Why I Do Things

He texted me before and now he wants to reschedule. Again.

When I showed up to the gym, one look at my trainer told me everything. He’d forgotten. Or wasn’t ready. Or both.

“You said we would train at 7, now let’s do it,” I said.

“I’ll be right there,” he replied, but he was stalling.

So I walked up to him: “Come on, man, I don’t want you to say yes if you’re not going to give me the time.”

I could tell something shifted in him. He became present. We trained.

Afterward, he thanked me deeply. “It's been a while since I trained like that," he said, "I needed that.”

That felt like a win. I went home feeling good about standing up for myself, and for my friend.

Then 5am happened.

The 5 AM Masterpiece

My alarm screamed. I’d set it thirty minutes earlier than necessary because, well, seize the day, right?

Lying there in the dark, my brain was a battleground:

Come on man, move it!

vs.

Why the f*ck am I waking up at this time? What’s so important?

Then, in that liminal space between sleep and logic, something clicked.

All the conversations with my coach about being my word. The National Geographic issue I’d been reading about how every major religion talks about the power of the Word in creation. It all suddenly made sense.

What if the only reason I need to do something is because I said I would do it?

That voice of challenge and self-doubt finally lost the argument.

Mind you, this is an argument I’ve had with myself for years. It didn’t feel like a big moment (until now that I’m writing about it). It was a battle won in silence.

I want to be cleasr: This isn’t about discipline or willpower. This is about understanding that all you have is your word.

Words create things. And when I honor my words, they increase in value. That’s how I create reality by speaking.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Being my word doesn’t just mean holding myself accountable. It means holding others accountable when they make commitments with me.

Remember my trainer? When I make an agreement, whether with myself or someone else, I bring my FULL commitment. So I hold others to the same standard.

“Don’t say yes if you’re not committed,” I told him.

Here’s the key: I can set the standard. I can call others on their bullshit. But I don’t control them, I don’t judge them, I don’t nag them.

Holding someone accountable means pointing out what they said, and what they’re doing. “You said we would train at 7, and now you’re not showing up.” But I also give them a chance to live up to themselves: “Do you still want to do it? If so, be here, be present.”

-If this is resonating with you, share it with someone you love. Sometimes the best conversations start with a shared insight-

Experiment

I realized I don’t need a great dream, vision, or purpose to live my word. I don’t need to understand the cosmic significance of waking up at 5am.

I am my word. I do what I say I will do. Saying I will do something is all the reason I need to do it.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

And it's always the little stuff. The casual things that seem irrelevant.

Emphasis on seem.

I believe words have power. In fact, words can make or break entire civilizations.

If you want to discover something about yourself, I invite you to try this experiment:

Observe yourself without judgment. Watch when you say you will do something. For instance:

• “I’ll check that out.”

• “Let’s do that.”

• “I’ll call you later.”

Just notice. Don’t try to fix anything yet. Just see how often you say things and then don’t do them.

Start there.

One last thing

What commitments have you been making to yourself that you’re not keeping? What agreements with others need some cleaning up?

Hit reply and let me know your thoughts. I read every response.

Abrazo,

Diego