“Discipline doesn’t enable you to do things. Doing things consistently makes you disiplined.”–Joshua Spodek
Yesterday, I listened to Jim Harshaw’s (http://jimharshawjr.com/58/) interview with Josh Spodek (http://joshuaspodek.com). Josh Spodek talked about a practice he has coined: “SIDCHA” (pronounced: sid-cha). A SIDCHA is a self-imposed daily challenging healthy activity. Spodek, for example, does twice-daily burpees (>70,000 to date).
The concept of SIDCHA is really nothing novel, but I like that it gives a name to an idea that can have great benefit. SIDCHA help one develop willpower and discipline.
SIDCHA is suited to the concept of “well-centered fitness.” We want to be building habits over time that benefit us in all aspects of our lives—beyond simply physical health or well-being.
We know that habits form with consistency and usually require more than 30 days to solidify. Habits are also difficult at the onset. They take planning and scheduling. They take commitment. So, the simple practice of SIDCHA can benefit us in our long-term success.
I have heard several athletes (e.g., past Olympian wrestler, Jake Herbert) express the benefits of habitual water consumption—drinking water as a conscious habit rather than more periodically/irregularly drinking only when thirsty. This is not only healthy—drinking 8 ounces on the hour every waking hour is roughly 128 oz. or a gallon of water—but it also adds focus and structure to the day.
Other examples of SIDCHAs can be: daily journaling, regular scheduled/planned exercise, meditation, etc. Relationally, the (near daily) habit of my “15-minute check-in” with my wife does wonders for keeping us connected and communicating. The key is not so much in the what as the why. According to Josh Spodek, “If you want discipline, do things that need discipline.”
In selection of activities that will build self-disciple, facilitate our well-centeredness, and develop life-long habits, it is helpful to use the SIDCHA approach:
- Self-Imposed: To develop self-disciple, have to choose to do it. Doing something that you are compelled by another to do is coercion, not discipline.
- Daily: Some activities might not necessarily be done daily to have an effect (e.g., one might only exercise habitually 3-4 times), but I think one should choose at lease one SIDCHA that can be done daily.
- Challenging: If it is not hard, it won’t benefit you, per se. Brushing one’s teeth might qualify as a SIDCHA because one should brush (twice) daily, but, hopefully, this is not challenging for you (like it might be for my eight year-old).
- Healthy: The activity one selects must be something that improves one’s health or well-being. I recommend taking on the dimensions of well-centered fitness (spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social) one at a time—each for a minimum of 30 days—and stacking, i.e., adding to, as the habits form.
- Activity: Proper SIDCHAs involve physically do something. Napping, for example, while having some health benefits, does not fit the bill—after all, how challenging is napping? Setting aside a 15-minute period for meditation involves action. Meditation, though, should be purposeful and not simply sitting with one’s eyes closed and allowing one’s thoughts to wander.
So, I encourage you. Select your SIDCHA and grow your discipline.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!