- The Process
- Posts
- The Power of Today
Sponsored by
Welcome to The Process. Every week, I share lessons and insights on the process of improvement.
If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe below and join 21,000+ others in the community.
Now, onto Issue 59.
Stay up-to-date with AI.
The Rundown is the world’s fastest-growing AI newsletter, with over 500,000+ readers staying up-to-date with the latest AI news, tools, and tutorials.
Our research team spends all day learning what’s new in AI, then distills the most important developments into one free email every morning.
The Power of Today
D.J. Shipley was a Navy SEAL for 17 years.
His career included time with DEVGRU, or more famously known as Seal Team Six.
He’s now an entrepreneur and co-founder of GBRS Group, a veteran-owned training and services company.
I recently came across a YouTube clip of him, and I’ve been thinking about it for weeks.
Specifically, this question:
→ If tomorrow never comes, how far would you go today?
Here’s an extended quote from the clip for more context:
“If tomorrow was not a guarantee, how far would you push? If you thought that today was your last opportunity to ever do the thing, how far would you go?
“If you're a football player in college, and this is going to be the last game you're ever going to play, how far would you go? How fast would you run? How much would you sacrifice knowing you're never going to lace it up again?
“Not living with regret is the point of the message. If I'm being honest, man, I live with some regret … It's regret on how much I didn't do.
“Knowing I had 100% and I went 89%. I've gone 100% a couple times when I absolutely had to. But if you think about a workout, a sprint, or whatever … did you really go 100?
“Did you really lock in your mindset and say if this was for everything … like, my kids’ lives are on the line if I do not run at absolute 100% … how far would I dig in? How far would I go?
“What is 100%? A lot of people never touch it. They never understand their full capability. They've never connected mind and body and [asked], what is 100? What is absolutely everything?
“I did it for a long time. I'd save it for tomorrow. I'd save it for the next time. I'm gonna save a little in the tank…
“What if you never have an opportunity to use anything in that tank ever again? What if today is the last time you're ever going to do it?”
Okay, let’s discuss this for a minute.
Two Important Lessons
There are two key lessons here.
The first is about respect. The second is about effort.
1. Respect Today
Most of us don’t truly respect today (myself included).
We know this by how much we think and talk about the future.
“Next month I’m going to …”
“Next year we’re planning …”
“When we hit this goal …”
That’s us living in the uncontrollable. In the meantime, what we control is right now.
It’s easy to roll our eyes at sayings like, “Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.” They’re empty cliches … until they’re not.
2. Give Today’s 100%
There's an important nuance in the idea of “giving 100%.”
It’s not possible to give “100%” all the time. Biology (and psychology) prevents us from doing so, because we’d die if we did.
But that shouldn’t stop us from asking: “What’s the maximum effort I can give today?”
Think of it as “Today’s 100%.”
Mentally
Physically
Spiritually
Emotionally
Relationally
The total output in each bucket will probably look different day to day, but the percentage output should be the same.
Today’s 100%.
Closing Thought
Here’s a clarifying question you can use at the end of each today to self-assess:
“Am I satisfied with what I gave today?”
If yes, assess why and repeat it tomorrow
If no, assess why and improve it tomorrow
We can argue if we ever truly give Today’s 100% – there’s probably always something more we can give – but I don’t find that helpful.
What’s helpful is being mindful of your daily effort, and holding yourself accountable to maximizing it (in all areas of life).
After all, we never know how many opportunities remain.
If tomorrow never comes, how far would you go today?
I’d love to hear from you
That’s it for this week.
Did you enjoy this issue? Reply to this email and let me know.
Your feedback helps me make The Process as valuable and worthwhile as possible for you.
P.S. If you enjoy The Process, please share this link with a friend and encourage them to join the community.
Thanks for reading.
See you next Sunday.