Try something with me for a second: 

Think about a time where things went RIGHT in your life... 

(Like your wedding day, a competition you won, that presentation you nailed, or making a high-ticket sale)

Then think about a time where things went WRONG... 

(a missed flight, a forgotten special occasion, or even just a terrible workout)

Now…

What was a common factor in things going RIGHT and WRONG?

Planning.

You either had it... or you didn’t.

I often talk about “The 5 Pillars of Success” (and cover them at length in my first book, Perfect Day Formula)...

Well, the first of the 5 pillars is:

Better Planning & Preparation Than Ever Before

Note that I don’t just say “Planning”...

I place a big emphasis on the planning being BETTER than ever before.

For example...

Think about the long-time overweight person that tries to lose weight...

Almost no one achieves success on the first attempt. 

Because they don’t know how to plan for it.

It’s unlikely that success comes on the 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th attempt...

It’s not until the person takes planning seriously that they are able to stick to a meal plan and a workout plan.

They plan to prepare foods all day Sunday for their meal plan. 

They plan to get up earlier and hire a trainer to stick to the workout plan. 

They set up systems that allow them to stay on the plan when faced with temptations...

And they even have a plan… to get back on the plan… when they stray from the plan!

This formula was true for me with meditation.

I tried — without a plan — to take up meditation in 2006 after my first anxiety attack sent me to the Emergency Room. 

But without a plan, I failed.

Fast forward to 2009... I tried again after a weekend where I felt a bit of anxiety return.

My “plan” (if you can call it that) was to “meditate lying down”. That plan failed after three straight days of me falling asleep in minutes.

Over the next three years I tried to meditate again and again... All failed. All lacked a plan.

Finally, in 2013, I got serious with my preparation and built a simple plan for success.

Week 1 – Aim for 2 minutes of meditation

Week 2 – 3 minutes

Week 3 – 4 minutes

Week 4 – You see where this is going...

I would do 10-second breaths (4 seconds in, 6 seconds out) and count each breath.

Week one was 12 breaths... then I’d pack up my meditation pillow and be done. Week two was 18 breaths.

I made it so simple & systematic for me to make this a daily habit.

I set the bar so low that I guaranteed initial success giving me a positive dopamine hit, along with momentum and motivation to continue.

Eventually I built up to 10 minutes...

And that’s when I had a mindset shift that allowed me to stick to meditation for life.

I switched my thinking from:

“I’m doing this because it is supposed to be good for me”

TO

“I’m doing this because it FEELS good for me.”

The former was an external focus... the latter was an internalization of the benefits.

Combined with the fact that my planning had made meditation a daily habit... I was hooked!

Lack of planning was the problem.

Better planning was the solution.

Over to you...

Where are you stuck?

How would you rate your planning?

When you raise your planning to a 10/10… 

It will get you unstuck and making rapid progress on almost any goal.

Success Loves Speed,

Craig

PS - If you’re ready to 2X your income (or more) while working 10 less hours per week...

... Just REPLY to this email with the words “2X 10 LESS” and we'll set up a time to chat with you to find out if we can help.

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