Take a deep breath. Go ahead, do it right now. Doesn't that feel good? Breathing is an amazing stress reducer. Our body needs oxygen to function and the function of our brain is actually constrained when it doesn't have the amount of oxygen it requires (which is why drowning victims can have brain damage if they were without air for a long time). When we're stressed out we unconsciously take short breaths. This causes our body and brain to work harder and thereby create even more stress. Try to consciously take deep breath's throughout the day and you will feel a big improvement in your overall physical health.
My dad, Adam, and myself had an interesting conversation last night when I visited my parents house. I won't go deep into the conversation, but a couple of key points from the conversation are worth mentioning:
- The zone. Most people who are skilled in a particular field have experienced it. It's that feeling you get when things seem to happen without conscious thought, when you feel as if you're watching yourself do the work without actually needing to think about doing it. I've had that experience while typing on my computer, when words and thoughts seem to flow from my head straight to the screen. I've also felt it while running on the treadmill and when lifting weights. When you stop identifying what you're doing as your action and remove your ego from the picture, energy flows without your ego's intervention thereby creating "the zone".
- React to problems as water reacts to rocks; flow around them. There is always a tomorrow that exists with the problem in the past, so keep that day in mind and the problem will seem easily manageable.
- Life is like water in the palm of your hand: you have a limited amount of time. Do something with it.
I can directly relate to reacting to problems in a calm, intelligent way. My experience with the Bowers St incident has made me feel as if I can tackle any problem that comes my way.
Don't put things off until tomorrow. Would you want the you of tomorrow to have to deal with it? No, so get it done today and the you of tomorrow will thank you for it.
I thank you… I took a breath of life today. Then ask God to not just guide me today, but to show himself to me. Despite the cold rain – today is an Awsome Day.
An awesome day it is indeed. Cold, but awesome. 🙂
Plainly & powerfully written description of the zone. Kudoz
I suppose the next question should be: What are some tricks & techniques for getting into the zone?
I haven’t yet developed any of my own, but I have been observing my zoning in and out, I am trying to keep track of what thoughts, notions, influences et cetera are triggering it.
Well, I have experienced the zone feeling when I’m trying not to think about what I’m doing, as in when I’m running and I just concentrate on thinking about something totally unrelated to running (for example, going over my to do list for the following day). However, I have also experienced the feeling when concentrating very intently on what I’m doing, as in when I am programming and time seems to zip by at 100x normal speed.
I believe it has less to do with what you’re thinking about in the moment as it does with how much the activity becomes second nature to you and how easily you are able to no longer identify the activity with something you are you doing and rather as something that’s being powered by a force outside your control. Basically, it seems to come down to how easily you can remove the identification of your action with yourself; something that is rather difficult because our entire life is governed by our expectation that action = reaction.
Knowing the experiences of “life of djt”, the zone seems sooooo out of reach.