I bought my climbing shoes today.
I spoke about planning to buy them in an email a few days ago.
Thought I’d give you an update that I did so. I’m ready to at it for real now.
Firstly, as I said last time. It’s an investment that pays for itself in the long run. But there’s also another benefit at play here. A benefit Cal Newport called The Grand Gesture in his book Deep Work.
And while €55 (the price of my shoes) isn’t necessarily a ‘Grand’ gesture. The underlying principle works the same.
I buy something related to a hobby I’m practicing. In this case bouldering. This will motivate me to go more often. I am already mentally committed to this decision.
I’ve got multiple examples of how I use this small phenomenon to keep myself accountable and to make sure I keep doing the activities I want.
A few months ago I bought a subscription to a fitness logger app. I had a few moments where I stopped going to the gym for a while. So I purchased this subscription to an app I was already using. Which was quite an investment at the time, since I didn’t have a lot of money back then.
And that ‘grand gesture’ made me get my ass back in the gym.
It’s the same for when I bought some courses related to building my business. Especially the more expensive ones. I bought a $999 course back in January. And I can’t say for certain whether I’d still be here if I didn’t get that course.
But I’m 100% certain it played a big part in how determined I was and how far I’ve come already. Partially because of the contents of the course. But also simply due to the (mental) commitment I made.
Because here’s the thing: willpower and discipline are great and all. But you can always make it easier for yourself.
Your willpower is limited.
This isn’t my opinion, this is a fact. It’s a scientifically proven fact that people’s willpower is limited.
That’s why it helps to do the hard things first. To do the most important (and often less fun) tasks early on, when your willpower reserve is at its fullest. Your habits at night are the hardest to sustain.
Speaking of making commitments.
Have you heard about Simple Money Emails? It’s the latest course I’ve created teaching you all about writing daily emails that get you paid and keeping your readers reading day after day.
It’s one of the best investments you can make if you want to get paid for sending a simple email that takes you 20 minutes to write.
And it’s going to prepare you mentally to go all in on this opportunity. The simple fact of buying the course, whether you go through it or not, will make it so much more likely that you’ll reach your goals. (Although I’d still recommend you to go through it.
Check it out here: https://alexvandromme.gumroad.com/l/SME