You've adapted to the wrong standard

I’m going to launch a 6-month cohort in January for men who no longer want to drift, but want to be a part of a community in the journey. We’ll meet monthly (virtual) to talk through content, frameworks, and accountability. You will also have the opportunity for 1:1 time each month. I’m limiting this to 10 people We have several incredible men already committed. $150/mo or $750 up front. Reply to this email if you are interested or in.

I went out last night. Had a drink.

I couldn't tell you the last time I had alcohol. I’m not anti-drinking, I’ve just tried to be more intentional with my health lately. But last night I decided to have one drink.

I slept terribly. Woke up multiple times, tossed and turned, headache, foggy, sluggish.

Not from two or three or four drinks. One.

My body rejected it. Living healthier for months trained my system to recognize what doesn't belong.

The same thing happens with your standards.

Jocko Willink said it like this: "We sleep in a little later. We miss a workout, then another. We start to eat what we shouldn't eat and drink what we shouldn't drink. And, without realizing it - one day, you wake up and you have become something that you never would have allowed."

When you live above the line for a season - showing up, doing the work, refusing to make excuses - you become allergic to below the line behaviors. From yourself and from others.

Complaining sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Excuses sound weak. Blame feels cheap.

Your system violently rejects them because you've finally trained it to recognize them for what they are: poison.

But it’s also true going the other direction.

If you live below the line long enough, above the line behaviors shock your system. Accountability feels uncomfortable. Discipline feels unnatural. Hard conversations feel impossible.

You've built tolerance to the behaviors that keep you stuck.

The good news? You can retrain it. But it takes consistency. And it takes being willing to feel uncomfortable while your body - and your mindset - adjusts to a new normal.

That adjustment period is where most men quit. They try to change, it feels hard, and they convince themselves "this isn't for me." They mistake the withdrawal symptoms of their old life for failure.

It is for you. You're just adapted to living below the line. And breaking that rhythm takes time.

So here's the question: What standard have you adapted to? What behaviors have you built tolerance for that you need to become allergic to again?

Your mind, body and habits will adapt to whatever you consistently do. Train them to reject what keeps you below the line.

If you want a physical reminder of the standard you're building, I created some new gear around the line concept. Simple. Clean. A reminder that you're a man who lives above the line. Check it out at the shop if you want. Dozens of you bought hats last week.

What are you training your system to accept?

Choose to live above the line.

For you,
Kevin

P.S. I'm working on the NO DRIFT Weekly Standard - a system for men who want to take control back. Before it's finished, I created a Weekly Scorecard as a free test. Want to try it and give feedback? Just reply.

Thanks for reading this. Share it with anybody you think would find it useful. And as a reminder, NO DRIFT is not mine it is ours. I want to know what you think, what you want to hear about, what you are learning. All feedback is welcomed.