Life is stressful.
Most of us wake up earlier than we’d like, head to work, try to eat the right foods in the right amounts, take care of chores around the house, and somehow still find time to exercise.
Then something unexpected pops up and throws off our routine.
When that happens, it can make everything feel overwhelming. And unfortunately, the first thing many of us sacrifice when life gets busy is taking care of ourselves.
We all experience this at some point. We’re human, and we live in a society that is constantly pushing us to make progress.
Bosses ask, “What have you done for me lately?”
Old friends ask, “What have you been up to since we last saw you?”
Somewhere along the way, it becomes easy to lose sight of our day-to-day happiness while chasing promises about tomorrow.
That’s why I want to talk about something important—something that sits at the core of why the coaches at Vegvisir do what we do.
Helping you move closer to your perfect day.
Setting the Compass
A couple of years ago, after my first year as a gym owner, I realized something important:
Being a good coach doesn’t automatically make you a good business owner.
So I decided to get help from a business mentor. In many ways, it felt like I was going through an on-ramp for running a business—the same way new members go through an on-ramp before joining CrossFit classes.
I had to step back and really analyze why I was doing what I was doing.
One exercise from that process stuck with me, and I revisit it every six months.
It’s simple:
What does your perfect day look like?
Take out a sheet of paper and write down what matters most to you.
What would be part of every day that would make your life feel fulfilling?
Think about things like:
- Family
- Pets
- Where you live
- What your home looks like
- What time you wake up
- What time you go to bed
- Whether you exercise, and how
Write down what a full day would look like—from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed.
This isn’t about your dream vacation day. It’s about your everyday life.
In reality, many of us would still choose to work in our perfect day. It might just look different—maybe fewer hours, maybe different work, maybe more flexibility.
And if you’re already a member at a gym, chances are fitness is already part of your ideal life in some capacity.
How much family time would you want?
How much personal time would you want?
We love our families, but we all need a little “me time” now and then too.
The list could go on forever. What matters is simply writing it down and acknowledging it.
And here’s the interesting part: sometimes you realize you don’t actually need to change as much as you think.
An Example
For me, my perfect day looks something like this:
I wake up with the sunrise and ease into the day with a breakfast that isn’t rushed.
I spend a couple hours working on the gym, then have lunch with my family. After that, I head outside to play with our Border Collies.
We live in a house with a garage big enough for Katelyn to work on her furniture projects while I still have room for my truck.
I work out at Vegvisir for about 90 minutes a day (with a fully healed elbow), and I coach a few times a week. By the time I’m older and can’t train that long anymore, hopefully our gym will have helped over 10,000 Houston families improve their health.
The gym will be in its permanent space and be at least 90% of what we always hoped it would become.
And I’d love to travel about once a month for a weekend getaway, plus take Katelyn and our future kids on longer trips during their school breaks.
Breaking It Down
You can go into as much or as little detail as you want with this exercise.
When I look back at the version of my perfect day I wrote two years ago, I realize something pretty cool:
I’m already living a lot of it.
Most mornings I wake up with the sun and enjoy a slow breakfast.
I play with the Border Collies every day.
I get about 90 minutes of training in most days.
Those are huge wins.
And celebrating wins is incredibly important when working toward big goals.
If this is your first time doing an exercise like this, think of it like testing a 1-rep max back squat. It simply gives you a starting point so you can look back later and see how far you’ve come.
Then look at the parts of your perfect day that haven’t happened yet.
Those become your long-term goals.
Some of them may mean you’re already on the right path. Others may require a few adjustments to move in the direction you want to go.
The important thing is that you now have a true north guiding your decisions.
And if that destination feels far away, that’s okay.
If you want to lose 100 pounds, that doesn’t happen overnight.
Building a retirement plan takes years.
Changing your sleep habits can take weeks before it feels natural.
Big goals are simply built from smaller ones.
For example:
If you want to lose 100 pounds, start by joining a gym and committing to three classes per week.
If you want to build a retirement plan, meet with a financial advisor and start setting aside a percentage of your income.
If you want to go to bed earlier, try going to sleep just 15 minutes earlier each night and set an alarm to plug your phone in before bed.
Small habits build big changes.
Get After It
Your goals can always be broken down into smaller steps.
What matters is that you recognize them as priorities—because prioritizing yourself isn’t selfish.
Your mood is contagious.
If you’re constantly exhausted, frustrated, or stressed, the people around you feel that too.
But when you start making progress toward your own version of a perfect day—even if it’s just one hour a day of effort—those victories build momentum.
Your happiness becomes contagious.
And before long, the people around you start thinking:
“I’ll have what they’re having.”
(Dad joke self high-five.)
So I’ll leave you with one question:
What does your perfect day look like?
I’d love to hear about it. Send me a reply to this email or grab me at the gym and tell me about it.
Everyone at Vegvisir wants to help you get there—and once we know your direction, we’ll gladly help you navigate the path.
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro