Do It Daily

A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.

- Anthony Trollope

This quote was at the beginning of a chapter of a book I have been reading at night before bed.  After I read this, I just put the book down and turned off the lights.  It was one of those drop the mic moments where I needed to just think about it and let it soak in.

I have a habit of making many things in life feel like they would take Herculean strength to pull off.  I also do not believe that I possess such strength.

The most prominent thing that comes to mind is the Black Belt fitness test.  I know what the different facets of the test are.  I know what the expectation is that must be achieved to pass.  I know where my current fitness level is.  The gap is significant.  I have mentally placed this test in the near impossible Herculean strength and ability category with my attempts to meet them being in the spasmodic category.

The solution is in the first part of this quote.  As part of the IHC program, we are given some pretty huge requirements but we are taught immediately how to break them up into daily tasks.  Some of these tasks in themselves don't feel small unless you break them down again but really everything can be broken down into small, doable steps.  We are taught that we need a structure in place to ensure that these daily tasks are indeed just that - daily.  We have heard Sifu Meier's speech about how easy it is, just do the daily tasks and it will happen.

The breakdown in this is in the daily performance.  I will admit that I have not built the structure needed at this time to make a reality.  Honestly, my life is so fluid from day to day that the only real structure that I feel exists is the times of our kung fu classes.  I have not made any practices truly daily.  I have not built that consistency into my life.  I am reaping the consequences of not building that structure.  I lack the belief that this is possible simply because I have not done the simple daily tasks that I agreed to do.

Right now, life looks especially upside down and crazy.  The demands of my normal, everyday life feel overwhelming at the best of times, then add on the our current additional crazy of a move and I am struggling.  I need to pause and find that structure for both my mental and physical health.  I need to take back control of my choices instead of letting the circumstances of each day push and pull me with each reaction.  I need to make the small tasks required to make my life better and easier and truly make them daily.  I need to start that today.