Think Your Day Before You Do Your Day
Posted: January 04, 2024
Have you ever seen the comedy movie starring Bill Murray called Groundhog Day. In the movie Bill Murray’s was forced to continue to relive a single day until he got it right. How many times did it take him to get it right? In his case, it took him 12,395 times before he learned the life lesson which were critical to his character having a successful outcome on that one fateful February 2nd. Again and again and again he kept getting it wrong by going through the day without the forethought about what was important to him, what was the outcome he was after and how he treat the people he came across.
My background in martial arts is based in a sport which requires you with great precision to go as fast as you can for a 2 minute. There is nothing slow about point fighting, it is one of the fastest forms of combat in the world. And while speed and quickness are essential what is more important is having a calm mind that can see things happening as if the punches and kicks are being performed in slow motion.
Part of what enables the best athletes in the world to access this “flow” state comes from their practice of visualizing the performance in their mind over and overusing different scenarios until they feel confident they can perform it in reality as well as they can see it in their mind. Finally, when it is time to actually perform, the traditional feeling of nerves fall away and a familiar calm falls over them as they enter their ideal flow performance state.
Fortunately, for us, the benefit of a more centered flow state can be started while embracing silence and visualizing the day to come for 3 - 5 minute in the morning and then checking in with ourselves a couple times throughout the day to refresh you state of being. We don’t have to go though our day feeling like we are the victim of whatever happens. We can have the presence and calm to respond rather than react.
Personal Best is a lifestyle choice. Part of making the decision to live at your best is the commitment you make to yourself to be fully present and to repeat errors made as infrequently as possible. The habit of daily silence gives you the best chance at both. Next week I will add another way you can more easily bring silence into your life.