Be a Better Being - Series

Be a Better Being - Series

The next 12 articles will be relating to our personal development as a whole, meaning how we grow as a person; mentally - emotionally and physically. This will have a massive impact on how we perform not just as an athlete but as a human being.

To grasp and be a better being does mean we are prepared to take a little time for contemplation! A few moments to be reflective and even the use of a journal to record your own thinking is helpful.

Moving from human doing to human Being takes intention. Any change is usually met with resistance. Learning and growing as a person and challenging the way you have always done things does mean asking questions and challenging our personal status quo.

- Digging below to see if we can notice issues that may need addressing is not the work we naturally gravitate towards. Actually we avoid it- evade it and downright often mock it. Why? because it is extremely confronting for our humanity, which has developed (even if it be unconscious) to show up as defensive and protective. We want to make sure that the insecurities and vulnerabilities of our lives are well hidden and buried from any introspective eye, especially that of our own.
So again, Why would I be asking that you take time to open the proverbial can of worms? Why make something of nothing or create issues that aren't even there?!

Well, believe it or not- we generally all live from a Survival mentality. We have a lens that has been created through our formative years. We have used our experiences to learn how to protect ourselves in the traumatic moments and to celebrate the euphoric times of wonder and connection (avoid pain and pursue pleasure is the default system). Having transversed our teenage years which are often our most confronting - and through them we design our strategy in which we will present our best way of doing life.

The fact remains that we haven't ever really investigated the meaning we have made given our upbringing - our influences - experiences - and cultural bias. We are really just a product of our environment and this we carry with us unless we take at least some intentional time to be reflective- to be curious and to look at ways that may be less than productive or even destructive.

What’s more is that scientifically we now have supportive evidence that shows how we can interrupt and/or disrupt our autopilot way of doing life. We can learn to reframe the meaning and we can move from an unconscious reactive way of life to an intentionally present and transformative way of BEING. To do this is Brave- and takes courage. It's about dealing with our softer underbelly and risking exposure, which we mostly dread!

How does this change me as an athlete and impact my performance? Is there really any reason (besides being a little more enlightened) to do this work? Well here it is then, It changes everything about everything.

You need to grasp that you are not a siloed machine- but an integrated Being with a Brain- Heart and a Body and that ALL are needed and need to be aligned and in flow for you to show up as your best and to be your best.

-To not be overcome by fear or nerves on the starting line.
- To manage adrenaline and your ego in the race.
- To be patient with your training and/or your injury.
- To be positive in the face of defeat and humble in the presence of victory.

These are qualities and characteristics that are not just downloaded, they take conscious intention and for most of us they need to be considered and over time integrated and incorporated into our being.

Action for this week: take some time with a journal or Notes on your phone, to take your emotional temperature right now. Just become conscious of how you are feeling, what mood you are in. Then go a little deeper to try to see what has caused that mood, good or bad. See if you can do this a few times this week.



Please make you comment and or post your feedback on this article- positive or negative- and if you brave enough and you are welcome to post anonymously too- ask questions that you would like addressed relating to your personal growth.

by David Vaughan

 

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