#1791 “I Sleep in the Citadel”

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that I hit a dozen Heroic Targets within minutes of waking up as I have fun doing the little things that keep me PLUGGED IN and making my prior best my new baseline and all that.

I shared the fact that I’ve hit over 75,000 ( 😳!!) targets in our Heroic app in the past two years.

I also shared the fact that it’s REALLY hard to have a REALLY bad day (let alone a *series* of bad days!) when I do the things I know help me show up as my best.

Obviously we all have highs and lows, but our highs get higher and our lows get higher when we do the things we know are best for us.

Don’t believe me though.

TEST IT OUT YOURSELF.

I hereby challenge you to spend 15-30 minutes setting up your Heroic protocol—getting clarity on who you are at your best then adding the Top 3 things you do in your Energy, Work, and Love when you’re at your best.

Then commit to being the best version of you in the morning and actually DO those things.

It’s just NOT POSSIBLE to spiral out of control when you do that.

Again, don’t believe me.

Test it!

Note: Our data shows that you’re TEN times more likely to set up your Big 3 protocol if you’ve gone through Basic Training in the app so…

Go through basic training if you haven’t yet!

Now…

Today I want to chat about one of my Heroic Targets I hit first thing in the morning that I mentioned yesterday.

You may have seen a couple of them and wondered what the heck they were.

These two:

“I Sleep with Tape” 🎯
“I Sleep in the Citadel” 🎯

The first one is inspired by Patrick McKeown. Learn more about that in our Notes on The Oxygen Advantage and in Breathing 101.

Today I want to chat about this Target:

“I Sleep in the Citadel” 🎯

That’s inspired by Pierre Hadot—the great Stoic scholar.

He wrote a book called all about the Stoic spiritual practices of Marcus Aurelius called The Inner Citadel. It’s FANTASTIC

The “inner citadel” is what he calls the well-trained mind—the mind that doesn’t let ANYTHING into it without express consent.

When we establish that inner citadel, he tells us: “From now on, it feels, nothing can invade or disturb it. It is like a cliff against which the crashing surf breaks constantly, while it remains standing unmovably as the waves come, bubbling, to die at its feet.”

Now…

Every morning I commit to hitting that Target—reminding me to NEVER allow my mind to ruminate on things in the middle of the night.

When I go to bed, my thinking for the day is OVER.

I sleep in a “citadel.”

Of course, on many nights, the less-than-enlightened voices in my mind might WANT to chat about a million things.

That’s when I remember my Target and the fact that “I Sleep in the Citadel.” 🎯

Then I run the If-Then implementation intention algorithm that goes like this: “If my mind starts ruminating at night, then I focus on my breathing and recite my quote-prayer-mantras.”

Then I fall back to sleep. Not always immediately but much faster than if I allowed the little thieves into my citadel via the back door.

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

If you feel so inspired, perhaps you can strengthen the fortification of YOUR inner citadel and sleep safely within that inner fortress tonight.

It’s Day 1.

We’re ALL IN.

And…

We’re having fun DOMINATING our idiosyncratic protocols all day every day especially…

TODAY.

(And TONIGHT! 🤓 !)