The Most Important Exercise You’re Not Doing

I apologize, if you were hoping to read about the best exercise to burn fat, or how to break through your deadlift plateau, you came to the wrong place. If you were hoping to read about why the Russian Squat program is superior to the Texas Squat Method, I’m sorry. This isn’t the place, at least not today.
The most important exercise you are not doing is called “The Perfect Day Exercise”. I first heard about it from Chris Cooper, my friend/mentor at Two Brain Business. However, after an internet search, you can see varieties of the same exercise explained by others.
The exercise is simple. Not easy. Write down what would make your “Perfect Day”. When would you wake up, what will you be doing for work; will you be working? What will you do and who will you be doing it with? Where will you go on vacation? Etc, etc. The key is to be realistic. If you’re making $12/hour and have a mountain of debt; retiring on a private island in Bali is going to take some time. Plan your days accordingly.  The greatest achievements in your life will be made up of all the small moments along the way. Your perfect day is a moving target. What makes it perfect today may not be the same in 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years.
I’d recommend you have a Perfect Day planned 10+ years out; and work on a Perfect Day in the short term as your compass to get you to where you want to go. Don’t worry if you don’t know where you want to be in 10 years. Make it 6 months out and plan accordingly.
Perhaps your Perfect Day is to retire on a yacht in the Mediterranean; wonderful! If your Perfect Day is a life of serving others in some way, shape or form; go for it! Start with the end in mind. Be prepared, as that might change too!
If you’re a business owner, I think this is an invaluable exercise. Don’t make a separate one for work and one for life. Work/Life “balance” is a myth. There’s just balance; and you can use this exercise to guide your decision making processes.  If you’re having difficulty making a decision on something, refer back to whether that’s taking you closer or further away from your Perfect Day.
Failure is not futile, however. Playing craps for 7 hours won’t get me closer to my Perfect Day; neither is losing twice as much as I told myself I’d allow. Hear me now in my best Queen Elsa voice, “Let it go!” Shit happens. You shouldn’t always be suffering while working towards your Perfect Day, or chances are great that you’ll never get there.
So go grab a pen and paper. Don’t wait for the perfect time or you’ll be waiting forever. Take action today.