I have a problem with something. 

Haha, I actually have a lot of problems. 

But I will just focus on this one problem for this post. 

I have a problem with letting things get ‘out of hand.’ 

I can trace it back to when I was a kid. 

I will do my best to explain it and follow up with an example. 

Let’s say I do something every day. 

It is part of the day. 

The day is not complete unless it is done. 

Every so often, I up the ante. 

More reps, longer time, that kind of thing. 

But once I up the ante, that becomes the new baseline. 

I now must do everything above that baseline. 

There is no going back. 

Then I up the ante on that baseline. 

There is no going back. 

This cycle gets repeated and repeated. 

What happens is that things get out of control. 

It is eating up too much of my time. 

I don’t look forward to doing it. 

It becomes a chore. 

Here is an example. 

Stretching. 

I knew the benefits, and I knew I should be doing more of it. 

So, a few years ago, I committed. 

I got a mat and made it ‘The Daily.’ 

But after a while, I started to add things. 

Create new baselines. 

Ten reps became fifteen, fifteen became twenty-five, and twenty-five became… 

Forty-five minutes became an hour, an hour became an hour and a half, and an hour and a half became… 

Before long, I was doing stupid amounts of reps. 

Before long, it became way too long. 

I did not look forward to it. 

It became a chore. 

I started to dread it. 

I actually gave myself a solo standing ovation every time I finished. 

I knew the solution. 

I had to work backward. 

Create lower baselines. 

Bring it back. 

Dial it back. 

Get it under control. 

‘You do not need to do X amount, X amount is fine.’ 

It was not easy. 

I had to make myself satisfied by doing less. 

This goes against my very grain. 

But I had to. 

It was out of control and starting to affect other aspects of my life. 

It took a while. 

Like one less rep for each movement, day by day. 

But it started to work. 

It became less of a chore. 

I started to look forward to doing it. 

I surprised myself. 

It worked. 

It actually worked! 

I now look forward to it. 

…Still give myself a solo standing ovation. 

I came up with the perfect approach. 

I have it down. 

I should patent it. 

I throw the mat down. 

I lie on my back. 

I stare at the ceiling. 

‘Hey Google? Tune the Daily Podcast.’ 

…And away I go. 

I must be finished by the time the Podcast is over. 

I am rolling up my mat at, ‘Here is what you need to know to start your day.’ 

I feel amazing. 

Grabbed some knowledge. 

Ready to take on the day in a far healthier way…in every sense. 

Haha, now all I have to do is apply this to seventeen other things in my day. 

‘The Daily with The Daily’ 

Insert Trophy emoji here. 

‘There is another way to ride.’