minute 5 was very painful today…
Standing in almost -20°C, shirtless, Bulgarian mountains. My body shaking A LOT.
very cold wind on my back. Everything in me wanted to stop…
…but I stayed. Almost 15 minutes total meditation.
(Please don't try this. Seriously. -20°C is dangerous. This isn't a "cold shower challenge." This can hurt you.)
I did this because we need to build discipline in week 1.
Discipline is the ability to do what you say you will do. Your mind MUST listen to you.
Here's what surprised me: I went up that mountain expecting to feel like dying after 3 minutes. I was not feeling confident about this. To be honest I know I wanted to do it but I did feel anxiety about it.
Instead, at the end I had a new feeling. I felt like I took 10 espressos. But also...
I felt like I could do more. Not because I'm tough. but because the limit I imagined wasn't real. It was just a story my mind had made up.
what if you have the same limits? What if your blocks are just the stories in your mind?
That's why Week 1 is discipline. My friend Tamara suggested it and she's right. Without discipline, none of the next 52 skills we will learn are possible.
Weird fun fact: When I finally put my jacket on, the skin on my back started tingling. A sensation I never felt in my life.
3 things that got me through (all from AI, by the way):
“Wim Hof” breathing. Slow inhale, slower exhale. When panic hit at minute 5, this kept me there.
Stop fighting. The moment I relaxed into the cold instead of tensing against it, everything got easier.
Know the danger. Shaking is fine. Feeling sleepy is bad.
Next time I'd do breathing exercises before starting, and push-ups at the beginning to warm my hands.
But here's what I keep thinking about:
Imagine if every day felt like this. A challenge that actually pushed you. Something that made you smarter, fitter, stronger. Not scrolling. Not waiting. Actually living at your edge.
I forgot what this felt like on the comfortable sofa.
On Sunday I go back to the mountain. We keep training.
Next week: speak 1 language in 7 days. I’ll try Bulgarian. You?
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- Alex
