Begin your integration journey:
Day 1: The Baseline Assess where you naturally use principles vs. where you force them. Create your integration map.
Day 2: The Focus Choose your weakest principle. Apply it three times in low-stakes situations. Notice resistance.
Day 3: The Combination Combine two principles in one interaction. Example: Use influential communication while setting a boundary.
Day 4: The Natural Go through your day without thinking about principles. Evening: Reflect on which ones you used unconsciously.
Day 5: The Stretch Apply all five principles in one important situation. Plan it, execute it, document it.
Day 6: The Teaching Share one principle with someone who could benefit. Teaching deepens integration.
Day 7: The Identity Write a one-page description of who you're becoming. Not what you're doing—who you're being.
Michael's insight: "Day 7 shocked me. I wrote about being a 'constructive force for positive influence' instead of the 'nice guy who gets overlooked.' That identity shift changed everything."