CMB 039 : The 20 Mile March (2013 Wrap Up Part One)

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As we wrap up 2013, I want to get highly practical and provide you with some ideas, tips, and tactics that you can take into your new year, to see immediate results.

For the next four weeks, each episode will have something that you can take and apply right away.

I’m learning that taking action and putting one foot in front of the other, is the only way to grow in anything. Even in our walk with Christ, we aren’t merely hearers of the word, but doers.

It’s in our doing that we learn and grow the most.

Action is a huge part of anything in life. No one sits around on their hands to watch things magically happen.

So… here’s where we’re going the next four weeks.

I want to give you a few ways to quickly be on the path towards a GREAT new year. These are 4 things every musician should do in 2014…

CMB 039 : 20 Mile March (daily activity)
CMB 040 : Upgrade Your Tools (become an engineer)
CMB 041 : Connect With Your Listeners (master the internet)
CMB 042 : Harness Inspiration (decode the mystery of creativity)

The 20 Mile March

In today’s episode, I share with you an insightful principle for daily discipline, taken from the book Great By Choice, by Jim Collins and Morten Hansen. It’s called “The 20 Mile March”.

Here’s an excerpt from an interview they did about it (read the full interview at the link below)…

In the book, we talk about the 20-mile march. The idea is that … you have a lower threshold and then you have an upper limit. You must hit the targets you set for yourself no matter what. You don’t go too far on any day, month or quarter.

When we looked at Amundsen, the fascinating part is that he had, literally, a 15-mile march target. He was going to go 15 miles every day toward the South Pole… .He built a system around that. On the good days, he held back; he didn’t go the distance he could have gone. He just stopped in the early afternoon and rested. On the very difficult days, he made maybe five, six, seven miles, but nevertheless, he traveled on those days where Scott and the other team would sit in their tents. Both of them had a very interesting approach. Underlying that is what can only be described as fanatic discipline. Amundsen was extraordinary in his discipline, preparing his whole life for this particular moment. That really stands out among the leaders that we have studied. -Morten Hansen

A little bit every day, regardless of conditions, does far more than one off chunks of hard work here or there.

In the life of an artist, you must be thinking marathon and not sprint.

So, for 2014 think about what you’re “20 Mile March” will be, and let us know in the comments below.

Helpful Links

• CMB 036 : Tim Timmons
• Interview with the Jim Collins and Morten Hansen
• Their book Great By Choice
• Jim’s book Good to Great

So What’s Your 20 Mile March?

Let us know below……