Ah, the wonderful, enchanting Habit of Must Do.

There is something magical and compelling about the word Must. When we place ourselves in Must mode, we seem to view the world with a renewed sense of urgency that helps us propel ourselves further than we have previously imagined possible.

At least, that is the feedback I am constantly receiving from my many clients who have turned The Habit of Must Do into an integral part of their everyday lives.

A quick recap for those who may be new to our blogs/discussions: The Habit of Must Do is introduced into our daily lives by way of a “Must Do” list.

Users of this list are cautioned to be extremely aware of the activities they place on this list for there is one simple, nonnegotiable rule that drives the governance of this list.

The rule is simple: If an activity is on your “Must Do” list, it must be done that day.

What that means is that you cannot go to bed, turn out the light and go to sleep if even one single item on that list has not been successfully completed.

What is it about a Must List that instills a powerful sense of commitment and urgency in us?

It’s simple. Along with the use of this “Must Do” list is a daily counter that tells us how many consecutive days we have achieved completion of each item on our list.

After only a very few successfully completed days we realize that we are building an unbroken chain of success and if we neglect to complete even one activity on our list, the counter that is dutifully recording our daily victories is automatically reset to zero.

A “Must Do” list is also, by its very nature, a “Mustn’t” Do list. We use the same principle to disallow ourselves the opportunity of doing things we are trying to eliminate from our lives.
We use this list to quit smoking, to eliminate certain foods, and essentially to replace certain bad habits with desirable, good ones.

A “Must Do” is not for everyone. It is not for the fainthearted for it is our irrevocable commitment to a “Must Do” list that will eliminate self-disappointment from our lives.

The option of letting ourselves down is hereby removed and replaced by an indescribably empowering feeling of accomplishment that accompanies every successful day.

Those of my clients who have truly devoted themselves to the use of Must lists will, without fail, brag of the remarkable changes they have experienced in their personal and professional lives simply by making The Habit of Must Do a Must Do part of each and every day.

“This, like anything else, can be manipulated and we can delude ourselves into thinking we are succeeding by listing activities that are quick, easy and require little effort.

But frankly, what’s the point? I mentioned earlier this is not for the fainthearted and if you have the desire to succeed, the will to improve and the tenacity to endure, The Habit of Must Do must become a part of your everyday life.

Last week I challenged you to do this for one week. Today I extend that challenge for one month.

One month out of your whole life. Is that too much to ask?

After it, it may well prove to be the best month of your life.

Let’s make a habit of meeting like this.