Change can be a catalyst. Change can be a wall. Learning can be an excited deep dive into a passionate subject. Learning can be sitting in an isolated library studying room taking notes at 11pm on a Saturday. Historically, I have related the most to the enthusiastic jump all in style of change and learning. I ran my first marathon at 20 years old, 2 months after learning what they were. This attitude to change is like a drug. The initial spike of interest carried my training directly into the race. Unfortunately, as drugs work, there starts to become a point where I cant hold on to the jump of early energy as long as I could. I needed bigger leaps to sustain the excitement period. When I was 23 I set out to Thru-hike the over 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail. That lasted 700 miles or 2 months. After awhile I began to realize if I was going to make meaningful change in my life passion needs a house to live in.
And homes are messy. A house has a sweater that fell off a hanger. A fridge that has leftovers that need to be thrown out. A junk drawer with loose rubber bands scattered about. This is the over arching lesson I learned this January. Running is still the goal, but I need supporting goals for the running goal to survive. If we want to be sticklers of the numbers I ran 37.5 miles in January. Average per month needs to be around 80 to get to 1,000 miles in 2021.
But this is why numbers are bullshit.
In those 37.5 miles I also worked on my relationship with food. I stopped eating out multiple times a week. I still order in food but I am working with myself on understanding what macro and micro nutrition I need for my body. I began writing my gym work outs so I can progressively overload my muscles so I’m training and not simply hanging out at the gym a few times a week. My first run of February was twice as long as a majority of my January runs with a slightly faster mile pace.
The point is that this 1000 miles is a keystone habit change for me. Running gives me more energy to want to work on other things in my life. Running, unlike lifting, is hard to do if you’re fat. Running is about “chunking”.
“Get to the next stop sign, Jake. Okay! Good work! Last mile, can you pick up the pace? Breathe, Breathe, we will be out for 30 minutes I need you to focus on your strides.”
Chunking is breaking down a bigger task into smaller tasks. Personally, it is a lot more about self talk. Being your own advocate mentally during a physically trying endeavor. Running makes my brain work better. Running gives me the brief feeling of invincibility.
What’s your keystone habit?
What one thing in your life helps you feel more alive when you do it?
Sit quietly with yourself and answer that.
If nothing comes up, do more stuff.
I promise there is something.
To loosley rip off a court case from 1964, Jacobellis v Ohio, that tried to charge a movie theater manager for possessing and playing obscene films that the supreme court held up as freedom of speech.
I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and you’ll know when you find your keystone habit too.
A step forward even if you slip in the mud is still progress. Being a dirt covered mess when you cross the finish line doesn’t affect the personal best time accomplished.
Send this to a friend and tell them what your keystone habit is.
Gotta go for a run,
Jake
Gratitude 
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