75 Hard Experience

Bring it on! I’m ready to conquer 2021 after the shit show of 2020.

I’m seven days into my 75 Hard Challenge, which might as well be my New Years Resolution.

I tried to start the day after Christmas and failed, but then restarted the next day. Now I’m seven days down and 68 to go!

How well did you start 2021 and when?

After the shit-show that was 2020, I was ready to start early. And I started by trying a 75 Hard before Christmas and failing. Then I reset for the day after Christmas and failed. So I started again. Now I am seven days in.

In the last seven days, it hasn’t been great, but I’ve lost a couple of pounds and been working out. I really want to get back into fighting shape.

I was a U.S. Marine at one time and in great shape. I loved being physically fit and then life got in the way for about a decade. Now I’m fat, old, and out of shape. I can, and am, doing something about two out of three.

Persistence is the key to everything. I’m learning that, again and again, the hard way through these 75 Hard Challenges.

I’ve been learning everything the hard way during my 75 Hard Challenges.

One of the things I’m remembering, and learning again, from being a Marine is “bring it on!” We use to say that to any challenge. Didn’t matter what it was.

Now I find myself saying “bring it” to 2021. I’m ready for 2020 to be a memory and ready for 2021 to be in full swing.

Bring on the challenge. Bring on the new year. Bring on the challenge.

Whatever happens and whatever it is, my attitude this year is going to be with the arrogance of a young Marine and say “bring it!”

What about you? What is your attitude towards the new year? What are you going to do this year? What goals have you set?

What challenge will you say “bring it!”

Ben Branam

The post Bring it 2021! Day 7 of 75 Hard appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Will your relationships with the people close to you suffer during and after doing the 75 Hard Program?

I got a sad email from a heartbroken father. His daughter’s boyfriend was doing 75 Hard and at about day 30 abruptly ended the 7-year relationship for no apparent reason. He wanted to know if that was part of 75 Hard.

That is definitely not part of the program, but could be an outcome and a possible downside of you completing 75 Hard.

If you complete the 75 Hard Program it will have an effect on your relationships with those around you. Everything has a positive or negative effect on your relationships no matter what you do or do not do.

The 75 Hard Program, as outlined by Andy Friesella (2 workouts per day, a perfect diet, drink a gallon of water a day, read 10 pages of a self improvement book a day, and take a progress picture, for 75 days straight), will have a profound effect on the people close to you.

Through this website, I’m hoping you do the program. I’m hoping it changes you for the better (it will if you do it and don’t cheat), and I’m hoping that the people around you will see you get better and want to do the same. If we can get that effect to spider web out in the world, we can make the world a better place. I know, pipe dreams, but those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, just might.

When you complete this program you will grow five to ten years in maturity in less than three months. You will feel like the people around you haven’t changed, but you have. And you are right. Sometimes you have to give the people around you time to ketchup, and sometimes you will leave them behind. That is their choice. Do they want to improve and grow as a person or not?

I’m getting old and crotchety, if you want to improve yourself I’ll bend over backward to help you. I’m as loyal as a puppy. If you don’t want to improve yourself, get better as a person, and better at what you do, I’ve got no time for you.

You will find the same things. You can either spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to change someone or move on. During the 75 days, you will not have time to work on anyone but yourself. Doing two workouts a day, planning all your meals, and making sure you take time to read and drink water, takes up all your free time. The first time I did the program, I don’t think I spent more than four hours for the entire 75 days watching TV. The average American watches their screens for over four hours a day.

After doing the program, you won’t be average anymore. You will be above the crowd and you will want to spend time with other people that want to be on the top.

Since finishing the program the first time, I am working in a totally new job, field, and industry. I was pissed off at my old company because they wanted to be the same, and not improve policies or procedures, or the company, or themselves. So, I was thankful when they pushed me out at the beginning of the Pandemic and I found a new company and boss to work for. People that wanted to be better and get things done.

As usual, there is always one (a Marine Corps saying meaning nothing will be perfect with a group of people, there will always be one person that is messed up). And he does nothing but pisses me off! And I don’t want anything to do with him. I have to work with him, for now, but if I was his direct boss, I would simply replace him. I don’t have time to argue with someone daily that doesn’t want to do their job, let alone doesn’t care to get better.

The change is worth doing the 75 Hard Program, but like anything in life, there is a downside. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Ben Branam

The post 75 Hard and Relationships appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Do you continue when you are sick? Give up for a day? Or give up period?

Yesterday I was laid up by the Covid Vaccine. I felt so sick I could barely do anything. I didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to move, felt horrible.

Before you go side-ways on me for talking about the Vaccine, it’s only relevant because I got mine the day before. Pain in my arm migrated to pain everywhere. It was the “I’m sick” body aches that come with a common cold. I just didn’t want to do anything. Even going downstairs to drink water was work.

But I did it. I continued my 75 Hard Journey even while being sick.

I know it sounds stupid to say, “look at me I did something while I was sick.” Because we all do what we have to do when we are sick. I know when you are sick you still have family and work obligations that you will continue to do. So I just added 75 Hard on top of those normal things.

Pushing through the hard times no matter what is how you continue and do hard things when you have to.

Last year I got the actual Covid-19 and it sucked a lot! I’d suggest you avoid it if at all possible.

But some of the main problems that will land you in the hospital are dehydration and weakness from lack of food. So when I had the Rona I made myself get up every hour and drink water and walk around. I also forced myself to eat something once a day. I had extreme muscle pain and my blood oxygen levels were on the brink of a hospital stay. But I wasn’t going.

On day two of walking around my room every hour, I had to go to the bathroom first and look myself in the mirror to get the motivation to do it. I had to yell at myself like I was a junior Marine failing at his task. But I did it.

On day three of walking around the pain was so bad I would cry in front of the mirror first and then tell myself I could do it. And then did it.

By day four, it started getting better.

The discipline, motivation, and pure grit I learned from 75 Hard let me stay at home and out of the hospital and recover from the Rona.

This program could change your life and maybe even save it. Sooner or later things will happen in life. You will get sick, a family member will get sick, and you will lose someone... We are all mortal and it happens. But if you have built-in a strength of will you will come out the other side. If you choose to try and learn your strength of will at the worst time in your life you may not make it.

Build your strength before you need it. Do a 75 Hard Program and be a better person. Sign up for my 75 Hard free starters guide here.

Ben Branam

The post Do You Continue When You are Sick? 75 Hard Day 42 appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

Yesterday I completed another 75 Hard.

I am very grateful to have finished and run the race. Did I accomplish all my goals... that’s a big NO! Do I wish I had accomplished all my goals? Of couse!

I did accomplish my biggest goal. I feel and think I’ve become a better person. I read three books, worked out every day and pushed more weight than the month before, and went faster than the month before.

I wanted to lose some weight and a couple of inches on the gut and chest while I was at it. No such luck.

In the last couple of days of challenge, I was feeling like a failure because I had worked for 75 days straight and felt like I sacrificed a lot to get some weight to drop off. I felt like life was kicking me in the face again and felt depression setting in.

It’s really easy to go down a dark path when you let your self-talk tell you about all your failures and again and again. I wouldn’t let anyone in the world talk to me in that way, but I let myself tell me how worthless I was.

I was able to turn it around with a little thankfulness. At the beginning of last week, we finally had the first day of fall here in South Texas. We know fall is coming when we finally have a cool feeling moring.

If you don’t live here, it’s hard to explain. During the summer it never cools down. It’s always hot. Even right before down and in the middle of the night, it still feels hot. It just doesn’t feel as hot. We all look forward to that first morning when you walk outside and feels cool. We normally wait for three to for months, but sometimes it is as long as six months.

This first morning doesn’t mean the heat is gone for the year, it just means that it will start getting better.

That first morning, feeling like shit, a failure, and idiot, I walked outside to go to work and felt the cool morning. It was glorious.

I walked out into the middle of my street and stood there for about five minutes just enjoying the morning cool breeze. Just thankful for everything. I posted it on Instagram (@BenBranam) and looked at some of my pictures. I have a great life. No, I don’t have everything I want, but I have everything I need. And I get to do some pretty amazing things with some awesome people!

From this 75 Hard I learned one thing. I struggled for 75 days of not missing a workout, not eating one sweat thing, reading every day 10 pages, and drinking a gallon of water.

I did it to learn one painfully obvious less:

BE THANKFUL FOR WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU HAVE!

One of the most simple things ever.

I am probably just dense as it takes me learning the hard way to truly get life lessons. Are you like that?

I’m determined to remember this one and to practice every day.

I have a great job. I have great friends. I have a great family. I am a good person. I have a great life!

Most of the time I forget this. I ignore my good friends and let those that are “friends” be vampires and suck away my time and energy.

I complain and focus on the bad parts of my job. No job is perfect, but I love most of it, like 90% of it, and like 90% of the people I work with. I sometimes focus on what I wish my family would do for me or with me, and that sucks the joy away from everything family.

Sometimes, I let myself go down a dark path and remind myself over and over again about all my failures, misses, and mistakes in life. Forgetting that I reached three out of five goals I set for myself.

And then, worst of all, I look at other peoples’ lives and how great it looks and judge their best days against my worst days and think about how crappy my life is. Not true at all. No matter how good or bad other peoples’ lives are, mine is still good or bad regardless of what they are doing.

I am thankful for you reading this. The world is a dumpster fire of uncertainty right now. We need everyone that can to become better. If you are reading this, I know that you want to be better. And you will.

My advice, be thankful for what you have, what you have achieved, and continue getting better and achieving more.

Ben Branam

The post Thankfulness: 75 Hard Day Complete appeared first on 75 Hard Experience.

It’s what I remember after September 11, 2001, a love for others and an admiration for our country and those that were ready to protect us no matter the cost.

It’s been 20 years since the terrorist attacks on 9-11 and the world has changed considerably for the good and the bad.

The attacks were horrible. Thousands dying and more are trying to make it right.

Since then we’ve been at war. America has taken over two countries and killed tenfold what we lost that day or more. We’ve also lost more than the two thousand we lost that day.

After fighting for 20 years we now have warriors going into battle because of 9-11 that were not even alive when it happened.

If you were alive that day, you know what was going on and where you were (check out my story here). Share your story in the comments below.

I want you to remember how you felt the days and weeks after 9-11. How much you cared for other people and wanted to help any way you could. How much you admired and wanted to honor our heros’ trying to do work that they knew was impossible but couldn’t bring it up to those that were supporting them.

I want you to remember how close you felt to all the people around you, how we let petty differences go, and became one people for a couple of years. We all stood for what we thought was right. And we stood together.

We all wanted to be better so we could help all those in need. We wanted the country to be better so it could stop this from happening again. And we wanted to the world to be better so that no one would ever resort to such an act again.

Now, 20 years later, we’ve lost that unity of purpose. We have lost the desire to be better and help each other. We, as Americans, are lost. We have no direction.

I don’t know what direction is best for the country but I do know what direction is better for me and you... up. Become better at everything you do.

As a person, there is only one way to go, and that is up. You have to level up in life. The way to do that is by becoming more than you are right now. In short, become better.

You have to grow as a person. That’s how we make everything better. You become better and help the people around you become better, and soon we have a better world to leave for our children and our children’s children.

Stop buying into all the negative news in the world. These are simple problems to solve. Become better and learn to solve a problem. Help people with their problems and they will help you.

Then the world will be better. It all starts with you taking a look in the mirror and making a change.

Ben Branam

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