Level Two Integrity: GIT-R-DUN, by Doug Grady
April 21, 2011 by Doug · 13 Comments
- He GOT-R-DUN
Level Two Integrity: GIT-R-DUN, by Doug Grady
One of the most valuable aspects of taking on a new habit or daily discipline is becoming aware of your tendencies- realizing where and how you tend to get stopped. Understanding and consciously evaluating your personal tendencies can be a major step in becoming unstoppable.
"Becoming aware of where you get stopped is the starting point of becoming unstoppable." -Doug Grady
Let me share with you one of mine. I tend to have an “all or nothing” mentality. If I can’t do something full on, why bother? In March of 2010 I experienced a hip injury while training for a half marathon. I allowed this to become an excuse for not exercising altogether. Not to mention I did nothing to get my injury treated. This led to 4 months of a sedentary lifestyle and a downward spiral in other areas of my life.
Now think about, are there ways to exercise even if you have a hip injury? Of course there are. Recognizing this tendency has enabled me to adopt a new belief:
When it comes to exercise and other daily commitments- something is better than nothing.
All of us have been stopped at one time or another. Level two integrity helps make you unstoppable.
"GIT-R-DUN!" -Larry the Cable Guy
Level two integrity, the “GIT-R-DUN” level, succeeds where level one fails. I also refer to this as the “DO IT ANYWAY” level (read Do It Anyway). While level one is primarily driven by the desire to gain external pleasure and avoid external pain, level two is internally driven. If you are taking on creating a new habit, breaking a bad habit, or developing a daily discipline you will likely experience days when you simply don’t want to honor your daily commitment. On days like these you must find a way to GIT-R-DUN. You honor your word because you said you would. Whether you want to or not, feel like it or not, whether you think it will do any good or not, all these questions are really irrelevant here. You GIT-R-DUN. The only question is:
Are you going to honor your word? Are you going to do what you said you would do?
During a 60-day commitment to write 20 minutes a day there were times I literally sat at the computer running late for a dinner engagement typing while the seconds ticked away approaching 20 minutes. I would type, look at the clock, type, look at the clock… During a 30-day commitment to make 20 prospecting calls per day there were days when I simply went through the motions of making the dials just to check it off the list. Inevitably these would be days when I would reach someone previously unreachable or book an elusive meeting. I actually had a couple of personal bests in the gym on days I did not feel like exercising.
"I hate working out. I do it because this is my job. I hate working out so much that when I get in the ring I take it out on my opponent." -Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Never underestimate the power of getting it done when you don’t feel like it. It is here in the often tedious, mundane, monotonous act of completion that significant momentum is gained. There may be days like this when you simply put in the time- you complete the tired, lethargic, irritating work. Feel the frustration, feel the pain, hear the excuse and do it anyway. The win here is that YOU GOT-R-DUN! You fulfilled your commitment. No one said it had to be pretty or pleasant. There is HUGE power in completion versus the lack thereof. Be sure to notice and track how you feel after you do it anyway- even when you did not feel like it, did not want to, and thought about not doing it. Some of these daily commitments may even turn into breakthrough days for you.
So find a way to GIT-R-DUN.
It is extremely difficult to maintain L2 integrity over an extended period of time. There is a constant struggle here between feelings (“I don’t feel like it”) and commitment (“I’ll do it anyway”). Relying purely on will power (“I have to because I said I would”) can be exhausting and unhealthy in the long run. This is where L3 comes in. This will be the topic of my next post.
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About Doug
Doug - It's posts like this that make me eager to read the book. I need that pic ina motivatinal poster that says, "Git-R-Dun!" Yeah.a..it's creating that event, writingthose blog posts, doing that admin stuff, gettingup every day and essentially going out and hunting. Yeah...while there's nothing greater that the thrill of the hunt,takingthose first steps is half the battle.
Blessings, man!
-Rick
Hi Doug,
I love this message of inspiration to believe that we can achieve our goals and dreams. It first begins with the idea but very quickly we are reminded that sheer determination and resolve are required to make it reality and present in our lives. Along our journeys through life we discover and reach out to others that support us, but we must truly find it within ourselves to get up every single day to make it happen.
We discover in the process of sticking to it (for me it was writing 365 days of inspiration about the everyday events along our journeys and never missing a day) that we discover we are so much stronger than we think - that we do have what it takes in refusing to not be defeated - that in the process we are changed - we are not the same, we are better. To me, this is the essence of Level Two Integrity Doug talks about.
To inspiring the potential within!
Jerry
Well put, Doug! There's so much truth in what you wrote. It is pushing through that can make "magic" happen!
This is quite inspirational to me. I find myself selling out when it comes to me. I'll hold my word with others and not myself. Hmmmm. THis level two integrity gives me the juice to honor my word to myself.
thanks Doug,
Fred
Doug, this article is just fantastic! I look forward to the upcoming book.
When you last visited our office you challenged several of us to complete the 30 Day Challenge. Many of us rose up, took the challenge, and had a superb month of March!!! ... in fact it was a personal best month for many in the office!!!
Thanks Lisa. Wow! Congratulations on the superb month! I look forward to hearing about the "ripples" that follow!
Fred, I believe all of us have the tendency to "let ourselves off the hook" from time to time. This is one of the reasons Level One Integrity is critical. As we grow, our Accontability Partners become more, not less important. At the same time when we hold ourselves to a higher standard we are better equipped to receive the contributions of external forces. Some of my best workouts have come from you and I working out together. I really appreciate you posting this and I'm honored to be your friend.
Thanks Cathy. Your Money Game being produced is a great example of "pushing through" to a big goal!
Jerry, Most people romanticize "sheer determination and resolve" into a Rocky-esque montage of inspired moments. The fact is that we may feel quite uninspired while working through our daily commitments. This is just one of the traps that cause many people to simply give up and quit. Undoubtedly there were times during your 365 days of writing when you were less than inspired, ironically as you wrote about inspiration. Through discipline you not only fulfilled your commitment but also grew and became stronger as a person. I am looking forward to reading your book.
Rick! Thanks for your comment my friend. I'm glad to have you in my corner during the battle.