Slow down. Chill out. Take a breather. Relax. Are these words all foreign to you? Can you even contemplate taking it easy? The "Pace" at which we are conditioned to move and work is staggering. Forget about keeping up with the "Jones", now we are trying to keep up with Usain Bolt and his staggering speed.
One quick thing for you to remember when working through your "365's" is that every moment matters.
Even at the edge of the precipice Don't forget this. The days will fly by due to the accelerated pace that society is setting for us and if we don't pay attention, or attune our minds and bodies to recognize the special moments then they simply go by unannounced. It is these moments that make the difference. It is these moments that propel us to greatness. These are the moments which allow us to reward and recognize ourselves and the hard work we are doing.
While working on my first "The 365" I had continual challenges with each of my 4 commitments. I can look back over the year and with perfect clarity isolate "Moments" where my commitment, dedication and focus to my "The 365" were honored. It was in those times of meaningful reflection that I gained the strength to continue. I am thankful that I learned to make the "moments matter" very early in my "The 365" process.
One specific moment was back in June of this year while sitting at a table in Banff with an amazing group of people. I had been invited to a dinner party with some of the most influential and successful television executives in the Canadian scene. We had just finished a fantastic dinner to celebrate the ending of the Banff TV/Film Festival. The conversation was bouncing all over the table with one story after another being shared and all in all it was a delightful time. Then came DESERT!!! Yikes. I had made it through the evening successfully navigating myself away from the countless bottles of fine red wine that others were now even more liberally enjoying but I was now faced with an even greater challenge. A chocolate Brownie ice cream sundae. I mean a DELICIOUS looking (yes they brought that annoying tray around to the table) Chocolate Brownie Sunday. Oh the horror. Yes they could heat up the brownie, yes it was available with French Vanilla ice cream, Chocolate hot fudge drizzle on top... YOU BET. This is my ultimate treat. In the my past, every time I left my home for an extended trip on a race or a TV show, my wife and children knew that part of my homecoming tradition would be to reward myself a HUGE brownie sundae the night I got home. Now here it was right in front of me while 6 months into my "The 365". The MOMENT was at hand (one of my 365 commitments is no junk food).
With perfect clarity, I can now describe to you the "drizzle" effect that the hot fudge created on the plate. I can instantly pull into my mind the smell of the warm, nutty brownie as it crept inside my body and filled my every pore. I can recall this moment immediately.
What I can also recall is the moment where I planted my feet squarely on the floor, aligned my back and posture straight up into the back of the chair and closed my eyes. It was only for a moment and no one in the room had the slightest clue that this was happening but at that moment I was as focused, as dedicated and committed to my "The 365" plan as I had ever been. It was gone. The brownie still looked amazing but the desire was gone. The only thing on my mind at that point was how far I had come and how proud I was at myself for realizing it. The reward in that moment was a strength that I had not yet experienced and the best thing about it was that it only took a couple of seconds to realize it. A couple of seconds for strength I had not yet know. How amazing is that.
The moments matter and when you learn recognize these moments over the course of the day, week, month and year you start to realize what "effect" they are having on your life.
While coaching a recent "365'er" on their individual plan we came up with a unique commitment. The "365'er" wanted to meditate for X amount of time everyday and was questioning the reality of actually being able to make it happen due to the fast pace at which she operated. When breaking it down, of course I got S.A.M. on her side and started working the process with her. What we came up with was the commitment of "Finding the opportunity and recognizing a MOMENT of meditation on a daily basis". Only a moment. This was so open, so simple, actionable and measurable. By simply allowing her to find a moment of meditation it took all the pressure off the "Act" of meditating and allowed her to find the moments where every they surfaced.
It doesn't matter what your "Moments" are but what does matter is recognizing them. It is only on the brink that people find the will to change. Only at the precipice do we evolve. These are our moments and no one can take them from us.
Challenge yourself to find a moment during the day. The key is to celebrate that moment and store it away in your mind. When you put them together they can make for quite the life.
Send me your thoughts and "Moments", I would love to hear.
If you wan to find out how to be "Effected" drop me an email, reach out to me here on the blog or find me on Twitter.
Twitter - the365effect
the365effect@gmail.com
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