SMALL HABITS OF SUPERHEROES
Written by Lenny Wan. Images via Unsplash.
As a child, I always daydreamed about possessing the unprecedented physical prowess and powers of Superheroes.
Then, real life happened. Voices, both big and small, external and internal, started telling me that I was just an ordinary mortal who should just happily settle into an ordinary life. I listened to these voices, most of the time. However, there were other times where, at some deeper level, I still held the notion that I was destined for greater powers and greater responsibilities — just like that friendly neighbourhood web-crawler I aspired to become.
So, I started reading about and learning from real-life superheroes — inspirational leaders, blissful spiritual masters, flamboyant billionaires — people at the very top of their fields, people who have made a profound change not only to their own lives, but also to the lives of others. I discovered that while some of them were indeed prodigies or geniuses, most of them were ‘mere mortals’ just like me and, perhaps, just like you too. They were not mutants, aliens or super soldiers. Neither were they the result of some cutting-edge experiment (gone awry or otherwise). What distinguished them was their dedication towards their cause and their ferocity in making their visions a reality. And one crucial factor most of them had in common were the little practices that they would consistently do every day to get them to insane levels of human performance and achievements – the small habits of super heroes.
THE ART OF ATTAINABILITY
Inspired by those real-life superheroes, I have come up with my own ‘super’ formula — a daily routine to help me become the best version of myself. I call this daily routine the MARVEL routine! It has nothing to do with the Superhero Comics but I do hope that I’ll eventually be a superhero if I adhere to it consistently. And although I call it a formula, I would say it’s more of an art than a science, since it is subjective and requires an understanding of one’s personal experience. Therefore, my wish is for you to craft your own routine, tailoring it to your own experiences and aspirations, using this as a guide if it inspires you to do so.
MARVEL is actually an acronym that stands for:
M: MEDITATION/ MINDFULNESS
The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning, after ‘dismissing’ the alarm on my mobile phone, is to meditate. More than a thousand studies have shown the positive impact of meditation. It has been proven to have amazing neurological benefits such as improving concentration and attention, while reducing stress and anxiety.
Meditation is not about clearing your mind and having no thoughts at all. It’s about being mindful of the present moment, focusing your attention on your breath or any part of your body, allowing any thoughts that emerge to pass through and to keep coming back to the present. Imagine that you’re sitting in a sidewalk café reading your favourite book. It’s fine if you allow your gaze to fix on passing cars once in a while, but you will never finish your book if you hop into one of those cars and go for a ride down the street! Even if that happens, you should try to come back before you stray away too far. I guess it’s obvious by now that those cars represent your thoughts that may take you away from the present moment. Just acknowledge them, allow them to pass, but don’t let them take you for a ride!
Sitting quietly for as little as 10 minutes a day benefits you greatly, but what is even better is if you can sustain your mindfulness in every moment of Now. Try to be fully present when you are doing your daily activities, whether you are walking, talking or eating. After each session, I make a commitment to be as mindful as possible for the rest of the day.
A: APPRECIATION/ GRATITUDE
After my meditation session. I give thanks and appreciation for the things that I am grateful for, especially based on the events of the previous day. Remind yourself to hold this feeling of gratitude throughout the day. Gratitude has been scientifically proven to improve one’s physical and mental health, boost one’s self-esteem, enable you to forge better relationships and even help you sleep better! The following is a little poem that I wrote during the recent lockdown period, as an expression of my gratitude:
Thank you, for the roof above my head
and the ground beneath my feet.
I am thankful, as I lie here in my bed,
for the morning I get to greet.
Thank you, for this meal of toasted bread,
with jam that tastes so sweet.
I am thankful, for the pounds I have yet to shed,
for it means I've had plenty to eat.
Thank you, for the dues that have been paid,
and the ones I've yet to meet;
I am thankful, as I take this shower I dread,
that I'm able to turn on the heat.
Thank you, for the shows that are being played,
even those that are on repeat;
I'm thankful, for the verses in my head,
even those that are on repeat.
Thank you for this stuff of which I'm made,
that I am more than just bones and meat;
I'm thankful, for the crown above my head,
and the throne which will become my seat.
Thank you for both ends of the eternal thread,
with ends that will one day meet;
I'm thankful, for the journey that lies ahead,
and the quest I shall complete.
R: REFLECTION
I mean this literally as well as metaphorically! Look at your reflection in the mirror, hold your gaze without any judgment, and reflect. What do you reflect on? For me, I go through the 3As:
1. Acknowledge Your Success
Think of 3 things that you did well the previous day, be proud of what you achieved, and resolve to build on your achievements.
2. Areas for Growth
Think of 3 things you could have done better. If you did something which fell below your own expectations, do not feel discouraged or beat yourself up over it. It is important to acknowledge it, move on and begin each new day with a clean slate.
3. Action Plan
Taking cognizance of 1 and 2 above, what are the 3 things you can do today which can contribute to your growth? Commit to it.
It would be good to transcribe the action plan in your journal or diary. If you prefer to, you can even do this exercise at night and reflect on the things you did earlier in the day. Before you finish your mirror exercise, one last thing for you to say is, “[Your Name], I Love You”. I know this is not easy and may feel uncomfortable for some of you (as it did for me initially) but it has worked wonders for many. In fact, recent research in psychology and neuroscience point to mirrors aiding in self-development, shifting the way you see yourself, and grounding you in your body.
V: VISUALISATION
Have you ever noticed that when you think of buying a new red car, suddenly there are so many red cars on the road? Or if you are wishing to travel to Japan, suddenly your news feed is full of things about Japan? Does this have anything to do with the “Law of Attraction”, or the laws of quantum physics, or is it just your brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) at work? The RAS is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information so the important information gets through. Your RAS filters the world through the parameters you give it, and these parameters are based on your beliefs. Basically, your RAS helps you see what you want to see and as such, it influences your actions. You can train your RAS by marrying your subconscious thoughts to your conscious thoughts. If you focus hard enough on your goals, your RAS will reveal the people, information and opportunities that help you achieve them, and this can be done through the process of visualisation.
For this process, I close my eyes and visualise the ideal life I wish to have — the amazing people I wish to be with, the growth and fun I wish to experience, the beautiful house(s) I wish to stay in, the passions I wish to pursue and the contributions I wish to make. While having these images in my mind, I conjure up strong feelings and sensations, as if I have already achieved my vision. Whether it’s your reticular activating system, or the principle of potentialities as advocated by quantum physics, or just your subconscious focusing on opportunities, many real life superheroes believe in the power of visualisation and they have had the results to prove its effectiveness.
E: EXERCISE
I don’t think I need to talk much about exercise as we all know of its immense benefits! However, one thing I would like to stress here is that exercise does not need to be stressful. I try to go for effective and non-time-consuming exercises like Tabata and the 7-minute bodyweight workout. Another thing I would like to share is a Public Service Announcement on YouTube that caught my eye recently, in which an array of unhealthy items are displayed on a wooden chair. The question posed in the video was, which of the items displayed is the most dangerous to your health? Is it the doughnut, cheeseburger, alcohol, or cigarettes? The answer is — the chair! Not because someone may hit you on the head with it, but because sitting too long can virtually kill you. A 2012 study suggests that excessive inactivity is responsible for not only 6 percent of all cardiac disease, but also 7 percent of all type-2 diabetes, 10 percent of breast and colon cancers and 9 percent of all premature mortality. If you are working a 9-to-5 job, you are at an even higher risk. That is why some offices have started implementing standing desks, standing meetings and even “walking” desks where employees actually work while walking on a treadmill! However, if your office doesn’t support such policies, what you can do is to actually get up every hour or so to get your water from the water cooler or check something with your colleague. Every time you need to go to another floor in your office building, use the stairs. Out of the office, try walking whenever you can, including taking brisk walks in the park. What I usually do every morning on top of the Tabata or bodyweight exercises is a 30-minute walk, preferably in a fasted state.
L: LEARNING
How do we survive and even thrive in this volatile, unpredictable and ever-changing world? Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one that is most adaptable to change.” Just look at what happened to Blockbuster and Kodak, whose lack of agility caused them to fail, and compare them to the success stories of Amazon and Fuji, who were able to adapt to the changing times and thrive.
The best way to adapt is by constantly learning, unlearning and relearning. One of the ways is by reading, or in this internet age, by watching webinars or attending online courses. I try to spend at least one hour a day for this purpose. As to what you should learn about? Anything and everything! However, as there are so many sources of learning materials out there, especially with the internet and social media, one would be wise to prioritise. Ask yourself what would serve you best on your journey towards fulfilling your vision or purpose in life. For example, if you feel your mission and passion is to reach out to those from other countries, learning a new language (especially that of the region you wish to serve) would be important. If you wish to set up your own business, marketing skills would be essential.
In this new economy, where humans are getting replaced by technology in certain areas, it would be prudent to acquire new skills that would ensure you remain relevant in the area you wish to pursue. Having said that, learning itself is useless. Knowledge is potential power. The real power lies in the application of the knowledge learned. This is how change happens.
THE ART OF SUSTAINABILITY
I have a confession to make: This MARVEL routine is not something I just came up with – it was conceptualised more than a year ago! However, I only managed to implement it on a consistent basis around five months ago and it is now finally embedded as part of my daily routine. So, what is the secret of my recent consistency? What worked for me now that didn’t work for me back then? Well, there’s a certain SCIENCE to it:
START WITH WHY
Why do you want to implement this routine? What do you want to change about yourself, and why is it important? This helps you identify the habit that needs to be changed or installed and the drive to work on it every day.
COMMIT IN WRITING
I’ve been telling myself to meditate, exercise etc. since time immemorial! It was only when I developed the MARVEL mnemonic device and started committing to it in writing that I managed to successfully do it on a consistent basis. What I do is, immediately after the meditation session that I do first thing in the morning, I will write ‘M’, ‘A’, ‘R’, ‘V’, ‘E’, ‘L’ in my journal and start off by ticking off ‘M’. Then, I proceed with my ‘Appreciation’ session and tick off the ‘A’, and so on. There are times when I have successfully ticked off the ‘M’, ‘A’, ‘R’, ‘V’ and ‘L’ and there’s that poor little ‘E’ still left unticked. It sticks out like a sore thumb and reminds me that there’s unfinished business to be taken care of! So, even though I may not do it as part of my morning routine, I will do it in the evening, even if it’s just a short 4-minute Tabata session. Which leads me to the ‘I’ in SCIENCE, If/Then.
IF/THEN
Life happens. Things don’t always go as planned. For example, you may be all geared up to go out for your morning jog when it suddenly starts pouring. Instead of not exercising at all, you need a back-up plan, e.g. if it rains, I will exercise indoors. In my case, if I don’t have the time (or mood) to do a full-blown exercise routine in the morning, I will do the 4-minute Tabata exercise as a back-up.
EXISTING ROUTINE
What makes it easy to form a new routine or habit is also to ride on an existing one. The classic example is adding the act of flossing on to your daily habit of brushing your teeth. What I do is that since I’m already doing the 3As reflection, I have recently added the practice of daily affirmations as part of the mirror exercise.
NEVER MISS TWICE
Again, life happens. There are days when you may have urgent things to do or struggle with health issues — there are times when you may need to attend to the family dog, and there are times that the family doc may need to attend to you. However, what’s important is that you try your very best to recommit and make sure you do not miss the following day. Otherwise, there is a higher propensity that you will miss the day after, and the next and the next. It’s something like mindfulness — your thoughts may stray and wander, but what is important is not for you to have no thoughts at all, but for you to bring the focus and attention back to the present. Similarly, if you miss, say, a day of exercise, cut yourself some slack for tomorrow is a brand new day. Recommit with double the effort and focus and make sure you come back even stronger than before.
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
In my case, I used to meditate in bed after I woke up in the morning. However, that increased the likelihood for me to go back to sleep. So I changed the environment, and what I do now the moment the alarm rings is to immediately go to the living room and start meditating on the sofa.
END WITH WHEN
We started with a ‘Why’, and we shall end with a ‘When’. Schedule specifically when you are going to practise the daily routine that you have created. For me, I implement my morning in three blocks of 30 minutes each (I call it the 3 X 30). The first block of 30 minutes is for Meditation, the second for Appreciation, Reflection and Visualisation, and the final 30 minutes are for Exercise and Learning (I sometimes do it simultaneously, e.g. doing my fasted walks while listening to a podcast or watching a webinar). If I have less time, I will do the exercising and learning later in the day and if I have more time, I will exercise again and commit to more learning later. So, although I try to do most of the MARVEL ‘components’ in the morning, I keep it flexible, especially when it comes to exercising and learning.
And there you have it, a simple system which helps me to implement my little practices daily. By following this routine, I get to accomplish quite a bit before I even start work. I feel more grounded, present and alert; happier, livelier, and healthier. I am closer to my ideal bodyweight, and although I still may not have the ripped, muscular body of a superhero (yet), I sure feel like one!
We can all change for the better. We do not need to be born with the genetic makeup of geniuses or mutants for us to be superheroes. Neither do we need dramatic transformations caused by super serums or radiation. All you need to do is to come up with your own prescriptions for a better life and administer them in small doses, day in, day out. It all adds up. Do it consistently enough (some experts say 66 days) and it will become a life-changing habit. At the end of the day (or should I say, year), you may just turn out to be as amazing and incredible as the superheroes, real-life or otherwise, that you have always aspired to be.
