Practicing what you preach
Living the Rules of the Mental Game
Learning and being aware of the rules of mental training is one thing. Living them is a process of repetition, repetition, repetition. Knowing what to do and then doing it is hard. It is much easier to talk about having an open mind, getting uncomfortable, and acting your way into the feeling, but actually doing these things is much harder.
Having an Open Mind: Living with an open mind means you are aware of your thoughts. You are aware of the lens you view new information through. You are able to recognize the judgement you are bringing into new situations. If you are able to recognize whether you are open or closed to a new idea or action, you can get curious and begin to question your underlying assumptions. Living with an open mind requires curiosity and a belief that there is always something to learn.
Comfortable being uncomfortable: Being comfortable in uncomfortable situations is a skill that you can build just like any other skill. It requires training and practice. We are not able to avoid discomfort in our lives so it makes sense to train and prepare by choosing opportunities to get uncomfortable. We are choosing to get uncomfortable so when discomfort is forced upon us by a circumstance or setting that is out of our control, we will know how to handle it. Recognize the situation will be uncomfortable and choose to go towards it instead of avoiding it.
Act your way into the feeling: The best way to live out this rule is to act, act, act. It is impossible to act perfectly in everything we do. In fact, most people overanalyze and never end up taking action. We can all use more action in our life. The way to act your way into the feeling is to know what actions you need to take in the situation you are in right now. That means you are locked into the present, focused on the task at hand. When an action presents itself to be done, simply notice your energy and if you know it is the right action, take it. Act, analyze, adjust, and act again. Learning takes place best through action.
As you go through your day and your week, pay attention to what you are open to and what you are closed to, notice what makes you uncomfortable, and be aware of when you are avoiding actions. When you become aware, begin to live the rules. If your mind is closed, start to be curious. If you are uncomfortable, sink into the discomfort and get to know it better, and if you know what needs to be done but don’t feel like it, simply choose to take an action no matter how you feel. Remember awareness is only the start, it takes repetition over and over again to retain the Lucid rules of mental training.
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