Many of us might agree with certain principles, but we don’t take time to write them out as official guidelines.
A remarkable man named Dave Kekich established 100 rules for his life over a period of 25 years.
In 1978 at the age of 35, Dave was at the top of his game in life. He was a hard-charging, up-and-coming entrepreneur, weightlifting fanatic and long-distance runner. But as he was lifting weights one day at the gym, something in his back popped and he crumbled to the floor. He was paralyzed from the chest down and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. He lives with unrelenting pain every day.
But that hasn’t stopped him. Dave spent years raising money for paralysis research. In 1999 he founded the Maximum Life Foundation to focus on cures for aging-related diseases, with the goal of extending the quantity and quality of life.
Dave's 100 rules are known as Kekich’s Credos, and he originally wrote them just for himself, to remind himself of the life lessons he’d learned from his injury and from some business deals that went bad. But my friend, Joe Polish, learned about them and has made them available as a PDF. I highly recommend you download them and print out a hard copy to read on a regular basis.
Each credo contains a unique bit of wisdom worth pondering and applying to your life.
Because my work is focused so much on behavior change and helping people get out of their comfort zones, Credo #1 resonated with me:
“People will do almost anything to stay in their comfort zones. If you want to accomplish anything, get out of your comfort zone. Strive to increase order and discipline in your life. Discipline usually means doing the opposite of what you feel like doing. The easy roads to discipline are: 1) setting deadlines, 2) discovering and doing what you do best and what's important and enjoyable to you, and 3) focusing on habits by replacing your bad habits and thought patterns, one-by-one, over time, with good habits and thought patterns.”
Ask yourself if you consistently complete the three steps he outlines. He calls them “easy” but most people won’t make the effort or put in the time to do them. So if you get on this path, you’ll stand out. You’ll increase your odds of becoming fulfilled as a human being.
Step 3 embodies what we’ve built into our ProStar Coach system: “replacing your bad habits and thought patterns, one-by-one, over time, with good habits and thought patterns.”
You can’t change everything at once, and it takes time to rewire your brain. If you’re ready to shift outside your comfort zone and make your life have a positive impact, check out our online virtual coaching program for personal development.
