Mental Prep for Movement Prep
All movement originates in the mind. If we wanted to get philosophical, we could say that all of reality originates in the mind.
All it takes is a focused effort, and you can learn anything new in 20 hours. That is what I learned from this really entertaining and enlightening Ted Talk by Josh Kaufman.
According to Mr. Kaufman, once we get over our initial fear of feeling stupid for not already knowing something, get over our pride, we can learn anything!
Imagine all of the things you could learn if you dedicated just 20 hours to them. Maybe not expert-level master, but learn them.
Say it with me... I am an unabashed learner. I try to learn something new every day. I even learned two new things today!
Be unafraid of not having known something before. Fear is a waste of time. But sometimes it isn't fear that prevents us from moving forward. Sometimes, we simply do not know the next logical step to take. This is where life becomes really fun - it is our calling to follow our intuitions and experiment.
Last week, I received a text message from an old friend from college. He saw our posts on social media and, being in the same field, he wanted to talk more about what we are doing. He wanted to schedule a call with me. I was elated to know that other professionals are interested in what we are doing! It was an honor. He is a bit younger, has been exploring life in various, productive ways, but he is still unsure how or where he wants to commit his time in a "career" fashion.
So, we spoke Sunday night. I wasn't even sure what the call was going to be about, but once we got going, I could tell he was inspired by his exposure to our website and our posts. It felt so good, like we made an impact on someone. He just had not yet figured out what part of his brain it tickled. I knew it was a moment to serve in a mentor role, as so many people have done for me before. So, first I asked him questions and listened - one of my favorite activities!
Then, I told him our story so far, about our highs and our lows. We have only been a business, officially, for just over six months. But, we have already experienced so much in terms of success and failure. We have learned quite a bit.
I also told my friend about this little game I play in my head to track learning and personal growth. It is completely estimated, but I encourage you to try it, get a feel for it.
Here is the game: Concerning learning, Spend roughly 6% of the time exposing yourself to new things or subjects, and 94% of the time practicing those new things. You will find that for the subjects in which you are most interested, the learning will flow like a river.
For me, that has been the case with Exercise Science. I love learning about the human body. In the health and fitness world, that means learning about new methods, deciphering their worth or whether they are worth pursuing, and then practicing fervently.
The methods we share with you here at The Guac are worth pursuing because we have already done the work!
*You can grow in many different areas simultaneously, in parallel. This is how I became more informed in subjects such as self-motivation, positive thinking, personal finance, the investing world, startups, running a business, and accounting language. Not that I am perfect at these things yet, but trying. Failure is the lack of trying. Nonetheless, these skills are necessary for successfully running a business.
Learning about areas other than those of your expertise also means having "new material," as comedians or entertainers might put it. Having different things to talk about helps enrich relationships with my clients, as well as keeps them entertained between sets. In my opinion, being knowledgeable makes you much more fun, especially at parties. I could listen to a well-informed person speak all day.
If you want to learn about another culture, you can visit a museum. 2-3 hours later, you have been exposed to one or many cultures, even inspired. Now, you go read up on the internet. Maybe you have had your fill, and the inspiration dies. But, if you have just one exposure that leads you down a rich path of practice and learning, then you have acquired a very rich skill.
This was mental prep, an exercise geared to prepare you to learn about Movement Prep - the foundation for your movement. Tune in next week for a new way of thought towards how your body moves!
Have a great week!
