation, then you can look at the nation and the world. This blog is about my struggle with these things because I am not an expert. Hell, if you ask me, I’m not even good at it. Ask my wife, she’ll tell you. But I thought I’d share what I’ve been learning so you can skip ahead of me and go further faster by not repeating my mistakes. Mistake #1; my to-do list sucks! I have always been working on a to-do list and have never been able to get it done. I know there will always be more that I want to get done in life than I ever will get done. But I’d like to make a dent in it. My solution in progress; prioritize and execute. This comes from <a href="https://jockopodcast.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jocko Willink at Echelon Front</a>. I don’t spend enough time looking at my list to put the important things on top. At work, I don’t shut my door enough to shut out everything else and focus on my list. If you never work on your list, it never gets done. Mistake #2; I procrastinate… a lot. At work, I will do some easy task that isn’t really important. But at home, it is worse. I plop in front of the TV and watch something worthless while playing games on my iPad or looking at social media. I’m always telling myself I have plenty of time and I’ll get to that blog and podcast and all the other things I want to do in my private life later… and then later it’s too late. My solution in progress; What is the most productive thing I can be going right now? This comes from Tom Hopkins’s<a href="https://amzn.to/3nOkbm6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> book The Official Guide to Success</a>. I’ve been asking this more and more of myself lately when I get home and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the most productive thing is nothing when I’m stressed and pissed from work. And me being stressed and pissed from work seems stupid. I’ve had a great life lately and have a great job. And my new profession doesn’t have lives hanging on the balance of my performance, unlike my past careers. So I feel even worse because of this “first world problem.” I have to stop and take stock of what I have in life right now. If you really look at how bad it could be, if you are reading this, you probably have a really good life. Remind yourself of the little things and try to push forward. It has been working for me more. I’m warm, fed, dry, and no one is actively trying to kill me. I’m not worried about where my next meal is coming from. I have it pretty good. How about you? Mistake #3; getting sucked into everyone else’s jobs. At work and at home, I get really upset when something else isn’t getting done. I either sit and fret over it or take it on to get it done myself. Both don’t work. My solution in progress; I’m learning to let go. It’s taking a long time to learn. Maybe in another 10 years, I’ll have it… hopefully. The true answer is to focus on what only I can do at home and work. Focussing on only what you can do is the problem with most managers and supervisors. There are things that only you can or will do at work and home. You need to do those first. Then you can look at the rest of the things that can or should be done. Those are the top three mistakes that I make and it makes me overwhelmed in life. What are the things you know are a mistake that overwhelms you? Share in the comments with everyone so we can all learn to move forward faster. Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/overwhelmed/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Overwhelmed?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Overwhelmed?

My Experience doing the 75 Hard Program created by Andy Frisella

New Years’ Resolutions are crap, you have to do the work every day. Every year I make a resolution to get more in shape, do better with my money, and make something bigger in my business.  Every year it is the same.  The only year my life started to measurably improve was the year I started doing 75 Hard.  I did the 75 days towards the end of the year.  The program wasn’t invented when I set my same old New Years’ resolutions.  And until 75 Hard, I had the same results… none. Why did it change?  It was and wasn’t the program.  I sat down and I did things every day that improved my health.  So my health got better. Life really is that easy.  You just have to do it consistently.   If you are like me, consistency is the problem.  I’m good for a while and then I let it go.  Just one donut.  Just one missed workout.  One miss turns into two, three, four, and a month’s worth of crap down my throat and one or two workouts during the month.  It is why we fail.  You know what to do every day.  The trick is doing it. 75 Hard lets you make it a challenge, a game, and a life change.  By picking 5 habits you will do every day to improve yourself, you will get better.  If you miss a day, it won’t work. Life isn’t quite that way, but the trick is to do those things that make you better 99 out of 100 days.  And when you miss that one day, to get back on track for the next 100 days. If you can consistently do habits to make you better for 99 out of 100 days for the next year, you will be better.  There are thousands of books about what habits you should do, but here are my favorite two. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod is about starting the day off right to win every day of life.  You should read the book to get motivated, but here are the six things (they will sound familiar) that you should do every morning to start a great day:  S.A.V.E.R.S is the acronym,  S – Silence; take a moment and meditate, prey, or just be silent to focus your mind and body.A – Affirmations; tell yourself what you want to become every day.  I am _______.V – Visualization; See yourself doing what needs to be done today and in your life.  See yourself becoming what you want to be.E – Exercise; Every day, get after it with some kind of workout.  Start where you are and get better.R – Read; Every day read part of a non-fiction book to make yourself smarterS – Scribe; Journal your thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and write down what you want to accomplish Hal says, get up early and get after these things before you start the day.  I am the most successful when I got up early and did things to better myself before I go to work or play.  Life gets in the way if you don’t take care of yourself first. The second book is Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals by Thomas Corley.  I just went through this book again to create the affirmations I use. Corley gives 10 habits that rich people do every day to become and stay rich:  Form good daily habits and follow these good habits each and every day.Set goals for each day, for each month, for each year and for the long-term.  Focus on goals each and every day.Engage in self-improvement each and every day.Devote part of each and every day in caring for your health.Devote part of each and every day to forming lifelong relationships.Live each and every day in a state of moderation.Accomplish your daily tasks each and every day; have a “do it now” mindset.Engage in rich thinking each and every day.Save 10% of your gross income every paycheck.Control your thoughts and emotions each and every day. If you did the above 10 things every day how much further in life would you be?  Get after it. If these look too overwhelming, start with just five.  Pick five things you want to do every day that will improve your life.  Then do them for 75 days and see if you are better or worst.  Just a small warning, if you go after the 75-day challenge and fail, you will feel horrible about yourself. As Yoda says, “Do or do not.  There is no try.” Get after it!  Ben Branam  The post New Years’ Resolutions are Crap appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

New Years’ Resolutions are crap, you have to do the work every day. Every year I make a resolution to get more in shape, do better with my money, and make something bigger in my business. Every year it is the same. The only year my life started to measurably improve was the year I started doing 75 Hard. I did the 75 days towards the end of the year. The program wasn’t invented when I set my same old New Years’ resolutions. And until 75 Hard, I had the same results… none. Why did it change? It was and wasn’t the program. I sat down and I did things every day that improved my health. So my health got better. Life really is that easy. You just have to do it consistently. If you are like me, consistency is the problem. I’m good for a while and then I let it go. Just one donut. Just one missed workout. One miss turns into two, three, four, and a month’s worth of crap down my throat and one or two workouts during the month. It is why we fail. You know what to do every day. The trick is doing it. 75 Hard lets you make it a challenge, a game, and a life change. By picking 5 habits you will do every day to improve yourself, you will get better. If you miss a day, it won’t work. Life isn’t quite that way, but the trick is to do those things that make you better 99 out of 100 days. And when you miss that one day, to get back on track for the next 100 days. If you can consistently do habits to make you better for 99 out of 100 days for the next year, you will be better. There are thousands of books about what habits you should do, but here are my favorite two. <a href="https://amzn.to/3eDNEui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod</a> is about starting the day off right to win every day of life. You should read the book to get motivated, but here are the six things (they will sound familiar) that you should do every morning to start a great day: S.A.V.E.R.S is the acronym, <ul><li>S – Silence; take a moment and meditate, prey, or just be silent to focus your mind and body.</li><li>A – Affirmations; tell yourself what you want to become every day. I am _______.</li><li>V – Visualization; See yourself doing what needs to be done today and in your life. See yourself becoming what you want to be.</li><li>E – Exercise; Every day, get after it with some kind of workout. Start where you are and get better.</li><li>R – Read; Every day read part of a non-fiction book to make yourself smarter</li><li>S – Scribe; Journal your thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and write down what you want to accomplish</li></ul> Hal says, get up early and get after these things before you start the day. I am the most successful when I got up early and did things to better myself before I go to work or play. Life gets in the way if you don’t take care of yourself first. <a href="http://amzn.to/32Su2jc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The second book is Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals by Thomas Corley</a>. I just went through this book again to create the affirmations I use. Corley gives 10 habits that rich people do every day to become and stay rich: <ol><li>Form good daily habits and follow these good habits each and every day.</li><li>Set goals for each day, for each month, for each year and for the long-term. Focus on goals each and every day.</li><li>Engage in self-improvement each and every day.</li><li>Devote part of each and every day in caring for your health.</li><li>Devote part of each and every day to forming lifelong relationships.</li><li>Live each and every day in a state of moderation.</li><li>Accomplish your daily tasks each and every day; have a “do it now” mindset.</li><li>Engage in rich thinking each and every day.</li><li>Save 10% of your gross income every paycheck.</li><li>Control your thoughts and emotions each and every day.</li></ol> If you did the above 10 things every day how much further in life would you be? Get after it. If these look too overwhelming, start with just five. Pick five things you want to do every day that will improve your life. Then do them for 75 days and see if you are better or worst. Just a small warning, if you go after the 75-day challenge and fail, you will feel horrible about yourself. As Yoda says, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Get after it! Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/new-years-resolutions-are-crap/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Years’ Resolutions are Crap</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

New Years’ Resolutions are Crap

What is the best schedule for a day?  How can you build that best schedule? I’m sure you have been working on the best schedule for a day for years now.  I’ve been trying to figure it out for a long time. I’m not sure there is a best schedule for a day because no plan survives first contact with the enemy.  But you know what does survive contact with the enemy? SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) and Immediate Action Drills both survive contact with the enemy. In the Marine Corps, an SOP is how we do something: how we move, how we communicate, how we shoot, and how we do almost everything.   Our Immediate Action Drills (IA Drills) are an SOP we execute if a certain thing happens.   The one most people military members remember for the rest of their lives is an ambush.  If you are caught in an ambush, take cover and return fire.  There is no thinking or changing that programming.   So if some plans actually survive the first contact with an enemy, can’t we use that in our daily lives to beat our schedules?  For me, I noticed this when I started going to the gym in the morning before work.  I just made it a habit and it worked great.  Years ago my habit was to go straight from work to the gym.  Doing either of these ensured that I got my workout in. So why can’t we put the most important things we need to do every day in our lives on autopilot so that they always get done? In the book Atomic Habits James Clear talks about having a trigger for doing something.  Why can’t we just use our habits every day to stack on each other and make each thing that happens our trigger for doing something else.  It becomes our SOP to do this than that.   My SOP for the gym is to get up at 5 AM and then be out the door by 5:15 to make it to the gym by 5:30.  I also use another trigger at night before I go to bed, and set up my workout bag and gear for the next day.  So I can get up, get dressed, have a drink of water, and head out the door for the gym.   Once at the gym I have a schedule of workout things I’m working on.  The day of the week becomes my trigger and I just keep working on it. Can you set yourself up for success by stacking habits to create the best schedule for a day?   Ben Branam The post Best Schedule for a Day appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

What is the best schedule for a day? How can you build that best schedule? I’m sure you have been working on the best schedule for a day for years now. I’ve been trying to figure it out for a long time. I’m not sure there is a best schedule for a day because no plan survives first contact with the enemy. But you know what does survive contact with the enemy? SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) and Immediate Action Drills both survive contact with the enemy. In the Marine Corps, an SOP is how we do something: how we move, how we communicate, how we shoot, and how we do almost everything. Our Immediate Action Drills (IA Drills) are an SOP we execute if a certain thing happens. The one most people military members remember for the rest of their lives is an ambush. If you are caught in an ambush, take cover and return fire. There is no thinking or changing that programming. So if some plans actually survive the first contact with an enemy, can’t we use that in our daily lives to beat our schedules? For me, I noticed this when I started going to the gym in the morning before work. I just made it a habit and it worked great. Years ago my habit was to go straight from work to the gym. Doing either of these ensured that I got my workout in. So why can’t we put the most important things we need to do every day in our lives on autopilot so that they always get done? In the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3Eff1Fc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Atomic Habits </a>James Clear talks about having a trigger for doing something. Why can’t we just use our habits every day to stack on each other and make each thing that happens our trigger for doing something else. It becomes our SOP to do this than that. My SOP for the gym is to get up at 5 AM and then be out the door by 5:15 to make it to the gym by 5:30. I also use another trigger at night before I go to bed, and set up my workout bag and gear for the next day. So I can get up, get dressed, have a drink of water, and head out the door for the gym. Once at the gym I have a schedule of workout things I’m working on. The day of the week becomes my trigger and I just keep working on it. Can you set yourself up for success by stacking habits to create the best schedule for a day? Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/best-schedule-for-a-day/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Best Schedule for a Day</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Best Schedule for a Day

Winning in life means being 1% better every day and being 1% better than the competition.  I’m reading The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy to learn how to be a better salesman (my day job is selling car wash equipment for AutoBrite Company in San Antonio, Texas).  The beginning of the book is about motivation.  And I don’t know about you, but I could use a little more motivation in my life.  So I’m actually reading this book for a second time and enjoying it more this round.   In the book, Brian talks about being just a little better than the other people.  And doing just a little bit more every day.  He talks about the winning horse at a horse race.  The winning horse wins prize money about three times higher than the second-place horse.  The first-place horse is not three times faster, didn’t work three times harder, or is three times better than the second-place horse, he only has to be faster by a nose.  Winning the race by a nose is the difference between $600,000 and $1.86 million in prize money.  Not bad for a nose length.    You don’t have to “10 X” your life every day.  Or be better than everyone else in your industry, office, or life by a lot every day.  You just have to be better by a nose today than you were yesterday.  And tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next, and every day from now until you achieve your goals.   In high school or military terms, you just have to be able to beat up your yesterday self today.   Can you beat your yesterday self up today?  Can you do it tomorrow? And the next day?  And every day until you achieve your goals.   Since you only have to beat yourself by a nose from yesterday, that means you only need to do a couple of things every day to be better the next day. Doing little things every day for a lifetime is what winning life looks like and how you get there.  75 Hard Challenge will help you get there.  By doing five things every day that will improve you, you will be able to beat your former self.   When you go for a workout it never feels like you are better than yesterday, but as long as you worked hard, you are.   Same thing with your job.  Are you getting better at it every day?  Or just being the same as you were yesterday?   With your family, are your relationships growing and getting stronger, or did you just let them stay where they were yesterday? Everything in life is growing or shrinking.  There is no standing still.  Sometimes you grow or lose in big ways, but most of the time the change from day to day is imperceivable.   You just have to know and believe it is there and keep doing the things that make you better.  Sometimes, like in most businesses, the growth is so slow that you might have to work at it for years and years before you can really see a difference, and then you become an overnight success in about ten years.   What are you doing today to be a better you tomorrow?  How are you winning life?  Ben  The post Winning Life: Be 1% Better appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Winning in life means being 1% better every day and being 1% better than the competition. I’m reading <a href="https://amzn.to/3pQ3Ttq" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy</a> to learn how to be a better salesman (my day job is selling car wash equipment for <a href="http://autobriteco.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">AutoBrite Company</a> in San Antonio, Texas). The beginning of the book is about motivation. And I don’t know about you, but I could use a little more motivation in my life. So I’m actually reading this book for a second time and enjoying it more this round. In the book, Brian talks about being just a little better than the other people. And doing just a little bit more every day. He talks about the winning horse at a horse race. The winning horse wins prize money about three times higher than the second-place horse. The first-place horse is not three times faster, didn’t work three times harder, or is three times better than the second-place horse, he only has to be faster by a nose. Winning the race by a nose is the difference between $600,000 and $1.86 million in prize money. Not bad for a nose length. You don’t have to “10 X” your life every day. Or be better than everyone else in your industry, office, or life by a lot every day. You just have to be better by a nose today than you were yesterday. And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next, and every day from now until you achieve your goals. In high school or military terms, you just have to be able to beat up your yesterday self today. Can you beat your yesterday self up today? Can you do it tomorrow? And the next day? And every day until you achieve your goals. Since you only have to beat yourself by a nose from yesterday, that means you only need to do a couple of things every day to be better the next day. Doing little things every day for a lifetime is what winning life looks like and how you get there. 75 Hard Challenge will help you get there. By doing five things every day that will improve you, you will be able to beat your former self. When you go for a workout it never feels like you are better than yesterday, but as long as you worked hard, you are. Same thing with your job. Are you getting better at it every day? Or just being the same as you were yesterday? With your family, are your relationships growing and getting stronger, or did you just let them stay where they were yesterday? Everything in life is growing or shrinking. There is no standing still. Sometimes you grow or lose in big ways, but most of the time the change from day to day is imperceivable. You just have to know and believe it is there and keep doing the things that make you better. Sometimes, like in most businesses, the growth is so slow that you might have to work at it for years and years before you can really see a difference, and then you become an overnight success in about ten years. What are you doing today to be a better you tomorrow? How are you winning life? Ben The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/winning-life-be-1-better/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Winning Life: Be 1% Better</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Winning Life: Be 1% Better

Goal setting benefits are supposed to include making money, being in great shape, climbing the ladder of success, owning amazing cars, and just being the person everyone wants to be. How many times have you heard that? Especially at this time of year.  It’s between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  According to a dozen other websites and self-help gurus, this is when you should be working on your goals list for next year. So I started doing what I’m “supposed to do” and started going over goals.  I found past notebooks where I’ve written goals, and my goals seem to be the same every year.  What about you?   Have you had the same goal or two for the last couple of years?  Have made that same New Year’s Resolution multiple times?  Me too! I wish I could tell you all the things goal setting benefits.  Try to sell you on setting goals.  And then sell you the greatest goal-setting course, book, or thing that will make you achieve your goals.   To tell you the truth, I’m still working out the benefits of goal setting and trying different systems to make those goals actually come true.  Nothing is perfect.  And nothing works everywhere… but here is what I’m working on.  I finished the book Measure What Matters by John Doerr (Amazon Referral link) at the beginning of the year and learned about OKRs (Objective, Key Results).  OKRs is the famous goal-setting system used by Google and others to make billion-dollar businesses.  It sounded great!  And I thought, “when I have my own division or business, I’m definitely using it!”  My boss mentioned the concept last week at work and we both agreed to dig the book up and review it.  So I did.  Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I binged listened to the entire book again, and sat down to write some OKRs for myself and work. I have most of my goals and am chunking them down into next year’s and quarterly goals.  Here’s how I’m doing it: I created top-line Objectives.  Which are my BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). From there, I broke down what it would be specifically to achieve that goal with two or three measurable points.  Zig Ziglar says if you can’t identify and see the target, you will never hit it.  So with the top line Objective and the finer points of what it means to reach that point, you can see what you are going for and if you have hit your goal or not.   One of your goals might be like mine, Financially Independent.  That’s pretty vague and could mean a lot of things.  For me, my two things for that goal are 1. Investments make enough money to fund my lifestyle so I can quit working if I want.  2. Owning everything outright.  No debt on any of my investments that are funding my lifestyle from number 1.   Since you are breathing (I assume), I’m pretty sure one of your goals has to do with finances.  Money is only important when you don’t have any.  And when you don’t have any it is right up there with air for your survival.   Now I’m breaking down the goal into Key Results.  My lifetime key result becomes those two points from above.  Now I have to break that down into what I can do next year, next quarter, and next month and make those key results by making them measurable.   My 2022 Key Results for being Financially Independent are to create and live on a budget, to pay off my credit card debt, and find three specific retirement funds that have been lost in time since moving jobs. Now, according to the book, I would break that down into quarterly or even monthly small goals.  Then, finally, check in weekly to make sure I’m on track or adjust the goal from there. Not really anything groundbreaking except the thought that missing your goal by a little is okay.  If you are hitting all your quarterly or annual goals you aren’t stretching and growing or creating hard enough goals.  In fact, Google is okay with about 70% of the goal being reached in most cases.  Have you ever given yourself permission to only get part of the way there?  Me neither.  Everything in my life seems to be a binary yes or no.  But if you are older than 10 you know there is a lot of gray in the world.  And getting mostly to your goal, as long as you are improving your position and yourself is still a great accomplishment.   Getting better is what this website is about.  If we could all just get a little better than yesterday or even last year, then the world would become a great place to live.  And it starts with you making yourself better.  Get after it,  Ben Branam The post Goal Setting Benefits appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Goal setting benefits are supposed to include making money, being in great shape, climbing the ladder of success, owning amazing cars, and just being the person everyone wants to be. How many times have you heard that? Especially at this time of year. It’s between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to a dozen other websites and self-help gurus, this is when you should be working on your goals list for next year. So I started doing what I’m “supposed to do” and started going over goals. I found past notebooks where I’ve written goals, and my goals seem to be the same every year. What about you? Have you had the same goal or two for the last couple of years? Have made that same New Year’s Resolution multiple times? Me too! I wish I could tell you all the things goal setting benefits. Try to sell you on setting goals. And then sell you the greatest goal-setting course, book, or thing that will make you achieve your goals. To tell you the truth, I’m still working out the benefits of goal setting and trying different systems to make those goals actually come true. Nothing is perfect. And nothing works everywhere… but here is what I’m working on. I finished the book <a href="https://amzn.to/32vV53I" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Measure What Matters by John Doerr</a> (Amazon Referral link) at the beginning of the year and learned about OKRs (Objective, Key Results). OKRs is the famous goal-setting system used by Google and others to make billion-dollar businesses. It sounded great! And I thought, “when I have my own division or business, I’m definitely using it!” My boss mentioned the concept last week at work and we both agreed to dig the book up and review it. So I did. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I binged listened to the entire book again, and sat down to write some OKRs for myself and work. I have most of my goals and am chunking them down into next year’s and quarterly goals. Here’s how I’m doing it: I created top-line Objectives. Which are my BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). From there, I broke down what it would be specifically to achieve that goal with two or three measurable points. Zig Ziglar says if you can’t identify and see the target, you will never hit it. So with the top line Objective and the finer points of what it means to reach that point, you can see what you are going for and if you have hit your goal or not. One of your goals might be like mine, Financially Independent. That’s pretty vague and could mean a lot of things. For me, my two things for that goal are 1. Investments make enough money to fund my lifestyle so I can quit working if I want. 2. Owning everything outright. No debt on any of my investments that are funding my lifestyle from number 1. Since you are breathing (I assume), I’m pretty sure one of your goals has to do with finances. Money is only important when you don’t have any. And when you don’t have any it is right up there with air for your survival. Now I’m breaking down the goal into Key Results. My lifetime key result becomes those two points from above. Now I have to break that down into what I can do next year, next quarter, and next month and make those key results by making them measurable. My 2022 Key Results for being Financially Independent are to create and live on a budget, to pay off my credit card debt, and find three specific retirement funds that have been lost in time since moving jobs. Now, according to the book, I would break that down into quarterly or even monthly small goals. Then, finally, check in weekly to make sure I’m on track or adjust the goal from there. Not really anything groundbreaking except the thought that missing your goal by a little is okay. If you are hitting all your quarterly or annual goals you aren’t stretching and growing or creating hard enough goals. In fact, Google is okay with about 70% of the goal being reached in most cases. Have you ever given yourself permission to only get part of the way there? Me neither. Everything in my life seems to be a binary yes or no. But if you are older than 10 you know there is a lot of gray in the world. And getting mostly to your goal, as long as you are improving your position and yourself is still a great accomplishment. Getting better is what this website is about. If we could all just get a little better than yesterday or even last year, then the world would become a great place to live. And it starts with you making yourself better. Get after it, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/goal-setting-benefits/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Goal Setting Benefits</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Goal Setting Benefits

Living a life of intent means doing everything with intent.   When was the last time you did anything in your life with an intent?  And what was that intent? Most of the time when I’m doing something it is with the intent to get it finished.  Nothing else.  Yesterday I mowed the yard.  My wife so beautifully pointed out a couple of spots I missed.  And it pissed me off.  Not because she said something.  She just pointed out my shortcomings.  Not with mal intent, but with a questioning intent. Most of the time when I mow the yard it is with the intent to make it look good.  So if I missed a spot I would go back and fix it.  I make sure the lines are straight and even, and that I create a pattern with the lines that are pleasing.  Yesterday it was just to get it done.  I wasn’t working at it.   Today I was listening to The Real AF with Andy Frisella, the creator of the 75 Hard Program, and heard him talking about needing intent to really get anything done well.  To the point, he dropped out of his last 75 Hard Challenge this year because he wasn’t able to be intentional with his workouts because of an injury.  He felt that he wasn’t giving it his all and couldn’t because of the injury.  So he is waiting to heal and then do it again.   I want to do things with intent so they actually make me better and make the world better.  While listening to Andy in the episode I had an epiphany.  I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my life.  Most of them with the intent to just finish.  And sometimes that’s noble and sometimes that means just doing things half-assed. When I went through Marine Corps Boot Camp I just wanted to pass.  Since about half the recruits I started with dropped out, just finishing is an accomplishment.  But after that, I went through a police academy and my intent was to be one of the best.  We started with 100 and ended with 33.  I was the top shooter in the class, third academically, and fifth overall in the class.  I think I could have done better but didn’t get my physical fitness in gear until the second half of the class.  I placed closer to the middle in fitness and that dragged my overall standing down. When I do things with the intent to be the best that I can be, I do much better.  Have you noticed the things you do better versus the ones that are half-assed? I bet you feel like I do, that you do as much work at the half-assed ones as the ones you try your best.    I went to the gym today after listening to the episode and had a much better workout.  I actually went with the intent to get stronger and not to just get it done. Tomorrow I will head to work with the intent to be better at my job than last week. What about you?  Are you doing things with the intent to be better than last time?  Or to just get it done? How could you do things with intent? My simple way is to look at what I’m doing and try to accomplish whatever it is with an intent.  If it is just a simple task of going to the store to get milk, how could I do it faster?  Could I plan a better route to the store? Through the store faster?  Or even find a better store?  Instead of just cutting the grass to get it done, next time, if I’m in a hurry, my intent will be to do it faster than last time.  Or, if I have time, to make it look better than last time. If we do everything with the intent to do it better (you define better) than last time, you will get better.  If you get better, the people around you get better, and the world will be a better place if everyone is just better.  Making the world better is my why behind doing this blog.  I’d like to leave the world a little better than I found it.  And the easiest way to do that is to make myself better and the people around me better. Do a 75 Hard Challenge and become a better you,  Ben Branam The post Living with Intent appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Living a life of intent means doing everything with intent. When was the last time you did anything in your life with an intent? And what was that intent? Most of the time when I’m doing something it is with the intent to get it finished. Nothing else. Yesterday I mowed the yard. My wife so beautifully pointed out a couple of spots I missed. And it pissed me off. Not because she said something. She just pointed out my shortcomings. Not with mal intent, but with a questioning intent. Most of the time when I mow the yard it is with the intent to make it look good. So if I missed a spot I would go back and fix it. I make sure the lines are straight and even, and that I create a pattern with the lines that are pleasing. Yesterday it was just to get it done. I wasn’t working at it. Today I was listening to <a href="https://andyfrisella.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Real AF with Andy Frisella</a>, the creator of the 75 Hard Program, and heard him talking about needing intent to really get anything done well. To the point, he dropped out of his last 75 Hard Challenge this year because he wasn’t able to be intentional with his workouts because of an injury. He felt that he wasn’t giving it his all and couldn’t because of the injury. So he is waiting to heal and then do it again. I want to do things with intent so they actually make me better and make the world better. While listening to Andy in the episode I had an epiphany. I’ve accomplished a lot of things in my life. Most of them with the intent to just finish. And sometimes that’s noble and sometimes that means just doing things half-assed. When I went through Marine Corps Boot Camp I just wanted to pass. Since about half the recruits I started with dropped out, just finishing is an accomplishment. But after that, I went through a police academy and my intent was to be one of the best. We started with 100 and ended with 33. I was the top shooter in the class, third academically, and fifth overall in the class. I think I could have done better but didn’t get my physical fitness in gear until the second half of the class. I placed closer to the middle in fitness and that dragged my overall standing down. When I do things with the intent to be the best that I can be, I do much better. Have you noticed the things you do better versus the ones that are half-assed? I bet you feel like I do, that you do as much work at the half-assed ones as the ones you try your best. I went to the gym today after listening to the episode and had a much better workout. I actually went with the intent to get stronger and not to just get it done. Tomorrow I will head to work with the intent to be better at my job than last week. What about you? Are you doing things with the intent to be better than last time? Or to just get it done? How could you do things with intent? My simple way is to look at what I’m doing and try to accomplish whatever it is with an intent. If it is just a simple task of going to the store to get milk, how could I do it faster? Could I plan a better route to the store? Through the store faster? Or even find a better store? Instead of just cutting the grass to get it done, next time, if I’m in a hurry, my intent will be to do it faster than last time. Or, if I have time, to make it look better than last time. If we do everything with the intent to do it better (you define better) than last time, you will get better. If you get better, the people around you get better, and the world will be a better place if everyone is just better. Making the world better is my why behind doing this blog. I’d like to leave the world a little better than I found it. And the easiest way to do that is to make myself better and the people around me better. Do a 75 Hard Challenge and become a better you, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/living-with-intent/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Living with Intent</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Living with Intent

How to set personal boundaries and monitor them to ensure you are true to yourself Setting personal boundaries of what you will and will not do will help you get through tough times.  This blog and 75 Hard is all about setting boundaries on what you will do, but how do you set boundaries on what you won’t do?   We all have lines that can’t be crossed and that we don’t want to cross.  You have those things that you won’t do and those things that you won’t let happen.  After being a Marine for 10 years and fighting terrorists for half of that, I won’t let a terror attack happen in front of me without doing something, unless my family is there.  If my family is there, they come first.  I know it seems simple, but having those lines drawn well in advance of the situation allows you to act faster and in ways that align with your beliefs.   Terrorism is an extreme example in which you will probably never be in, but there are far smaller things that people say they will never do and then end up doing. Cheating is the easiest example to draw on.  Most of us say we will never cheat on our significant other or long-term relationship, but the numbers show that lots of people do.  Are all these people liars or just don’t care about their relationships or did they get caught in a situation that they hadn’t planned on?   I want to believe that it’s the former because I want to believe that most people are good.  So for you, how can you make sure you don’t end up as one of those persons?  And not just in cheating but in other things where you want to draw a line? Two thoughts and ways to make sure you don’t end up where you don’t want to be:  Be above reproach, and plan to set your limit far before the boundary you are trying to hold.  Being above reproach means that no one can even accuse you of doing that thing because you are never in a situation where it could happen.  Back to the cheating example, if you were never alone with someone else that could become a relationship, no one could ever even accuse you of doing any cheating.  My Pastor at Revolution Church of Schertz does this by not even being alone in an elevator with another woman that isn’t his wife.  He won’t have a meeting with a woman without a trusted confidant there to make sure there is nothing going on that shouldn’t be.   By actively taking what seems like extreme measures it would be almost impossible for him to cheat on his wife.  He makes it that way on purpose because he has decided in advance that he will not cheat.   Setting the boundaries far before the event requires planning.  If you decide you aren’t going to drink, maybe you should plan to meet friends someplace besides the bar.  Or, if you can handle it, plan to drink soda and make sure the bar you are going to has it before you go. You have to set those lines back far enough so you are tempted.  And that means knowing yourself and using it against you to help you.   I know that ice cream is my thing.  I love it and will eat as much as I can get my hands on it.  If I’m on my diet plan, ice cream is most definitely not on it.  I will set myself up for success by knowing that if I go to the ice cream shop with friends and/or family, I will order something.  So I simply will try and go someplace else with friends and family, or I won’t go.  I’ll just stay at home.   These measures all seem extreme and easy.  If you want to be successful at setting personal boundaries you have to move those lines back further than you think you should to ensure that you don’t stumble over the that line by accident or happenstance.   Stay Hard,  Ben Branam75Hard.Biz The post Set Personal Boundaries appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

How to set personal boundaries and monitor them to ensure you are true to yourself Setting personal boundaries of what you will and will not do will help you get through tough times. This blog and 75 Hard is all about setting boundaries on what you will do, but how do you set boundaries on what you won’t do? We all have lines that can’t be crossed and that we don’t want to cross. You have those things that you won’t do and those things that you won’t let happen. After being a Marine for 10 years and fighting terrorists for half of that, I won’t let a terror attack happen in front of me without doing something, unless my family is there. If my family is there, they come first. I know it seems simple, but having those lines drawn well in advance of the situation allows you to act faster and in ways that align with your beliefs. Terrorism is an extreme example in which you will probably never be in, but there are far smaller things that people say they will never do and then end up doing. Cheating is the easiest example to draw on. Most of us say we will never cheat on our significant other or long-term relationship, but the numbers show that lots of people do. Are all these people liars or just don’t care about their relationships or did they get caught in a situation that they hadn’t planned on? I want to believe that it’s the former because I want to believe that most people are good. So for you, how can you make sure you don’t end up as one of those persons? And not just in cheating but in other things where you want to draw a line? Two thoughts and ways to make sure you don’t end up where you don’t want to be: Be above reproach, and plan to set your limit far before the boundary you are trying to hold. Being above reproach means that no one can even accuse you of doing that thing because you are never in a situation where it could happen. Back to the cheating example, if you were never alone with someone else that could become a relationship, no one could ever even accuse you of doing any cheating. My Pastor at <a href="https://www.revyourlife.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Revolution Church of Schertz</a> does this by not even being alone in an elevator with another woman that isn’t his wife. He won’t have a meeting with a woman without a trusted confidant there to make sure there is nothing going on that shouldn’t be. By actively taking what seems like extreme measures it would be almost impossible for him to cheat on his wife. He makes it that way on purpose because he has decided in advance that he will not cheat. Setting the boundaries far before the event requires planning. If you decide you aren’t going to drink, maybe you should plan to meet friends someplace besides the bar. Or, if you can handle it, plan to drink soda and make sure the bar you are going to has it before you go. You have to set those lines back far enough so you are tempted. And that means knowing yourself and using it against you to help you. I know that ice cream is my thing. I love it and will eat as much as I can get my hands on it. If I’m on my diet plan, ice cream is most definitely not on it. I will set myself up for success by knowing that if I go to the ice cream shop with friends and/or family, I will order something. So I simply will try and go someplace else with friends and family, or I won’t go. I’ll just stay at home. These measures all seem extreme and easy. If you want to be successful at setting personal boundaries you have to move those lines back further than you think you should to ensure that you don’t stumble over the that line by accident or happenstance. Stay Hard, Ben Branam <a href="http://75Hard.Biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75Hard.Biz</a> The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/set-personal-boundaries/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Set Personal Boundaries</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Set Personal Boundaries

What to do when you fail, because you will fail at something sooner or later… but then what?  I finished a 75 Hard Challenge a couple weeks ago and still feel like a failure.  What do you do when you fail?  I don’t know what to do but start again.  You haven’t really failed until you give up on your goals.   In the Marine Corps I was trained to continue to fight no matter what.  You continue forward.  If you can think, if you can move, if you can do anything, you move forward.  Your mind will want you to quit long before your body gives out. I proved that to my young self-time and time again.  And throughout my 10-year career, I only saw a couple of Marines truly fail.  It wasn’t because they gave up, it was because their body failed them.   I endured too long more than once and came away with injuries that still bother me today.  You can do more than you ever thought possible.  The trick is, when you feel like you failed, you have to get up and do it again.  You have to keep trying until you make it. Once you get past failure, the next step is professionalism.   I was honored in 2006 to be sent to a Spec Ops school as a “conventional unit” we were the first to go to this particular military school.  I loved every second of the two-week course training to be a spec ops warrior.   One of the things I learned was how to operate like a professional and train to be one.  An old Delta guy told me the simple truth, “Amateurs train until they get it right.  Professionals train until they can’t get it wrong.”  That shaped the rest of the training I did in the Marine Corps and still shapes how I train professional warriors (cops and military members, and civilians) today.   During my 75 Hard Challenge, one of my goals was to lose weight.  I thought by not eating any sweats and working out every day that would just happen.  Other people did it, and it has worked in the past, so why wouldn’t it work for me?  That is the amateur in me talking.  It is telling me that this worked before so it might work again.  The pro in me knows I need to do more. What do you do when you fail?  Do you look back and just be the amateur that is half-assing your life just getting through, or are you going to be the professional that goes all-in and trains until you can’t get it wrong?   I got it wrong because I was thinking like an amateur.  I need to get back in there and train like a professional.  That is my next goal. What about you?  What have you failed at that you are going to get back in there and work to be a professional at? Ben Branam  The post What to do When You Fail: Not if, but when appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

What to do when you fail, because you will fail at something sooner or later… but then what? I finished a 75 Hard Challenge a couple weeks ago and still feel like a failure. What do you do when you fail? I don’t know what to do but start again. You haven’t really failed until you give up on your goals. In the Marine Corps I was trained to continue to fight no matter what. You continue forward. If you can think, if you can move, if you can do anything, you move forward. Your mind will want you to quit long before your body gives out. I proved that to my young self-time and time again. And throughout my 10-year career, I only saw a couple of Marines truly fail. It wasn’t because they gave up, it was because their body failed them. I endured too long more than once and came away with injuries that still bother me today. You can do more than you ever thought possible. The trick is, when you feel like you failed, you have to get up and do it again. You have to keep trying until you make it. Once you get past failure, the next step is professionalism. I was honored in 2006 to be sent to a Spec Ops school as a “conventional unit” we were the first to go to this particular military school. I loved every second of the two-week course training to be a spec ops warrior. One of the things I learned was how to operate like a professional and train to be one. An old Delta guy told me the simple truth, “Amateurs train until they get it right. Professionals train until they can’t get it wrong.” That shaped the rest of the training I did in the Marine Corps and still shapes how I train professional warriors (cops and military members, and civilians) today. During my 75 Hard Challenge, one of my goals was to lose weight. I thought by not eating any sweats and working out every day that would just happen. Other people did it, and it has worked in the past, so why wouldn’t it work for me? That is the amateur in me talking. It is telling me that this worked before so it might work again. The pro in me knows I need to do more. What do you do when you fail? Do you look back and just be the amateur that is half-assing your life just getting through, or are you going to be the professional that goes all-in and trains until you can’t get it wrong? I got it wrong because I was thinking like an amateur. I need to get back in there and train like a professional. That is my next goal. What about you? What have you failed at that you are going to get back in there and work to be a professional at? Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/what-to-do-when-you-fail-not-if-but-when/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What to do When You Fail: Not if, but when</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

What to do When You Fail: Not if, but when

Will your relationships with the people close to you suffer during and after doing the 75 Hard Program?  I got a sad email from a heartbroken father.  His daughter’s boyfriend was doing 75 Hard and at about day 30 abruptly ended the 7-year relationship for no apparent reason.  He wanted to know if that was part of 75 Hard. That is definitely not part of the program, but could be an outcome and a possible downside of you completing 75 Hard. If you complete the 75 Hard Program it will have an effect on your relationships with those around you.  Everything has a positive or negative effect on your relationships no matter what you do or do not do.   The 75 Hard Program, as outlined by Andy Friesella (2 workouts per day, a perfect diet, drink a gallon of water a day, read 10 pages of a self improvement book a day, and take a progress picture, for 75 days straight), will have a profound effect on the people close to you. Through this website, I’m hoping you do the program.  I’m hoping it changes you for the better (it will if you do it and don’t cheat), and I’m hoping that the people around you will see you get better and want to do the same.  If we can get that effect to spider web out in the world, we can make the world a better place.  I know, pipe dreams, but those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, just might.   When you complete this program you will grow five to ten years in maturity in less than three months.  You will feel like the people around you haven’t changed, but you have.  And you are right.  Sometimes you have to give the people around you time to ketchup, and sometimes you will leave them behind.  That is their choice.  Do they want to improve and grow as a person or not? I’m getting old and crotchety, if you want to improve yourself I’ll bend over backward to help you.  I’m as loyal as a puppy.  If you don’t want to improve yourself, get better as a person, and better at what you do, I’ve got no time for you.   You will find the same things.  You can either spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to change someone or move on.  During the 75 days, you will not have time to work on anyone but yourself.  Doing two workouts a day, planning all your meals, and making sure you take time to read and drink water, takes up all your free time.  The first time I did the program, I don’t think I spent more than four hours for the entire 75 days watching TV.  The average American watches their screens for over four hours a day. After doing the program, you won’t be average anymore.  You will be above the crowd and you will want to spend time with other people that want to be on the top.   Since finishing the program the first time, I am working in a totally new job, field, and industry.  I was pissed off at my old company because they wanted to be the same, and not improve policies or procedures, or the company, or themselves.  So, I was thankful when they pushed me out at the beginning of the Pandemic and I found a new company and boss to work for.  People that wanted to be better and get things done.   As usual, there is always one (a Marine Corps saying meaning nothing will be perfect with a group of people, there will always be one person that is messed up).  And he does nothing but pisses me off!  And I don’t want anything to do with him.  I have to work with him, for now, but if I was his direct boss, I would simply replace him.  I don’t have time to argue with someone daily that doesn’t want to do their job, let alone doesn’t care to get better.  The change is worth doing the 75 Hard Program, but like anything in life, there is a downside.  There is no such thing as a free lunch. Ben Branam The post 75 Hard and Relationships appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Will your relationships with the people close to you suffer during and after doing the 75 Hard Program? I got a sad email from a heartbroken father. His daughter’s boyfriend was doing 75 Hard and at about day 30 abruptly ended the 7-year relationship for no apparent reason. He wanted to know if that was part of 75 Hard. That is definitely not part of the program, but could be an outcome and a possible downside of you completing 75 Hard. If you complete the 75 Hard Program it will have an effect on your relationships with those around you. Everything has a positive or negative effect on your relationships no matter what you do or do not do. The 75 Hard Program, as outlined by <a href="https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Friesella</a> (2 workouts per day, a perfect diet, drink a gallon of water a day, read 10 pages of a self improvement book a day, and take a progress picture, for 75 days straight), will have a profound effect on the people close to you. Through this website, I’m hoping you do the program. I’m hoping it changes you for the better (it will if you do it and don’t cheat), and I’m hoping that the people around you will see you get better and want to do the same. If we can get that effect to spider web out in the world, we can make the world a better place. I know, pipe dreams, but those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, just might. When you complete this program you will grow five to ten years in maturity in less than three months. You will feel like the people around you haven’t changed, but you have. And you are right. Sometimes you have to give the people around you time to ketchup, and sometimes you will leave them behind. That is their choice. Do they want to improve and grow as a person or not? I’m getting old and crotchety, if you want to improve yourself I’ll bend over backward to help you. I’m as loyal as a puppy. If you don’t want to improve yourself, get better as a person, and better at what you do, I’ve got no time for you. You will find the same things. You can either spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to change someone or move on. During the 75 days, you will not have time to work on anyone but yourself. Doing two workouts a day, planning all your meals, and making sure you take time to read and drink water, takes up all your free time. The first time I did the program, I don’t think I spent more than four hours for the entire 75 days watching TV. The average American watches their screens for over four hours a day. After doing the program, you won’t be average anymore. You will be above the crowd and you will want to spend time with other people that want to be on the top. Since finishing the program the first time, I am working in a totally new job, field, and industry. I was pissed off at my old company because they wanted to be the same, and not improve policies or procedures, or the company, or themselves. So, I was thankful when they pushed me out at the beginning of the Pandemic and I found a new company and boss to work for. People that wanted to be better and get things done. As usual, there is always one (a Marine Corps saying meaning nothing will be perfect with a group of people, there will always be one person that is messed up). And he does nothing but pisses me off! And I don’t want anything to do with him. I have to work with him, for now, but if I was his direct boss, I would simply replace him. I don’t have time to argue with someone daily that doesn’t want to do their job, let alone doesn’t care to get better. The change is worth doing the 75 Hard Program, but like anything in life, there is a downside. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/75-hard-and-relationships/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard and Relationships</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

75 Hard and Relationships

I just got back from Amm-Con (Alternative Mass Media Convention).  It is a conference for 2nd Amendment content and other content creators that are shunned by most big web brands and social media sights.  I got to see a bunch of my friends that I haven’t seen in years.  We live all over the country and get to talk to each other via Zoom like the rest of the world right now, but it isn’t the same.   I’ve been feeling in the dumps for the last couple of weeks.  Job is stressing me out, the family wants more than I have to give, and I’m just not where I want to be in life.  Any of that sound familiar?   For the last two weekends, I’ve been doing work for my other side hustle allowing me to be around groups of good people.  And it’s made me feel much better.  Safety is always the thing nowadays because of the un-named virus (I don’t want to get blocked or get one of those “find the truth tags”).   I never knew how much I enjoyed being around other people until I wasn’t.  Isn’t that how most things are? We all have great things in life.  Let’s face it, if you are reading this blog you are probably in the top 10% of financial earners in the world, and have the time, the equipment, and the desire to self actualize instead of running away from a tiger or just trying to grow food to feed yourself.  A lot of great things in our lives are like air… we never notice it’s there until it’s gone.  Before the world shut down, I could go to conferences and be around other people I liked or not, and it didn’t seem to bother me if I went or not.  Now, I realize how much I miss it and want to hang out longer with friends, have a drink, and break bread. After doing that for two weekends in a row I’m feeling better and more ready to take on the world.  Find people you can be around to help recharge your battery:  People that will keep you going.  People that know and like you.  Sometimes you should go where everyone knows your name (Cheers).   Get out and get around other people.  I know you don’t feel like it (for a plethora of reasons), but like most things that are good for you, you don’t always feel like doing it.  I don’t always “feel” like going to the gym, but am always better for it afterward. Ben Branam  The post Make Your Life Better by Being Around People appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

I just got back from <a href="https://ammcon.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amm-Con</a> (Alternative Mass Media Convention). It is a conference for 2nd Amendment content and other content creators that are shunned by most big web brands and social media sights. I got to see a bunch of my friends that I haven’t seen in years. We live all over the country and get to talk to each other via Zoom like the rest of the world right now, but it isn’t the same. I’ve been feeling in the dumps for the last couple of weeks. Job is stressing me out, the family wants more than I have to give, and I’m just not where I want to be in life. Any of that sound familiar? For the last two weekends, I’ve been doing work for my other side hustle allowing me to be around groups of good people. And it’s made me feel much better. Safety is always the thing nowadays because of the un-named virus (I don’t want to get blocked or get one of those “find the truth tags”). I never knew how much I enjoyed being around other people until I wasn’t. Isn’t that how most things are? We all have great things in life. Let’s face it, if you are reading this blog you are probably in the top 10% of financial earners in the world, and have the time, the equipment, and the desire to self actualize instead of running away from a tiger or just trying to grow food to feed yourself. A lot of great things in our lives are like air… we never notice it’s there until it’s gone. Before the world shut down, I could go to conferences and be around other people I liked or not, and it didn’t seem to bother me if I went or not. Now, I realize how much I miss it and want to hang out longer with friends, have a drink, and break bread. After doing that for two weekends in a row I’m feeling better and more ready to take on the world. Find people you can be around to help recharge your battery: People that will keep you going. People that know and like you. Sometimes you should go where everyone knows your name (Cheers). Get out and get around other people. I know you don’t feel like it (for a plethora of reasons), but like most things that are good for you, you don’t always feel like doing it. I don’t always “feel” like going to the gym, but am always better for it afterward. Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/make-your-life-better-by-being-around-people/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Make Your Life Better by Being Around People</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Make Your Life Better by Being Around People

Yesterday I completed another 75 Hard. I am very grateful to have finished and run the race.  Did I accomplish all my goals… that’s a big NO!  Do I wish I had accomplished all my goals?  Of couse!  I did accomplish my biggest goal.  I feel and think I’ve become a better person.  I read three books, worked out every day and pushed more weight than the month before, and went faster than the month before.  I wanted to lose some weight and a couple of inches on the gut and chest while I was at it.  No such luck. In the last couple of days of challenge, I was feeling like a failure because I had worked for 75 days straight and felt like I sacrificed a lot to get some weight to drop off.  I felt like life was kicking me in the face again and felt depression setting in. It’s really easy to go down a dark path when you let your self-talk tell you about all your failures and again and again.  I wouldn’t let anyone in the world talk to me in that way, but I let myself tell me how worthless I was.   I was able to turn it around with a little thankfulness.  At the beginning of last week, we finally had the first day of fall here in South Texas.  We know fall is coming when we finally have a cool feeling moring.   If you don’t live here, it’s hard to explain.  During the summer it never cools down.  It’s always hot.  Even right before down and in the middle of the night, it still feels hot.  It just doesn’t feel as hot.  We all look forward to that first morning when you walk outside and feels cool.  We normally wait for three to for months, but sometimes it is as long as six months.   This first morning doesn’t mean the heat is gone for the year, it just means that it will start getting better.  That first morning, feeling like shit, a failure, and idiot, I walked outside to go to work and felt the cool morning.  It was glorious. I walked out into the middle of my street and stood there for about five minutes just enjoying the morning cool breeze.  Just thankful for everything.  I posted it on Instagram (@BenBranam) and looked at some of my pictures.  I have a great life.  No, I don’t have everything I want, but I have everything I need.  And I get to do some pretty amazing things with some awesome people!  From this 75 Hard I learned one thing.  I struggled for 75 days of not missing a workout, not eating one sweat thing, reading every day 10 pages, and drinking a gallon of water.    I did it to learn one painfully obvious less:   BE THANKFUL FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE! One of the most simple things ever.   I am probably just dense as it takes me learning the hard way to truly get life lessons.  Are you like that?  I’m determined to remember this one and to practice every day. I have a great job.  I have great friends.  I have a great family.  I am a good person.  I have a great life!  Most of the time I forget this.  I ignore my good friends and let those that are “friends” be vampires and suck away my time and energy.   I complain and focus on the bad parts of my job.  No job is perfect, but I love most of it, like 90% of it, and like 90% of the people I work with.  I sometimes focus on what I wish my family would do for me or with me, and that sucks the joy away from everything family.   Sometimes, I let myself go down a dark path and remind myself over and over again about all my failures, misses, and mistakes in life.  Forgetting that I reached three out of five goals I set for myself.   And then, worst of all, I look at other peoples’ lives and how great it looks and judge their best days against my worst days and think about how crappy my life is.  Not true at all.  No matter how good or bad other peoples’ lives are, mine is still good or bad regardless of what they are doing.  I am thankful for you reading this.  The world is a dumpster fire of uncertainty right now.   We need everyone that can to become better.  If you are reading this, I know that you want to be better.  And you will.   My advice, be thankful for what you have, what you have achieved, and continue getting better and achieving more. Ben Branam  The post Thankfulness: 75 Hard Day Complete appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Yesterday I completed another 75 Hard. I am very grateful to have finished and run the race. Did I accomplish all my goals… that’s a big NO! Do I wish I had accomplished all my goals? Of couse! I did accomplish my biggest goal. I feel and think I’ve become a better person. I read three books, worked out every day and pushed more weight than the month before, and went faster than the month before. I wanted to lose some weight and a couple of inches on the gut and chest while I was at it. No such luck. In the last couple of days of challenge, I was feeling like a failure because I had worked for 75 days straight and felt like I sacrificed a lot to get some weight to drop off. I felt like life was kicking me in the face again and felt depression setting in. It’s really easy to go down a dark path when you let your self-talk tell you about all your failures and again and again. I wouldn’t let anyone in the world talk to me in that way, but I let myself tell me how worthless I was. I was able to turn it around with a little thankfulness. At the beginning of last week, we finally had the first day of fall here in South Texas. We know fall is coming when we finally have a cool feeling moring. If you don’t live here, it’s hard to explain. During the summer it never cools down. It’s always hot. Even right before down and in the middle of the night, it still feels hot. It just doesn’t feel as hot. We all look forward to that first morning when you walk outside and feels cool. We normally wait for three to for months, but sometimes it is as long as six months. This first morning doesn’t mean the heat is gone for the year, it just means that it will start getting better. That first morning, feeling like shit, a failure, and idiot, I walked outside to go to work and felt the cool morning. It was glorious. I walked out into the middle of my street and stood there for about five minutes just enjoying the morning cool breeze. Just thankful for everything. I posted it on Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/benbranam/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@BenBranam</a>) and looked at some of my pictures. I have a great life. No, I don’t have everything I want, but I have everything I need. And I get to do some pretty amazing things with some awesome people! From this 75 Hard I learned one thing. I struggled for 75 days of not missing a workout, not eating one sweat thing, reading every day 10 pages, and drinking a gallon of water. I did it to learn one painfully obvious less: <h2>BE THANKFUL FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE!</h2> One of the most simple things ever. I am probably just dense as it takes me learning the hard way to truly get life lessons. Are you like that? I’m determined to remember this one and to practice every day. I have a great job. I have great friends. I have a great family. I am a good person. I have a great life! Most of the time I forget this. I ignore my good friends and let those that are “friends” be vampires and suck away my time and energy. I complain and focus on the bad parts of my job. No job is perfect, but I love most of it, like 90% of it, and like 90% of the people I work with. I sometimes focus on what I wish my family would do for me or with me, and that sucks the joy away from everything family. Sometimes, I let myself go down a dark path and remind myself over and over again about all my failures, misses, and mistakes in life. Forgetting that I reached three out of five goals I set for myself. And then, worst of all, I look at other peoples’ lives and how great it looks and judge their best days against my worst days and think about how crappy my life is. Not true at all. No matter how good or bad other peoples’ lives are, mine is still good or bad regardless of what they are doing. I am thankful for you reading this. The world is a dumpster fire of uncertainty right now. We need everyone that can to become better. If you are reading this, I know that you want to be better. And you will. My advice, be thankful for what you have, what you have achieved, and continue getting better and achieving more. Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/thankfulness-75-hard-day-complete/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Thankfulness: 75 Hard Day Complete</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Thankfulness: 75 Hard Day Complete

Are you doing the next phase?

75 Hard Experience

This has been a hard week.  Yesterday I needed to put up content for my other side hustle… so I missed a post here.  Didn’t think you would mind. I’m still here.  I’m still working hard at the 75 Hard Challenge.  And I’m going to finish it. I got laid off last week and now I’m working for myself.  I’m a hard person to work for it seems. I’ve been working harder this week then in the last 4 months for my other job.  And I made half what I did on the other job… That is as soon as my customer pays me for the web work.  Check it out SparksFirearmsTX.com.  I built what the customer wanted.  And I think it looks pretty good. I thought it would take 2 days.  It took me almost 6.  I thought I could use all the tools I already had… I needed to buy $150 worth of software (that I billed back to the customer).  So many oops on the front side. And then I wanted to make the project perfect.  I would have liked to have it better, but ran out of time and energy.  The customer was more needing it right now then perfect. So now I look for my next project to work that hard on.  The next one I’ll bid much better.  That size project will be 2 weeks and pay as such. I’m finishing off my things tonight.  I have one more project that I promised to my other business partner to finish after this.  But that shouldn’t take that long. I just have to keep working to keep my boss happy!  75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 41 of 75 Hard Round 4 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

This has been a hard week. Yesterday I needed to put up content for my other side hustle… so I missed a post here. Didn’t think you would mind. I’m still here. I’m still working hard at the 75 Hard Challenge. And I’m going to finish it. I got laid off last week and now I’m working for myself. I’m a hard person to work for it seems. I’ve been working harder this week then in the last 4 months for my other job. And I made half what I did on the other job… That is as soon as my customer pays me for the web work. Check it out <a href="http://sparksfirearmstx.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SparksFirearmsTX.com</a>. I built what the customer wanted. And I think it looks pretty good. I thought it would take 2 days. It took me almost 6. I thought I could use all the tools I already had… I needed to buy $150 worth of software (that I billed back to the customer). So many oops on the front side. And then I wanted to make the project perfect. I would have liked to have it better, but ran out of time and energy. The customer was more needing it right now then perfect. So now I look for my next project to work that hard on. The next one I’ll bid much better. That size project will be 2 weeks and pay as such. I’m finishing off my things tonight. I have one more project that I promised to my other business partner to finish after this. But that shouldn’t take that long. I just have to keep working to keep my boss happy! 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-41-of-75-hard-round-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 41 of 75 Hard Round 4</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 41 of 75 Hard Round 4

I continue to move forward.  Things in my business are taking way longer then I want them to.  But I guess that is the first three rules of business playing out: It will take twice as long you think, cost twice as much as you think, and everyone thinks they are the exception to the rule.  I’m not the exception. So I keep plugging along.  I’m starting to worry about the hole ball out thing.  Will I get any money from it?  I guess I shouldn’t bet on it.  That just means I need to get to work harder on my side business to start making some money.  I might publish a guid on how to do 75 Hard.  Wonder if anyone would buy it? I continue to move forward with the challenge.  Today is Day 45 and I got everything done.  I’m am getting excited about my weight because I am down over 25 pounds from my highest and exactly 19 pounds since day 1.  That puts me at an obese 328.6.  But it’s going the right way.  It took me over a decade to get this big and will take time to get back to normal.  So I’m optimistic about being where I was a couple years ago under 330.  I will continue forward.  The diet is working… all be it slowly. The walking has gotten easy and boring.  So in true Marine Corps fashion I found an Alice pack from back in the day.  Filled it with a steel plate and other crap and it weighs in at 47 pounds.  I did my first walk yesterday of 3 miles with that on.  Tomorrow I will do the same thing.  I’m just trying to make it a little harder on myself. Going through voluntary hardship is a good way to be able to conquer anything when it comes.  The Covid-19 Virus and staying at home is nothing for me.  Just a little more discipline about wiping down surfaces, staying away from people, and washing my hands.  I can take care of that easy.  Some of my friends can’t take it.  They keep going to the store with their families saying it’s a necessity.   Some how I figured out how to get food and other things delivered to me. If you are going through this challenge I hope you have enough discipline, will power, and respect to stay at home.  Some of you in the medical field, law enforcement, and a bunch of essential fields (like power generation, garbage, and sewage) have to go out.  And I admire you for putting yourself and family at risk for the rest of us.  The rest of the people I see are going to contribute to the numbers of dead. I can only control what I can control.  I keep talking to my friends and helping them get set up with food delivery places.  You can bet I’ll be staying away from them. Is this time in life hard for you, or have you adjusted easily?  Are you staying home and taking care of your family as much as possible or are you out and about contributing to the spread of the virus?  Are you continuing the 75 Hard while this is going on? Let me know in the comments how you are doing. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 45 of 75 Hard appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

I continue to move forward. Things in my business are taking way longer then I want them to. But I guess that is the first three rules of business playing out: It will take twice as long you think, cost twice as much as you think, and everyone thinks they are the exception to the rule. I’m not the exception. So I keep plugging along. I’m starting to worry about the hole ball out thing. Will I get any money from it? I guess I shouldn’t bet on it. That just means I need to get to work harder on my side business to start making some money. I might publish a guid on how to do 75 Hard. Wonder if anyone would buy it? I continue to move forward with the challenge. Today is Day 45 and I got everything done. I’m am getting excited about my weight because I am down over 25 pounds from my highest and exactly 19 pounds since day 1. That puts me at an obese 328.6. But it’s going the right way. It took me over a decade to get this big and will take time to get back to normal. So I’m optimistic about being where I was a couple years ago under 330. I will continue forward. The diet is working… all be it slowly. The walking has gotten easy and boring. So in true Marine Corps fashion I found an Alice pack from back in the day. Filled it with a steel plate and other crap and it weighs in at 47 pounds. I did my first walk yesterday of 3 miles with that on. Tomorrow I will do the same thing. I’m just trying to make it a little harder on myself. Going through voluntary hardship is a good way to be able to conquer anything when it comes. The Covid-19 Virus and staying at home is nothing for me. Just a little more discipline about wiping down surfaces, staying away from people, and washing my hands. I can take care of that easy. Some of my friends can’t take it. They keep going to the store with their families saying it’s a necessity. Some how I figured out how to get food and other things delivered to me. If you are going through this challenge I hope you have enough discipline, will power, and respect to stay at home. Some of you in the medical field, law enforcement, and a bunch of essential fields (like power generation, garbage, and sewage) have to go out. And I admire you for putting yourself and family at risk for the rest of us. The rest of the people I see are going to contribute to the numbers of dead. I can only control what I can control. I keep talking to my friends and helping them get set up with food delivery places. You can bet I’ll be staying away from them. Is this time in life hard for you, or have you adjusted easily? Are you staying home and taking care of your family as much as possible or are you out and about contributing to the spread of the virus? Are you continuing the 75 Hard while this is going on? Let me know in the comments how you are doing. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-45-of-75-hard/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 45 of 75 Hard</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 45 of 75 Hard

Two great days will get you motivated again!   I had two good days back to back after going through a couple bad ones. When you are in the hard times, it always feels like that is all there ever will be. When the hard times are over and you are into the good ones, you just feel a relief to be through.  So you don’t always enjoy the good times like you should. I use to do that all the time.  And I think the good times would just pass me on by and I would miss them.  Now I’m stopping to look. I had two good days in a row and I am going to call them great.  I did Easter Sunday with the family and only did my 75 Hard Challenge and no other work. Today I went back at it, and got things done with a vengeance.  I had more then one obstacle, but I didn’t let it bother me.   I made today a good day by getting things done. When you get things done you have a cense of accomplishment that brings you joy.   With my accomplishments, comes my joy.  I did my list of todo’s like a crazy man and just kept working through two different problems that tried to derail me. So, I’m doing well.  Tomorrow I’m going to have another good day of getting things done and turn it into a great day. What about you?  Will you make tomorrow great?  Will you just get through the bad days and then not enjoy the good? How will you decide if today was a good day or a bad? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post Day 55 of 75 Hard Round 4 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Two great days will get you motivated again! I had two good days back to back after going through a couple bad ones. When you are in the hard times, it always feels like that is all there ever will be. When the hard times are over and you are into the good ones, you just feel a relief to be through. So you don’t always enjoy the good times like you should. I use to do that all the time. And I think the good times would just pass me on by and I would miss them. Now I’m stopping to look. I had two good days in a row and I am going to call them great. I did Easter Sunday with the family and only did my 75 Hard Challenge and no other work. Today I went back at it, and got things done with a vengeance. I had more then one obstacle, but I didn’t let it bother me. I made today a good day by getting things done. When you get things done you have a cense of accomplishment that brings you joy. With my accomplishments, comes my joy. I did my list of todo’s like a crazy man and just kept working through two different problems that tried to derail me. So, I’m doing well. Tomorrow I’m going to have another good day of getting things done and turn it into a great day. What about you? Will you make tomorrow great? Will you just get through the bad days and then not enjoy the good? How will you decide if today was a good day or a bad? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-55-of-75-hard-round-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 55 of 75 Hard Round 4</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 55 of 75 Hard Round 4

Today I sent most of the day answering emails and doing a little work.  My wife woke up and declared it a day off.  And I sort of went with it.   Now I’m doing some work at night.  I did get some really important things done and talked to a couple people that really needed help.  It was emotionally hard, but I was able to help a couple people.  And that was worth it. I’m finishing up my 75 Hard five things right now.  I have this post and a bottle of water to drink.  It’s hard to drink the water if you don’t get a jump on it in the morning!  So I’m sure I will have to get up and go to the bathroom during the night.  But that is a small price to pay. How are you doing with all the virus stuff?  Is everything going well or is it hard?  Just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 47 of 75 Hard appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Today I sent most of the day answering emails and doing a little work. My wife woke up and declared it a day off. And I sort of went with it. Now I’m doing some work at night. I did get some really important things done and talked to a couple people that really needed help. It was emotionally hard, but I was able to help a couple people. And that was worth it. I’m finishing up my 75 Hard five things right now. I have this post and a bottle of water to drink. It’s hard to drink the water if you don’t get a jump on it in the morning! So I’m sure I will have to get up and go to the bathroom during the night. But that is a small price to pay. How are you doing with all the virus stuff? Is everything going well or is it hard? Just wanted to check in with you and see how you are doing. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-47-of-75-hard/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 47 of 75 Hard</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 47 of 75 Hard

Don’t drop your pack was a saying from the Marine Corps.  In the Marine Corps all our back packs had quick connect features that allow you to dump your pack in an emergency.   It was a great feature that no one used.   Once you dumped your pack using the quick releases it was a time consuming pain to get the pack put back together so you could wear it again. Marines use the quick release as an analogy more than anything else because it’s that hard to get the pack back together. The analogy is at the end of a long hike (hump in Marine Corps jargon) you pull the quick release and let your pack drop because you are done.  From experience doing anything more then 15 miles, dropping your pack is the best feeling you will ever have.  But you have to do it by taking it off, not the quick releases.   In the Marine Corps work is never done.  If you drop your pack with the quick releases you will not be able to put it back on and continue to move.  Because no matter what anyone says, you aren’t really done with your pack until you are back at the barracks.   I never met the Marine, but the analogy goes, don’t drop your pack until you are done.  When you can see the end, and you think you are there, you will want to pull those quick releases and let that pack full.  But don’t do it before you are truly or done, or you will be sorry. This is where I am in my 75 Hard journey.  I’m almost there.  I can see the finish line… but it’s no time to drop my pack.  Even at the end, don’t use the quick releases or you will be sorry. So I continue forward with my burden securely on my back.  One step at a time.  One day at a time. What do you do when you can see the finish line? Will you drop your pack in sight of the finish? Will you cross the line and pull the quick releases? Or will you finish strong, head held high, and enjoy the victory even with your burden still on your back? Marines continue forward even after the finish line with their burdens.  It isn’t done until it is done. I will continue all the way through the 75 days, then I will think about taking off my pack. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 63 of 75 Hard: Don’t Drop Your Pack appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Don’t drop your pack was a saying from the Marine Corps. In the Marine Corps all our back packs had quick connect features that allow you to dump your pack in an emergency. It was a great feature that no one used. Once you dumped your pack using the quick releases it was a time consuming pain to get the pack put back together so you could wear it again. Marines use the quick release as an analogy more than anything else because it’s that hard to get the pack back together. The analogy is at the end of a long hike (hump in Marine Corps jargon) you pull the quick release and let your pack drop because you are done. From experience doing anything more then 15 miles, dropping your pack is the best feeling you will ever have. But you have to do it by taking it off, not the quick releases. In the Marine Corps work is never done. If you drop your pack with the quick releases you will not be able to put it back on and continue to move. Because no matter what anyone says, you aren’t really done with your pack until you are back at the barracks. I never met the Marine, but the analogy goes, don’t drop your pack until you are done. When you can see the end, and you think you are there, you will want to pull those quick releases and let that pack full. But don’t do it before you are truly or done, or you will be sorry. This is where I am in my 75 Hard journey. I’m almost there. I can see the finish line… but it’s no time to drop my pack. Even at the end, don’t use the quick releases or you will be sorry. So I continue forward with my burden securely on my back. One step at a time. One day at a time. What do you do when you can see the finish line? Will you drop your pack in sight of the finish? Will you cross the line and pull the quick releases? Or will you finish strong, head held high, and enjoy the victory even with your burden still on your back? Marines continue forward even after the finish line with their burdens. It isn’t done until it is done. I will continue all the way through the 75 days, then I will think about taking off my pack. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-63-of-75-hard-dont-drop-your-pack/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 63 of 75 Hard: Don’t Drop Your Pack</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 63 of 75 Hard: Don’t Drop Your Pack

Today is just another day… but not.  Today is the first day I wanted to quit.   I was bored this morning with the challenge and feel I have so much else to do in life right now that I was thinking of throwing in the towel.  But I pushed forward.   Now here I site in front of a computer wanted to quit again… I think the depression monster isn’t far behind.  Which sucks even more then quitting!  So I’m pushing forward.  And simply writing what is on my mind right now.  I don’t know what else to do at this point besides push forward. Stress from this virus is everywhere.  My kid had a panic attack (I think from it) tonight and could only explain that he was scared.  Not of what or who, was embarrassed about it because he knows there is nothing to be afraid of, but can’t calm himself down. That breaks my heart and makes we want to quit too.  Life seems to be conspiring against me today. I could sit here and just give in.  Go grab some ice cream, not post this and never come back.  It would be easy, but it would throw away everything.  And it isn’t what I want to show my son… so you know what! Fuck this stupid wanting to quit.  Fuck sitting down and doing nothing.  Fuck crying into some ice cream.  That is for quitters and others.  I want to do great things.  I want to make a company I’m proud of and that can support my family.  I want to be the leader my family needs right now. So fuck all this quitting.  Fuck all this Covid-19 bull shit that is everywhere and fuck anyone or anything that gets in my way.  I’m going through this. This turned into a pep talk for myself.  But sometimes I just have to motivate myself.  And sometimes that’s using language unsuitable for mixed company.  Because sometimes I just have to slap the quit out of myself.  So I’m not quitting. How about you?  Have you given up?  Will you give up?  Can you slap yourself verbally to get yourself back into the fight? I am and hopefully I’m here to give you some motivation.  Slap yourself figuratively, verbally, or literally if you have to, but don’t ever give up.  That giving up shit is for losers.  I know you aren’t a loser and neither am I. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam   The post Day 49 of 75 Hard Round 4 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Today is just another day… but not. Today is the first day I wanted to quit. I was bored this morning with the challenge and feel I have so much else to do in life right now that I was thinking of throwing in the towel. But I pushed forward. Now here I site in front of a computer wanted to quit again… I think the depression monster isn’t far behind. Which sucks even more then quitting! So I’m pushing forward. And simply writing what is on my mind right now. I don’t know what else to do at this point besides push forward. Stress from this virus is everywhere. My kid had a panic attack (I think from it) tonight and could only explain that he was scared. Not of what or who, was embarrassed about it because he knows there is nothing to be afraid of, but can’t calm himself down. That breaks my heart and makes we want to quit too. Life seems to be conspiring against me today. I could sit here and just give in. Go grab some ice cream, not post this and never come back. It would be easy, but it would throw away everything. And it isn’t what I want to show my son… so you know what! Fuck this stupid wanting to quit. Fuck sitting down and doing nothing. Fuck crying into some ice cream. That is for quitters and others. I want to do great things. I want to make a company I’m proud of and that can support my family. I want to be the leader my family needs right now. So fuck all this quitting. Fuck all this Covid-19 bull shit that is everywhere and fuck anyone or anything that gets in my way. I’m going through this. This turned into a pep talk for myself. But sometimes I just have to motivate myself. And sometimes that’s using language unsuitable for mixed company. Because sometimes I just have to slap the quit out of myself. So I’m not quitting. How about you? Have you given up? Will you give up? Can you slap yourself verbally to get yourself back into the fight? I am and hopefully I’m here to give you some motivation. Slap yourself figuratively, verbally, or literally if you have to, but don’t ever give up. That giving up shit is for losers. I know you aren’t a loser and neither am I. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-49-of-75-hard-round-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 49 of 75 Hard Round 4</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 49 of 75 Hard Round 4

Today went easy… at first.  Then got harder.  I pulled my web site numbers and it’s painful to see everything keep going down. Before I didn’t care really.  It wasn’t about anything but something I loved to do.  Now it’s about trying to make money.  To make money I need an audience.  Building that should be easy by creating content.   Well I’ve been creating more and more and getting less and less traffic.  It sucks. If you are reading this, obviously you got here somehow.  And I really appreciate you for listening. I will continue working on this site until at least the end of this 75 Hard and then I will see. It’s demotivating.  But I guess that is something I cannot control so I need to go forward with what I can. I can control the people I interact with and the content I put out.  So I will keep going until I’m finished. What do you do when you hit a demotivating spot? Do you let it stop you? Do you dig in? How do you handle it? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post Day 55 of 75 Hard appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Today went easy… at first. Then got harder. I pulled my web site numbers and it’s painful to see everything keep going down. Before I didn’t care really. It wasn’t about anything but something I loved to do. Now it’s about trying to make money. To make money I need an audience. Building that should be easy by creating content. Well I’ve been creating more and more and getting less and less traffic. It sucks. If you are reading this, obviously you got here somehow. And I really appreciate you for listening. I will continue working on this site until at least the end of this 75 Hard and then I will see. It’s demotivating. But I guess that is something I cannot control so I need to go forward with what I can. I can control the people I interact with and the content I put out. So I will keep going until I’m finished. What do you do when you hit a demotivating spot? Do you let it stop you? Do you dig in? How do you handle it? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-55-of-75-hard-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 55 of 75 Hard</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 55 of 75 Hard

Today was a good day.  I made it that way!  What about you?  Did you make your day go one way or the other? The famous motivational speaker Zig Ziglar used to ask the question in his seminars if you could do anything to ruin your life?  Could you sleep around on your significant other?  Could you rob a bank?  Could you crash your car on purpose?  Could you.. he had a long list of things that could ruin your day and your life.  Everyone always laughed.  Then he would stop, clap his hands together and say, well if there are things you can do today to ruin your life, is there anything you could do to make your life better? Why not?  You can do all these negative things, why can’t you do the opposite and make your life better? I pose to you the same question only in a reference to a day.  Could you do anything to ruin your day?  Couldn’t you do the opposite to make your day great? To ruin my day I could stay in bed hours after I should get up.  I could ignore my todo list and just watch Netflix (without the chill part) and eat ice cream all day.  I could skip my workout and ruin my 75 Hard Challenge.  All of this would ruin my day.  Most of it actually sounds fun: Sleeping in, “Netflix and chill”, eating a tub of ice cream, and being lazy all sound appealing on one level.  But on the other hand… Talk about ruining my day on the way to ruining my life.  It would be a slow painful death.  It might take decades but sooner or later too many of those days will destroy you. So do the opposite.  I got up with my alarm clock.  I sat down and did my reading.  Then I pulled out my Focus Planner wrote down 3 major things I was going to get done today.  Then wrote my five things for my 75 Hard Challenge.  Under that I wrote out my miscellaneous other tasks I wanted to get done today (including this post).  On the other page I wrote out my goals for the year, quarter, month, and week.  I do this everyday to keep everything in the top of my mind.  Then I pounded a protein shake (to stay on my diet) and hit the road with a 50 (actually 47) pound pack for a 3 mile hike.    I got home and got to work on my todo list. This is how you have great days.  Because I stayed on task I was able to get some extra things done and spend time with my wife and kid. This is how I have a good day.  How do you make your good days happen? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post Day 59 of 75 Hard: Make Good Days Happen appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Today was a good day. I made it that way! What about you? Did you make your day go one way or the other? The famous motivational speaker <a href="https://amzn.to/2wMtf3U" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Zig Ziglar</a> used to ask the question in his seminars if you could do anything to ruin your life? Could you sleep around on your significant other? Could you rob a bank? Could you crash your car on purpose? Could you.. he had a long list of things that could ruin your day and your life. Everyone always laughed. Then he would stop, clap his hands together and say, well if there are things you can do today to ruin your life, is there anything you could do to make your life better? Why not? You can do all these negative things, why can’t you do the opposite and make your life better? I pose to you the same question only in a reference to a day. Could you do anything to ruin your day? Couldn’t you do the opposite to make your day great? To ruin my day I could stay in bed hours after I should get up. I could ignore my todo list and just watch Netflix (without the chill part) and eat ice cream all day. I could skip my workout and ruin my 75 Hard Challenge. All of this would ruin my day. Most of it actually sounds fun: Sleeping in, “Netflix and chill”, eating a tub of ice cream, and being lazy all sound appealing on one level. But on the other hand… Talk about ruining my day on the way to ruining my life. It would be a slow painful death. It might take decades but sooner or later too many of those days will destroy you. So do the opposite. I got up with my alarm clock. I sat down and did my reading. Then I pulled out my <a href="https://amzn.to/2RH0EEu" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Focus Planner</a> wrote down 3 major things I was going to get done today. Then wrote my five things for my 75 Hard Challenge. Under that I wrote out my miscellaneous other tasks I wanted to get done today (including this post). On the other page I wrote out my goals for the year, quarter, month, and week. I do this everyday to keep everything in the top of my mind. Then I pounded a protein shake (to stay on my diet) and hit the road with a 50 (actually 47) pound pack for a 3 mile hike. I got home and got to work on my todo list. This is how you have great days. Because I stayed on task I was able to get some extra things done and spend time with my wife and kid. This is how I have a good day. How do you make your good days happen? 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-59-of-75-hard-make-good-days-happen/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 59 of 75 Hard: Make Good Days Happen</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 59 of 75 Hard: Make Good Days Happen

Today was a good and hard day.  I didn’t get everything I wanted to get done, done.  My list of big three things fell away when my son flipped out about having to go for a walk with me this morning. I finally got him calmed down and we decided he needed another form of exercise.  And I think we found one… We decided strong man style backyard training would be fun.  So we went online and ordered a tone of stuff from the local Lowe’s.   I got 300 pounds of sand and a bunch of 2×4’s and plywood.  We are going to fill sandbags (which I have a bunch of as preps) with different weights.  I’m going to create a couple 10, 15, 20, 25, and 50 pound bags for us to use.  It should be a blast.   Then we are going to build a couple movable walls of different heights to toss the bags over. If nothing else it will be a fun building project we can do.  He already got a workout trying to move 300 pounds of sand (in 50 pound bags) with a wheel barrel into the back yard.  Then carrying lumber is always hard work too.  I had fun.  Him, a little less.  He gets aggravated that he can’t do as much as me.  I’m 6’2″ 330 pounds and have been lifting for the last couple years.  He is 10, 5’2″ and about 115 pounds wet.  So he has some work to do to catch me. This seems like a great start.  We needed a project and something to work out together with.  This should do it!  I got the five things for my 75 Hard done pretty easily and will be building with my son tomorrow.   Setting everything up took way more time then I thought and I didn’t get to film some videos like was on my list.  I’ll just have to get that tomorrow. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post Day 53 of 75 Hard appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Today was a good and hard day. I didn’t get everything I wanted to get done, done. My list of big three things fell away when my son flipped out about having to go for a walk with me this morning. I finally got him calmed down and we decided he needed another form of exercise. And I think we found one… We decided strong man style backyard training would be fun. So we went online and ordered a tone of stuff from the local Lowe’s. I got 300 pounds of sand and a bunch of 2×4’s and plywood. We are going to fill sandbags (which I have a bunch of as preps) with different weights. I’m going to create a couple 10, 15, 20, 25, and 50 pound bags for us to use. It should be a blast. Then we are going to build a couple movable walls of different heights to toss the bags over. If nothing else it will be a fun building project we can do. He already got a workout trying to move 300 pounds of sand (in 50 pound bags) with a wheel barrel into the back yard. Then carrying lumber is always hard work too. I had fun. Him, a little less. He gets aggravated that he can’t do as much as me. I’m 6’2″ 330 pounds and have been lifting for the last couple years. He is 10, 5’2″ and about 115 pounds wet. So he has some work to do to catch me. This seems like a great start. We needed a project and something to work out together with. This should do it! I got the five things for my 75 Hard done pretty easily and will be building with my son tomorrow. Setting everything up took way more time then I thought and I didn’t get to film some videos like was on my list. I’ll just have to get that tomorrow. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-53-of-75-hard-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 53 of 75 Hard</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 53 of 75 Hard

I’m still here and still going strong!  Sort of… Today I took most of the day off from work.  Just because I’ve been working like crazy and needed some time.  I was suppose to work a 12 hour day in the field but that postponed… so I had nothing to do today.  I mowed the yard.  It was out of control. I did learn something today… Days off are not easy days.  I tried to take time off and just do nothing.  And I did nothing.  I have FOMO.  I could have actually got things done in my life but I watched Transformers again for like the tenth time.  Very productive.  So I got a couple hours of work done, a little bit of work on my taxes done, and 75 Hard.  Nothing else.  Sounds horrible, because it’s how I feel. Do you ever feel that way when you let a day slip away?  I do a lot.  And my problem is normally the other way when I waist time.  I have so many things that I need to do, that I do nothing and let the day slip away. I haven’t had many wasted days lately and that’s why this one feels so bad. Doing nothing is something we all need to do to recharge sometimes.  But plan that time.  I didn’t and used most of the day to get nothing done and feel horrible for it. Plan your work time.  Plan your family time.  Plan your waisting time.  And you will get a lot more done. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 17 of 75 Hard Round 4 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

I’m still here and still going strong! Sort of… Today I took most of the day off from work. Just because I’ve been working like crazy and needed some time. I was suppose to work a 12 hour day in the field but that postponed… so I had nothing to do today. I mowed the yard. It was out of control. I did learn something today… Days off are not easy days. I tried to take time off and just do nothing. And I did nothing. I have FOMO. I could have actually got things done in my life but I watched Transformers again for like the tenth time. Very productive. So I got a couple hours of work done, a little bit of work on my taxes done, and 75 Hard. Nothing else. Sounds horrible, because it’s how I feel. Do you ever feel that way when you let a day slip away? I do a lot. And my problem is normally the other way when I waist time. I have so many things that I need to do, that I do nothing and let the day slip away. I haven’t had many wasted days lately and that’s why this one feels so bad. Doing nothing is something we all need to do to recharge sometimes. But plan that time. I didn’t and used most of the day to get nothing done and feel horrible for it. Plan your work time. Plan your family time. Plan your waisting time. And you will get a lot more done. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-17-of-75-hard-round-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 17 of 75 Hard Round 4</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 17 of 75 Hard Round 4

I’m through the funk I had the last couple days and pushing forward. I think part of my funk is wait loss.  A lot of horrible stuff you eat over the years gets stored in your fat deposits.  And as you burn those fat stores it releases all of the stuff back into your system.   I don’t know the science behind that, but read it in a couple different places.  It was on the internet… I’m sure it must be true!   In reality I have no way to check the above one way or the other.  But because it is beneficial to me and not hurting anyone I’m going to believe it. Next time I get into a depression funk while I’m losing weight I know that it is something from years ago coming back to haunt me.  I’ll take my lumps like a man and push through.   The most important thing is that I know it will end.  And I know the why behind it.   If you have a why and a timeline for an ending you can endure anything. Back in the Marine Corps we use to have officers and NCO’s (Non-Commissioned Officers, like Sergeants and Gunny’s) take us for runs at a fast pace without any information about the length or pace or the run.  It was hard going after the first mile or so.  At the time most of us could run 10 miles without stopping at a pretty good pace.  But their was one Sergeant and one Major that could run marathons at almost an Olympic pace.   There was no way I could keep up for more then a couple miles at their 6 minute mile pace.   So I would just dig in and try to suck it up.  Run through the pain and the unknowing for as long as possible.  On those runs more of my Marines fell out then any other.  Not because they couldn’t make it physically, it was because they would drop out mentally.  Where the mind goes, the body follows. For me the depression is that run I don’t know how long or fast it is.  So I fall out mentally long before my physical body is ready to quit.  Now that I have the cause and a timeline, I know how long the run is at what pace and I know I can push through. The 75 Hard Challenge keeps reminding me of lessons I learned on battlefields long ago.  I continue to learn these lessons over and over again. I hope you are faster on the learning cycle then me and don’t have to repeat as many lessons.  If you are doing the 75 Hard and forgot any important life lessons, it will remind you. 75 Hard I will Conquer,  Ben Branam The post Day 51 of 75 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

I’m through the funk I had the last couple days and pushing forward. I think part of my funk is wait loss. A lot of horrible stuff you eat over the years gets stored in your fat deposits. And as you burn those fat stores it releases all of the stuff back into your system. I don’t know the science behind that, but read it in a couple different places. It was on the internet… I’m sure it must be true! In reality I have no way to check the above one way or the other. But because it is beneficial to me and not hurting anyone I’m going to believe it. Next time I get into a depression funk while I’m losing weight I know that it is something from years ago coming back to haunt me. I’ll take my lumps like a man and push through. The most important thing is that I know it will end. And I know the why behind it. If you have a why and a timeline for an ending you can endure anything. Back in the Marine Corps we use to have officers and NCO’s (Non-Commissioned Officers, like Sergeants and Gunny’s) take us for runs at a fast pace without any information about the length or pace or the run. It was hard going after the first mile or so. At the time most of us could run 10 miles without stopping at a pretty good pace. But their was one Sergeant and one Major that could run marathons at almost an Olympic pace. There was no way I could keep up for more then a couple miles at their 6 minute mile pace. So I would just dig in and try to suck it up. Run through the pain and the unknowing for as long as possible. On those runs more of my Marines fell out then any other. Not because they couldn’t make it physically, it was because they would drop out mentally. Where the mind goes, the body follows. For me the depression is that run I don’t know how long or fast it is. So I fall out mentally long before my physical body is ready to quit. Now that I have the cause and a timeline, I know how long the run is at what pace and I know I can push through. The 75 Hard Challenge keeps reminding me of lessons I learned on battlefields long ago. I continue to learn these lessons over and over again. I hope you are faster on the learning cycle then me and don’t have to repeat as many lessons. If you are doing the 75 Hard and forgot any important life lessons, it will remind you. 75 Hard I will Conquer, Ben Branam The post <a href="https://75hard.biz/day-51-of-75/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day 51 of 75</a> appeared first on <a href="https://75hard.biz" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">75 Hard Experience</a>.

Day 51 of 75

The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

The best episodes for anyone looking to learn more about topics such as happiness, fulfillment, depression and psychology/mental health in general. With interviews with industry experts, personal stories of individuals, this topic has lessons applicable to everyone. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!