The idea is this: if you can't do the first best thing - the ideal - then do the next best thing instead.

E.g., you set yourself a goal to work out every day. For a few days, everything goes smoothly, but then life gets in the way and throws you a curveball. Something happens you did not expect, and there goes your plan - out of the window that is. You skip the workout. Why? Because of the all-or-nothing mindset: "If I can't do the full workout, I don't do it at all".

And this applies to everything by the way. Exercising is just an example.

What many people don't understand about establishing habits is that in the first few months, it's not about the quality of the action, it's about the action itself.

So, the right thing to do is to do the action no matter what. Can't do it the perfect way? Do the second-best thing instead! Can't do the second best thing? Do the third best thing, the fourth, fifth, sixth...

In a nutshell: do the shitty version, it's fine.

Putting on your running shoes, running around your house for 5 minutes, is better than nothing. Meditating for 5 minutes is better than meditating for 0 minutes. Remember, it's not about the quality of the action, it's about the action itself. You can start worrying about the quality and length when the habit is established.

There, I've taken away all of your excuses. Everyone can meditate for 2 minutes a day. Everyone can read one page of a book a day. No excuses!

Now, let's go and crush it!

K.