top of page

What's your non-negotiable?

Writer's picture: Danielle HughesDanielle Hughes

I've been thinking about your CrossFit streak

This was part of an email from a friend, client and collaborator after my Beyond the Work newsletter last month. ICYMI, I'd written about my almost 11 years of doing CrossFit consistently and how it's become a non-negotiable for me in terms of my schedule (and sanity). This friend said she'd been thinking a lot about what that means and how something like that develops. She wanted to understand if there was a "secret sauce for staying power." If I had any tips on how to stick with fitness (or anything) and turn it into a non-negotiable. Why I started in the first place and how I kept myself showing up every weekday. And what’s the main draw for me: community and sociability? How it makes me feel? Or because it’s competitive?


Everything counts in (small) amounts

I've been asked some form of all of these questions at some point in the last 11 years but I had never quite thought about them in connection with each other. Or in terms of what actually makes something a non-negotiable. My answer to her was a version of all of the above. Meaning, my reason for doing CrossFit and sticking with it has changed and evolved over time. Like anything. In the beginning it was wanting to be stronger. Then it was friendship and community. Then it was competition. So my reasons for walking in the door every day varied, but the crux of this question: why do I still walk in the door everyday (or 5 days a week) and how can I stay so consistent, that's the actual question. That's mastery. That's habit.


Secret Sauce that's not a secret

None of us can know when something will click. You try something because you think it might be fun or hard or interesting and viola!


With my commitment to CrossFit, it's simply that I love how it makes me feel. There's something truly amazing about doing something you didn't think you could do and doing it repeatedly. I fell in love with the barbell! It's empowering and truly transformative, for my mind and body. It wasn't my intention or expectation. I was just looking to level up.


It was also immediately measurable in a way other workouts weren't. I could see getting stronger, more flexible and more fit. And despite countless injuries, it's the only workout I want to do. It's never the same and yet I know each movement. I can drop in anywhere in the world and speak the CrossFit language.


This is where it mimics brand voice. When you know your voice inside and out, your audience understands it, expects it and responds to it. It becomes universal.


How this becomes non-negotiable

Because I speak the language, because it's become part of me and my identity, I don't need to explain it to anyone. EVERYONE knows I don't book meetings during CF time. It's the one time of my day I carve out for me. I simply decided that this was my hour. No phone. No distractions. Blocked calendar. Once I set my mind to that, it became a habit and a routine. End. of. Story.


Just like this newsletter. Every other week without fail. Calendar blocked. Expectation managed. It's Consistent Content that Kicks Ass. Literally. And it didn't happen overnight, but it did happen.


I didn't set out to maintain a workout routine for 11 years. If I had, I probably wouldn't have done it! And I don't expect you to set out to start creating content for a decade. Let's start with a day. Then let's make it a non-negotiable.

 


Be non-negotiable to your business

Barbell not included nor expected. Just you, me and a talented band of future friends twice a month for 6 months. Email me for all the details and to snag $500 off and a free 45-minute coaching session!

 

Speaking of non-negotiable, Go Long!

I've spoken a lot about clients who become friends, but in this case a friend became a client. Don't worry, we're still friends. I was so excited to help Jill Beck build her new business. From the name to the positioning to the web and social copy, her idea is now a reality for the sandwich generation.


Go Long is a fitness concierge service that matches you to the wellness or fitness routine aligned to your life's goals, not someone else's. So if you want a non-negotiable for your life, whether it's being able to travel into your 80s, play with your kids or just wake up without back pain, you need to Go

Long.


Comments


bottom of page