The conversation was simple enough.
I had not seen one of my wife’s friends for about a year and we were quickly catching up. Eventually, I noticed that my wife’s friend was drinking a water during our conversation, rather than her favorite Diet Coke. I asked about this, and she responded that she has not had a sip of Diet Coke for over a year since her “Diet Coke” streak began.
Pretty impressive. Then, my wife’s friend shared that she decided to begin a “streak” around her habit of Diet Coke. She would try to avoid drinking a Diet Coke every day and see how long she could continue the streak. Turns out, this intentional daily act worked wonders and who knows, my wife’s friend may never drink Diet Coke again.
This is the power of streaking. Streaking has the power to change your life in both good and bad ways.
The Power of Consistency in Doing Laughably Simple Activities
What can you do now that will move you to a better place? The activity can be done on a daily, weekly, bi-monthly or monthly basis (or even yearly), but whatever the frequency is, you will consistently do it. There are no mulligans when it comes to streaking. If you forget to do your simple activity, the streak is over and it’s time to begin a new streak.
The concepts about streaking are based upon the amazing book, “Streaking: The Simple Practice of Conscious, Consistent Actions that Create Life-Changing Results”, by Jami & Jeff Downs.
#1: Pick a Laughably Simple Activity
Think of a small, daily activity which, if done, would have a major impact on your life over time. Think small. The goal of a streak is sustainability and this will not happen if your daily activity is difficult or time consuming.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Will Durant
One streaker wanted to lose weight by fasting…every day. This, I told him, was way too challenging and would not work on a long-term basis. It’s too hard to fast every day. Now, perhaps the activity could be fasting on a weekly or bimonthly basis, and that could be sustainable.
#2: Keep a Record of Your Streak
Take a few seconds to document your streak every day in a journal. The journal is a continually reminder of your streak and if you haven’t done your activity, the journal will be a reminder that you’ve got work to do. And the journal is a tangible reminder of how far you’ve gone and the amazing things you’ve accomplished.
#3: Join a Community of Streakers
Don’t streak alone. Join a community of streakers to celebrate your achievements. It’s great to be in a community of like-minded persons who will encourage and support you on your journey.
Health, Fitness & Nutrition
Let’s say you want to lose weight or get in better health. What activity, if done every day, will help you achieve this goal? Perhaps it might be avoiding chocolate, smoking or alcohol or documenting your food consumption and exercise. Whatever the activity is, you will do it every day.
Here are a few samples from my fitness and health journey.
Jogging Streak: I began jogging at least 1 mile every day. This streak began 791 days ago and over the course of this streak, I’ve jogged 1,900.63 miles (or the equivalent of 72 marathons). It’s easy to jog at least 1 mile every day and I will do anything to make sure the streak does not die.
Core Exercise Streak: Every day, do a series of at least 6 core exercises and 2 upper body exercises. The exercises are easy to do and only take about 15 minutes. I am now on day #471 of the Core Exercise Streak and my abdomen/core is stronger than ever.
Upper Body Streak: Every day, I do at least 3 sets of 1 upper body exercise (e.g., dumbbell curls, presses, rows). The results take time and you will not see much of a change in the first few weeks and months, but over time, my upper body has more definition and strength since my twenties. I am now in day #404 of the Upper Body Streak.
Food Consumption Streak: What simple activity can you do that would help you lose weight? On January 18, 2021, I began a streak of documenting my food consumption and exercise on a daily basis. This simple practice takes about 2 minutes a day (on the website of www.MyBodyTutor.com) and keeps me mindful of my food choices.
Over the course of time, my weight loss has been slow and gradual and I’ve had plenty of unplanned indulgences. Still, since January 18, 2021, my body weight decreased from 193.6 lbs. to 169.4 lbs. (down 24.2 lbs.) and I am less than ½ of a pound from my ideal body weight.
Is gaining weight part of the aging process? Hell, no. That might be what others want to convince you, but it’s not true. As we get older, we simply need to be more diligent about the choices we make. And with time and patience, a streak will take you to places you never thought possible.
Streaking requires patience and intentionality. Over time, the results will begin compounding and you will achieve things that you never thought possible. Truth is, I have no aches or pains, I feel healthy and strong and the same today as I did at age 18. This is the power of streaking.
Marketing & Business Development
What simple activities, if you did them every day/week, would make a big impact on your law firm? Our streaks focus on getting Google reviews and adding new content via video to our YouTube channel (www.Lawyer-Alert.com) and articles to our website, www.ProtectingPatientRights.com.
Google Reviews Streak: 788 days ago, I began asking for at least 1 Google review for our law firm. I ask just about anyone I can think of and this only takes about 10 seconds. This simple practice increased our firm’s Google reviews from 124 to 577 and we have the second most Google reviews of any law firm in New York State (and we’re closing in on the #1 spot).
Now, there are many days we don’t get any Google reviews. No problem, my friend. I just keep asking for reviews and encourage our team to ask our clients and vendors for reviews. Don’t get frustrated, just stay consistent. Whether you feel like it or not, keep the streak alive at all costs.
Video Marketing: Video marketing is everything in the world of law firm marketing. 42 weeks ago, began recording at least 1 video every week for our law firm and referral partners. I never miss a week and the results have been slow, but steadily building over time.
Through trial and error, we’ve discovered that our clients want videos that provide actionable advice, e.g., “Our Top 7 Tips for Testifying at Trial”, so we focus on attention on this type of content.
Website Articles: No one will write better content than you for your website. So, why outsource what you do best? For 23 weeks, I’ve written at least 1 article every week for our website about consumer rights and information about medical malpractice. These evergreen articles will rank high on the search engines for as long as we’re in business.Personal Development & Finance
What simple activities can you do every day to improve yourself and your relationships with friends and family?
German Streak: For 683 consecutive days, I’ve learned at least 1 new phrase or word in German. What difference has this made? While visiting a friend in Stuttgart, Germany, I ordered our meal and conversed with our waiter in German. I would not have been able to do that before my streak and the improvement keeps building upon itself.
Personal Finance: Why did Warren Buffett become the wealthiest man in the world? Buffett has made many mistakes, but he has consistently invested in good and bad markets since he was a teenager. It wasn’t his brilliance, but his consistency in investing, that made Buffett wealthy.
Your takeaway? Invest a portion of every paycheck in a retirement account and watch your wealth build. It will take a long time, but 98% of Warren Buffett’s wealth occurred after the age of 65. Warren Buffett’s success is a lesson that wealth is built slowly and gradually based upon the consistent practice of investing in good and bad markets.
Relationships & Family
Relationships with Your Children: Call your son every day just to say “hi” and let him know that you care. This simple practice will make a difference in all of your relationships with family members.
Marriage: Compliment your wife at least once every day. Your spouse might not notice at first, but over time, your marriage will grow stronger and you will reap the benefits of a loving marriage.
The Power of Compounding
James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits”, says that, “Ultimately, it’s your commitment to the process that will determine your success…If you can get 1% better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done.”
“Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound and turn into remarkable results if you’re willing to stick with them for years.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
What small activity are you going to do today that will change your life? Remember, think small, avoid challenging goals and strive to keep your streak alive at all costs. Over time, you will be amazed at the results and your will see firsthand the power of streaking.
And if you’re looking for a community of like-minded streakers, you are welcome to join us at the private Facebook group, “The Streakers”. Just send an email to jfisherlawyer@gmail.com with the subject line, “I want to streak” and we will add you.