February 22nd 2020 I started a journey to complete a Murph WOD everyday for an entire year. I knew it was going to be tough but had no idea exactly how tough it was going to be.
No matter the weather, no matter how I was feeling, no matter what I had on the agenda in my business, no matter where I was in the world, no matter my health or injuries I was dealing with…the job got done daily.
There were many moments I wanted to quit and many moments I was starring at failure. I even did a Murph every day when I had Covid. My lungs were on fire and my body ached but rep by rep…the job got done.
I did Murphs as early as 3am and as late as 1030pm, I did them during the day, in between meetings, after lunch, right after dinner, after naps and before meetings. I would squeeze it in and give myself a 45 min block to do the murph, shower, get ready, and be in the car for date night…it was pretty easy when you shave your head and cold showers become normal. I was the master at getting ready in 5 min.
When you do something everyday like a Murph for a year you start to get good at productivity, planning, scheduling, and prioritizing.
I also learned that we can be, do, or have anything we want in life with a little bit of daily hard work. People overestimate what can be accomplished in a short period of time but underestimate what can be accomplished in a longer period of time (like a year) with consistent work.
I learned how to sharp shoot every single possible excuse that could potentially come up. Believe me I have heard them all and waxed them all!
Pain is temporary, motivation and inspiration are temporary, boredom is temporary, injuries are temporary, discipline is temporary, our bodies are temporary…BUT the habits we create are the closest thing we can get to permanent.
Repetition is the mother of all skill until it becomes conditioned – then it becomes automatic.
I have now done Murph so many times I can visualize every step and every rep. Thats is one of the greatest tools I can use in the future with anything I decide to apply it to.
My last Murph was completed on 2/20/2021. I did another one the next day to make it 366 consecutive. What you do on the day after a challenge is complete or after you win the championship or big game says a lot about who you are as a competitor and as a performer.
Me…I wanted one more for good measure.
36,600 total pull ups
73,200 total push ups
109,800 total air squats
Over 1000 miles ran
All with a 20lb weighted vest
Graham Dessert