Discover how small, sustainable rules can simplify fitness, improve health, and create success through personal growth.
When willpower feels unreliable or impractical, an alternative approach can be embraced. Rather than depending solely on determination, the implementation of straightforward rules offers a more sustainable path forward.
The interesting aspect of creating a business, advancing a career, fostering meaningful relationships, or pursuing any significant goal is that the necessary steps are often well understood. The true challenge lies in consistently taking those steps, day after day.
The obstacle does not stem from a lack of knowledge. Instead, the difficulty arises from the limitations of willpower.
The Hard 75 Challange
For those unfamiliar, the Hard 75 Challenge involves adhering to a chosen diet, completing two 45-minute workouts daily (with one workout outdoors), drinking a gallon of water, reading 10 pages of a nonfiction personal development book, and taking a daily progress photo. All tasks must be completed for 75 consecutive days, and missing any requirement on a given day means starting over from the beginning.
In many ways, Hard 75 mirrors the challenges of following a diet, as it includes a dietary component. As is widely experienced, sticking to a specific eating plan—whether keto, Mediterranean, low-carb, or any other—is difficult. Temptations, limited options, and logistical challenges often interfere. (Maintaining a keto diet, for example, can feel impossible while traveling late at night with limited food options.) Consistency in making the right choices proves to be a significant challenge.
The same can be said for exercising outdoors. Choosing to run at the end of a hectic day, especially when conditions involve rain, darkness, or freezing temperatures, requires immense effort. Successfully completing the Hard 75 Challenge is certainly impressive.
However, it remains undeniably demanding.
Yet, it doesn’t have to be.
Creating Habits
Instead of adhering to a strict diet, a few simple rules can be created. Healthier eating becomes the goal, so all “white” foods—such as bread, white rice, potatoes, crackers, and added sugar—are eliminated. Dining out can be simplified by choosing the healthiest available option. For instance, at fast-food restaurants, options like a “fresco style” burrito with chicken might be selected.
The exercise regimen can be shifted: exercise for at least 20 minutes every day. While workouts often exceeded this minimum, the flexibility ensures that even a busy day would not result in failure. Whether it was sit-ups, push-ups, and burpees in a hotel room, a light jog in the morning, or climbing steps during an airport layover, the 20-minute rule made consistency achievable.
By simplifying expectations, the cycle of disappointment and starting over can be avoided. Success should be defined by adherence to these small, sustainable rules rather than perfection.
Pursuing Success
This method can extend to other areas. In business, for example, stronger connections with colleagues might be cultivated by setting a rule to pause and chat briefly whenever crossing paths. Over time, such moments may lead to deeper conversations and stronger relationships.
For building a professional network, a small daily rule might involve sending a positive or helpful message to one person—offering praise, encouragement, advice, or support—before beginning the workday. Consistently following this rule would naturally strengthen and expand connections over time.
Another example might involve drinking more water and less soda. A rule such as always drinking water with meals could quickly form a lasting habit.
In essence, rigid plans and reliance on willpower often fail to deliver sustainable results. Simple, adaptable rules create a pathway to success and allow progress toward long-term goals without unnecessary complexity or frustration.
