Faith + Fortitude: 75 Days of Doing Hard Things – Part One

I’m a part of the Compete Every Day morning text message program, which means Jake Thompson is frequently saying things I need to hear at exactly the moments I need them.

“You don’t need a new year or a new month to start in order to build a new you. You can start today with your next choice.” 

I wasn’t necessarily vying for a “new me” when I walked out of the gym on October 25, but there were some major areas of my life I felt like I needed to dial into and find more focus for.

I was kicking around the idea of tackling 75 Hard – something I’ve thought about on and off for a little more than a year. I knew my “why” needed to be strong in order to do it and I was staring down the calendar of all the things – including the holiday season. 

It seemed like a crapshoot to start something in the midst of all the things, and the challenge for me at the time was to figure out when I could best make the program work without it being a hardship on my personal life (yeah, I heard it too – keep reading). 

If you’re not familiar with the program by Andy Frisella, it’s a mindset program created to strengthen habits and disciplines. The program involves 75 straight days of making deliberate choices to do the following:

• Two 45-minute workouts a day (one has to be outside in the elements)
• Take a photo.
• Read 10 pages of a nonfiction book.
• Drink a gallon of water.
• Follow a diet.
• No alcohol.
• No cheat foods (processed, sweets, pizza, burgers, etc.) 

The kicker: There isn’t an “Oops, I forgot a task.” If you don’t complete every task each day, you start back over at Day 1. 

Y’aaaaaall. Doesn’t that sound like a New Year thing? 

I imagine you’re nodding your head with me. BECAUSE OF COURSE IT IS. 

A January 1 start made the most sense in setting myself up for success… until I read that all-too timely message from Jake. Immediately after reading it, I asked myself two important questions: 

• Why did I really want to push the start to January?
• Was I choosing to do something hard when it might categorically be easier? 

Those answers led me to:

• Why would I spend the effort and time to do something hard, just to do it when it would be easier? 
• Would I benefit more if I chose to do it when it was going to be harder? 

The internal dialogue was real. 

So, I did what any person who just had her butt kicked by a text message would do. I checked my gut, had some key conversations with Nick (more on this later) and then changed my start date to November 8. 

And, for the following 75 days – I worked every day to check boxes that have ultimately enhanced my world for the better. 

Because of how trendy this program has become over the last year – I don’t want to mislead anyone. You won’t find me making egregious claims that the program emphatically changed my life. 

I didn’t walk out of it with a six pack (because it’s not a fitness program) and I’m not on my way to being a millionaire (because it’s not a financial program). However, it did improve several key areas of my life that I really needed a better focus for – physically, mentally and spiritually. 

Setting Up for Success

I’ll be very truthful with you. I’ve focused on clean eating and workouts for an elongated period of time before; but, I’ve never gone that long without alcohol and I never imagined I’d survive the holidays without feasting on some of my favorite foods. Still, I did it… and if you’re trying to decide if you can do it, too… you can. 

And if you’re willing to put in the work, have the willpower and are ready to make a commitment to yourself – I encourage you to keep reading. 

I pulled a lot of key lessons from doing this program. Some are knock-you-down-good, some are a little heavy (even for me) and some have dots that are still being connected. I’m trying to put them in an adequate sequence that pulls together the full story so that I can share that with you.

However – in the meantime – there are three key foundational components that I couldn’t have done the program without:

1. Knowing my why.
2. Having a solid support system.
3. Having a plan. 

Much like building a house – the storms I knew that would occasionally blow my way would have every opportunity to tear down my progress or push me to failure without a firm foundation.

Sounds simple, but it’s the necessary first step. 

If you’re in this similar space of wanting to tackle the program, I hope they’ll provide you with a place to start.

Why? But, why? Okay, but why? 

My work life is far from simple, and often, my time is not my own. During some weeks, I come home without many more words to say and a strong need to crawl in my bed at 7 p.m. 

It’s something I’ve come to fully understand about myself, and I knew that committing to 75 days of completing seven additional tasks would include days when I didn’t feel like giving much more. 

Without a strong understanding of my “why” – especially on those days – I knew I would fail.

When I went through Clean Kitchen in 2016, we spent the first week unpacking our “why.” It’s a simple activity of continuing to ask “but, why?” until you get to the bottom of your desire for whatever is in front of you. 

I do this activity every single time I sit down to achieve something. It takes a goal from being words on paper to having purpose, and that means the world when you’re trying to do something hard. 

If you rolled out of the bed this morning and said “I’m going to start 75 Hard tomorrow” without exploring your why – you will have a hard time completing the program. 

If you’ve never unpacked a why – this is a quick example for what I mean:

I want to lose weight.

Why?

I want to lose weight because I want to feel better.

Why?

I want to lose weight because I want to feel better when my family wants to do outdoorsy/recreational things.

Why?

Because when I’m able to do outdoorsy/recreational things with my family, we’re building better habits as a family that will contribute to our overall health and wellness. 

Why?

Because the health and wellness of my family is important to me, just as much as my own. 

Very quickly – this activity allows you to put roots to your why. And, when it is cold and rainy on day 42 and you have to find some way to move for 45-minutes in the elements – you have a deeper reason to do it. 

Surface goals won’t cut it here. You won’t compromise your access to basic luxuries like sleep or a night out with friends just to lose weight, but you will when you attach the action to benefiting the overall health and wellness of your family. 

Two are better than one. 

I knew I had a strong why, but I didn’t truly recognize the strength of having a support system in place until about four weeks in. Having someone to lean on from the beginning was worth its weight in gold, but its purpose really showed up (and out) when I found myself in the lull of days 25 through 40. 

If you’re endeavoring to do this, I hope you have a Nick in your life. He will tell you I could do it regardless if he was around, but I’ll tell you that’s a big fat lie. 

Yes, I “could” do it. But, I wouldn’t have wanted to and I wouldn’t have pushed myself as firmly as he did when I needed it most. 

That lull I am talking about were days I found to be the most mentally taxing and draining.

I did not want to drink one more ounce of water. 

I did not want to get up and walk in the frigid temperatures, and I really, really, REALLY wanted to eat pizza or a cookie – or both. 

I often said – audibly – “Why am I even doing this? This is dumb.” 

Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, he would remind me of my reasons, fill up my water glass or ask me if I had my clothes laid out for the morning. 

Having a strong why is without a doubt the most important foundational piece, but accountability and support is right there with it. 

I dare to also say that accountability and others knowing you’re doing the program are two different things. I have found that most people either want to tell the world they are doing 75 Hard for accountability or they tell no one. For me – I told very few… mostly just my family and Nick. 

I’m pretty open on social media and with most people about stuff like this, but there was something special about keeping this thing as my thing until I was ready to share it with others – like now. 

Regardless of who you tell or how you plan to engage accountability throughout the program, having at least one person who knows and who can speak to your truth when you don’t feel like you can is a game changer. 

Make a plan, or plan to fail. 

I had a strong why and an accountability system ready to deploy, but I will be the first person to tell you that I didn’t have a very specific plan for how I would tackle my two workouts until almost two weeks into the program.

I STRUGGLED.

I already wake up kind of early to go to the gym and I knew that my second workout would be a 45-minute walk, but I had not planned when that would happen. 

In my head, I felt like it was just 45-minutes… and I could do that anytime. Because I didn’t assign it a time, I flailed around trying to make everything work. 

One night in the midst of that initial few weeks, I ended up not getting home from work until almost 8:30 p.m. I still had to eat dinner, walk, read 10 pages and get in all the water I had failed to take in earlier in the day. It made me so anxious and I questioned whether the entire thing was worth it.

I ended up knocking on Midnight’s door before I finally settled into bed. I woke up the next morning pretty miserable and frustrated. I needed to pivot, quickly.  

Nick was confident in sharing that he felt like I would feel better about the day and the tasks if I woke up an hour and a half earlier to walk and read. I rolled my eyes at him (it’s okay, he’s used to it), but promised to try it. 

It only took one time to realize that his suggestion would be how I found success. The byproduct is that it inevitably gave me the time I craved the most for a slow wake-up, time for my devotion and a cup of coffee before I got to the gym. It also helped give me a reason to be in bed earlier, which is something I desperately needed.

For the most part, I had three and sometimes four of my tasks marked off before I even walked through the door at work. That made paying attention to the foods I ate and getting in my water even less daunting. 

The 4 a.m. strategy worked for me, but that’s not what I want you to take from this. 

The key for making 75 Hard Work for you is finding a plan that makes the most sense for your life. It’s not going to be easy (there is nothing easy about waking up at 4 a.m.), but it will set you up in a way that allows the core of the program to really work its magic. Whether it’s the workouts, food, getting in water or reading – it wholeheartedly requires a plan. 

Where to from here?

Since we’re on the honesty train, I’ll tell you that this weekend has been a little difficult for me. Friday was Day 75, and I woke up on Saturday morning with a need/want to go to the gym and begin my routines. I read my book and I ate a good breakfast filled with protein and plants.

Then when it came time to decide if I was going to the gym, a small voice whispered, “You’re done, you know. You don’t have to do those things anymore.”

But, I wanted to. So, I went to the gym anyway. And for the most part – I continued throughout the day with the same habits I’ve had for the last several months. 

I did have a drink and celebratory pizza (and chicken tenders – go big or go home?), but I woke up this morning thirsty for water, craving the plants and proteins I’ve been eating for almost three months and a desire to sit and read in the quiet before church. 

Why? Because, that’s what happens when you spend almost 3 months building a routine full of what are now habits.

Overall, the program was worth it to me and I checked boxes for every part of my “why.”

Physically, I saw a lot of great benefits.

Mentally, I found clarity for a lot of questions I’ve been asking myself about the future and what I want the last half of my 30s to look like.

Spiritually, I met God in the early hours of the day… and man, I can’t wait to share what that has done for my life. 

But, for today – I’m wrapping up this specific chapter on 75 Hard and I look forward to turning several of those lessons that came from the program into tangible, touchable things. 

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If you are interested in the program and have questions, please reach out! I’m happy to share additional insight or more about how I made it work. Find me here in the comments below or on instagram, at @samemac.