FUEL: January 31st, 2014

The Actions We Become....Designing a Moment

When I left home this morning my car thermometer was reading 3 degrees.  Ouch.  Even if the instrumentation is not perfectly accurate, which I sincerely hope it's not, that's WAY beyond cold in my book.  After much grumbling for not bringing gloves, the steering wheel eventually thawed and I arrived at my morning location where there was a conversation about components of steel tools that had shattered on impact recently because they had become so cold and brittle. WAY beyond "cold". 

A few hours later, I was back in the car headed for the next appointment.  For some reason I hadn't turned on the radio....something that is pretty rare for me.  The highway was open, the sky was clear-blue and I noticed the temp had slowly inched its way all the way up to 23 degrees....practically tropical.  Without the radio, the steady hum of the tires was the only noticeable sound....and that quickly faded to the back of my mind. 

Within a few minutes, I began to feel the warm sun coming through the glass.  It was one of those feelings you wish you could capture and replay, the kind that makes you want to take a few deep breaths....a moment you'd let roll-on for a while if you had the choice.....warm and inviting.  Of course, looking out the window it was still every bit a cold winter's day - but inside the car, it was early spring....a little bit of quiet-sanctuary at highway speed.

What a great example of what the right environment can do......looks like winter, but in the moment, it's spring all the way.  But this isn't a story about insulated glass and the greenhouse effect.  It's a story about a moment, when the details came together.....when things fell in place.  For example, if at that same moment I had been sitting in traffic and was at risk of being late to my next appointment, I wouldn't have been nearly as appreciative of the warmth.  If I was listening to the radio like I normally do or if my muffler had a hole in it, I might not have noticed much over the background noise.  If it was later in the day and the sun's angle was causing glare, the experience would have been changed considerably.....and so on.  This time, it all just sort of fell together, but what if I want more moments like this?  Do I have to wait until the next clear-blue, low-traffic, NJ midday in late-January?  Of course not.....nearly half of our daily routines are done completely on autopilot....no thinking or awareness involved.  Therefore, when we put even a little effort into thinking about the details of our day-to-day routine, we begin realizing the actions that we "are" (and those that we aren't).  From there, tuning our environments in a way that drastically increases our odds of "falling into" a successful moment is not that complicated - here are a few examples from the research that have surprisingly powerful effects:

MOVE vigorously for five minutes, every single day, at a specific time (in addition to any exercise you're already doing).....it won't be long before you notice how good you feel afterward and begin looking forward to it.

Start a FUEL log and track not only what you ate, but when and how you felt an hour afterward.....if you notice a pattern you don't like, find a better way - sometimes all it takes is seeing it with our own eyes. 

Think about where your quiet-sanctuary might be - go there - without your phone and RECOVER.  It doesn't have to be an exotic location (although it'd be nice), it only has to be a place where you can relax.  Want to be more resilient to the stresses of the world around you? 

Improve your ability to ENDURE by building a habit of writing down a few things you were grateful for today.  Even if it's hard in the beginning, stick with it - the impact it has on everything from mental outlook to brain chemistry is impressive.......and if you find one that involves someone else in your life.....

CONNECT the dots for them by telling them the story and making them smile.....we are hard-wired for human connection, a simple smile reflected back in your direction can do amazing things for your health.  

It's not always easy......but it doesn't have to be complex.  The first 8% went fast, but that means that 92% of the 2014 experience is still ahead of us......and for those who are in pursuit of big things this year.....we can't wait to see how the moment unfolds.

Now go do something extraordinary,

Mike Eisenhart, PT

Managing Partner, Pro-Activity

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