Our Life Thermostat

Great Morning, Y'all!

I'd like to share a concept that has been the driving force behind my recent major life changes.

THE BIG SHIFT

The single character trait that has brought me the most fulfillment and success in life is:

Keeping the promises I make to myself.

That's it.

It's that simple.

Looking back, my regrets and self-disdain as a young man all come from failing to keep promises I made to myself.

When we say we're going to show up to support a friend, and we don't.

When we say we're going to start creating a business, and we don't.

When we say we're going to start eating better and going to the gym more, and we don't.

All of these unfulfilled promises are incrementally diminishing our self-worth.

Our subconscious mind constantly records how we treat ourselves and others,

using this data to shape the parameters of our perceived possibilities.

This is what I mean...

If we have a buddy named Sam,

Who is a 35-year-old accountant for a midsize engineering company...

He goes to work in his cubicle everyday, 8 to 5.

He's always played it safe when it comes to picking the right career,

has always feared meeting new people, especially women,

and has never had the discipline to go to the gym more than once a month.

Sam has built up 35 years of proof that sets his parameters for life.

If we look at it like a thermostat, Sam has set his life at 72 degrees, right where he's comfortable.

If he wanted to, he's capable of making incremental changes in both directions...

If Sam wanted to apply a little pressure on himself in a field of study that he already feels confident in,

like going for his master's in accounting, already knowing that he's a good student, he can.

This would take his life thermostat from 72 to about 74 degrees.

No problem, his mind and body can adjust to that change without it causing a fuss.

If Sam wanted to take his love of cars to the next level and buy a classic car to fix up in his evenings and weekends, he can.

This adds more to his plate, thereby raising his thermostat to about 76 degrees.

76 degrees is noticeably warmer than his normal 72, but still manageable.

His subconscious will adapt, making this new level of activity the norm.

It still is within the parameters of his capacity.

What if Sam had a vivid dream one night, where he envisioned himself as a more outgoing, jacked, business owner version of himself?

So he woke up the next morning and said, "I'm going to be that."

He immediately starts an intense gym routine, flirts with every woman he sees, and plans to quit his job to start a classic car restoration business.

Despite part of his mind being all for it, his subconscious mind and body begin to freak out.

Sam just dialed his 72 degree lifestyle to 90.

He's beginning to sweat, get anxious, and unable to sleep at night.

He quickly gives up on his vision, settling back to his 72 degree lifestyle.

Sam's thermostat also works in the opposite way...

If Sam starts missing his weekend social event, going to the car show with college friends, his 72-degree life begins to shift.

It may not be that big of a deal to him.

His life remains largely unchanged, with only a slight 2-degree shift in his thermostat, now at 70.

Sam also begins to stay up later than usual, playing Call of Duty until 1 am in the morning.

He begins to show up a little late to work some days, due to a lack of sleep.

So he rolls into the office around 8:15 am, as opposed to his prompt 8 am routine.

His thermostat is now at 68 degrees.

Which is now a noticeable shift from 72, but no real cause for concern.

Sam begins to start going to the bar every day after work, throwing back around 3 beers every time.

His thermostat is getting lower now, closer to 65.

One night, on a Thursday, Sam gets persuaded into playing a game of pool with a few other guys at the bar.

Losing track of how much he's drinking, Sam downs five beers while enjoying pool with his new buddies.

Noticing it's getting late, Sam leaves after the fourth game is finished, and drives home.

On his drive home, he's swerving in between the lanes, and gets pulled over.

The cop gives him a DUI and Sam spends that night in jail.

Thankfully he has a friend, like us, who decided to hastily bail him out early in the morning.

But while sitting in the jail cell, still feeling all the shame and guilt from what he had done...

Sam realizes that his scene caused his thermostat to go down to 55 degrees,

way lower than what his subconscious mind allows.

He feels anxious, disappointed, and ready for a change.

Sam vows to never drink again after work, and to prioritize getting to work on time promptly at 8 am every day going forward.

The very next day, he's back to his 72 degree life, exactly where he's comfortable.

INCREASING LIFE'S THERMOSTAT

This example I just shared shows our friend, Sam, making changes in his life over a short period of time.

The changes began to push the boundaries of his own identity, so he quickly ran back to what he feels comfortable with.

Our minds will only allow for a certain level of incongruence.

That's why operating at a higher temperature, with more responsibility and more risks, felt incongruent to Sam,

which made him quickly self-sabotage back to fit the parameters of his own identity.

This also works as a great safety net.

Sam has 35 years of evidence to prove to himself that he is not capable of being an unemployed alcoholic.

That reality would have fallen out of the parameters of his identity.

I use this example to explain why we all feel as if we're unable of becoming the highest version of ourselves overnight.

This sudden shift overwhelms our nervous system, prompting us to revert to our comfort zone.

This is why lottery winners often go broke. Being a millionaire is far outside the parameters for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck.

So, they self-sabotage, to bring themselves back down to a level that they can self-identify with.

This is also why people with low self-worth don't allow high-quality people to stay in their life.

They struggle to accept kind treatment that doesn't align with their self-perceived worth.

WHY DOES ALL THIS MATTER?

If done properly,

we can incrementally improve ourselves over time,

to make the highest version of ourselves feel like it's only 72 degrees.

A higher version of ourselves becomes the new normal.

We do so by keeping the promises we make to ourselves, one promise at a time.

This is why I tell my clients to only pick one habit to focus on at a time.

If it's waking up at a consistent time every day, do only that.

For now, focus solely on this one habit.

Don't worry about other goals like exercising or career advancement.

Focus solely on that wake-up time.

At first, waking up at 6 am would feel like our thermostat has shifted from 75, as opposed to 72 degrees.

But over the span of a few weeks, as the mind and body adjust, waking up at 6 am will feel like the new normal.

That's when it's time to add a new habit.

We’re incrementally evolving into a version of ourselves more aligned with our highest potential,

never allowing our thermostat to get to a temperature that would make us feel sweaty, anxious, and lose sleep at night.

So, keeping the small promises we keep to ourselves, every day,

can transform our life in just a few months.

MY JOURNEY

I've been able to utilize this tool of understanding the thermostat to now have a daily routine where I:

Wake up at the same time every day,

Work on creative projects,

Started multiple businesses,

Workout nearly every day,

Cut out all processed food,

Cut out all news,

Cut out all drugs,

And set aside time to reach out to friends and family.

All of this could not have happened overnight,

but it did happen easily, because I've kept my thermostat in the low 70's.

I definitely have some days where it feels like 90 degrees, and some days where it feels like 60,

but I feel like I've caught a good flow, finally having balance.

75 HARD

"75 Hard" is a discipline challenge created by Andy Frisella, one of my favorite entrepreneurs.

Over the past few years, I've attempted and failed this challenge around 15 to 20 times.

One must complete the following tasks for 75 days straight:

Stick to a certain diet (no cheat meals)

Work out twice a day for 45 minutes (one must be outside)

Read 10 pages of a personal development book

Drink one gallon of water

And take a progress pic.

All of these daily tasks, in the past, have been far out of what my thermostat was ready for.

It required a version of myself that went way outside my parameters.

Now, with my incrementally built healthy lifestyle, I'm better aligned with these tasks.

So, yesterday was Day 1 for me. I have a feeling this time will be different from the last.

My friend, Danny Miranda, is creating a group of 100+ people to be completing it all at the same time. If you want to join, let me know!

CONCLUSION

This thermostat example is intended to illustrate how our subconscious mind and body influence our daily lives.

I hope today's story serves you in whichever way you may need.

That's it for today.

I hope you know that you are loved and enough.

See you tomorrow,

I unconditionally love you all.

-Cameron Hogan