JANUARY Commit To Taking Action

I am an expert at coming up with and planning big, ambitious ideas but not seeing them through. Between procrastination, overthinking and perfectionism, my mind seems to be a Bermuda’s triangle when it comes to taking action. It’s not for lack of trying: over the years I’ve set countless goals, spent endless time self-reflecting and diligently read up on productivity hacks. But none of it seems to have been that effective.

Thankfully, I believe I’ve finally found the thing that could be: 12 months of mini misogis.

What on earth is a misogi?

Misogi is a Japanese Shinto purification ritual where participants make a pilgrimage to sacred, often ice-cold waters to cleanse themselves through the practice of ablutions, prayers, and fasting. The purpose is to restore balance within yourself and reconnect with nature.

In the last decade, the term has been modified and popularised by physician Marcus Elliot, former NBA player Kyle Korver, and entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, to mean something slightly different.

“The notion around the misogi is, you do something so hard 1 time a year, that it has an impact on the other 364 days of the year.”

Jesse Itzler 

In their various interpretations, it’s about choosing tough challenges that only have a 50% chance of success but which will “radically expand your sense of what’s possible” (Marcus Elliot). Although this new version of misogi deviates from its original meaning, at its core the idea remains the same: put yourself outside of your comfort zone to bring about positive change, whether that be spiritual, physical, or mental.

Coming up with monthly misogis and getting out of my own way

No, I’m not about to hop on a flight to Japan (at least not yet), nor climb Mount Everest (for now). Instead, I’m adapting the misogi concept of confronting one massive challenge a year into mini, monthly challenges instead. Don’t be fooled by the word “mini” though. I fully intend for each of these misogis to push me outside my comfort zone, force me to face my fears and impact my life for the better in some shape or form.

Perhaps it sounds contradictory, or overly ambitious, to break down a single life-altering challenge a year into 12 separate ones. However, I don’t believe a one-off misogi would help me achieve what I’ve set out to do in 2023, which is to become more:

• Courageous to be truly authentic
• Confident to live a life by design
• Disciplined to do whatever it takes to make that happen

The only way I’m going to accomplish all that is by building a habit of taking consistent, purposeful action and overcoming fears. And when it comes to building habits, as James Clear, author of Automatic Habits, will tell you: “You get what you repeat”.

We’re also great at getting in our own way. Somehow, our minds and self-doubt often hold us back more than we’d like to admit. But by planning out 12 distinct misogis instead of one, I believe I can overcome my personal trifecta of self-made hurdles:

• beat procrastination since I’ve already mapped out 12 challenges that I’m genuinely excited, if somewhat terrified, of doing
• avoid overthinking by getting used to facing a new challenge every month
• overcome that crippling perfectionist thinking by having limited time to complete each challenge

At least, that’s what I hope.

12 misogis in 12 months is pretty ambitious but it’s not about achieving each challenge “perfectly” or at all costs. It’s about committing to trying something new to the best of my ability that will force me to grow and learn about myself in the process. And when it comes to trying to become a better version of yourself, I don’t think any plan is too ambitious.

My January mini misogi

2022 was a difficult year filled with many changes: leaving the city I called home for my entire adult life; the difficult ending of a beautiful long-term relationship; the need to overcome a lot of pent-up work and Covid stress from the past two years; and the decision to take a massive gamble with my career. It was a lot to process and it brought me down very low. I’m embarrassed to admit, it led to many months of aimless wandering and general inaction.

This is why I kicked off 2023 with two very powerful feelings:

• Immense gratitude for the privilege of being able to take the time “out” that I needed last year
• And a pressing need to find a renewed sense of direction and commitment

Introducing my January mini misogi: commit to taking action.

To some, this might not sound like much of a challenge. However, it was for me due to the headspace I was coming from and my lifetime habit of planning ideas endlessly but not acting on them. Learning how to change that has now become my priority. Why? Because I realised that the habit of inaction was one of my biggest weaknesses holding me back.

How did my January misogi go?

Without realising it, I was trying to fulfil my misogi to “commit to taking action” before I even knew what misogi was. However, I was approaching it the wrong way. At first, I was focused on trying to take action in terms of attaining a very specific goal: making digital nomadism work financially. I started with the same old tricks: self-reflecting, making checklists, and writing down a plan (again). Yet, even whilst doing it, I could feel myself slipping back into that trap of forever planning.

Massive shoutout to Shal who introduced me to the concept of misogi early in January. Thanks to our long chats over countless coffees and desserts, the idea of monthly mini misogis was born. Somehow, this adaptation of misogi really struck a chord and helped me to radically rethink how I could truly change.

I was too focused on how to take action for specific goals instead of recognising inaction as a bad habit negatively affecting or holding me back in multiple areas of my life. That’s what I need to focus on changing. However, making a shift like that isn’t going to happen overnight. That’s exactly why 12 months of misogis might just do the trick. By consistently facing fun, varied but difficult challenges that motivate me to take action and force me to grow, I should be able to change myself for the better and finally learn how to consistently act on my ideas.

Parting words: carve your own path

I want to leave you with the wise words of Glennon Doyle from her incredible book Untamed. In it she says:

“Every life is an unprecedented experiment. This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been. There is no map. We are all pioneers.” 

Glennon Doyle

Monthly misogis have become my temporary, self-drawn map. I’m not sure where that map leads but I do know that what’s fuelling this journey is a strong desire to become the best version of myself possible. Striving for that takes work and courage but I’m willing to put in the effort because I believe that we only have one life to live and I’m determined to make the most of mine. I can’t wait to share this journey with you: to share my learnings along the way, hold myself accountable and, dare I say, inspire you in some small way along your own incredible journey.

So stop asking for directions. Draw your own map.

Be a pioneer.