It All Starts With The Body
After a week off last week and a more relaxed approach to my fundamentals of diet, mindfulness, sleep and exercise, followed by catching a stomach bug that had me bed bound for the weekend… I was quickly reminded how quickly the mind can spiral.
After hearing a small rejection, which is very much part of the parcel of what I do… my mind quickly went downhill.
I mean really downhill!
I got caught in comparison and indulging the inner critic (who loved all the attention)!
Thoughts like,
“I should just pack it all in, get a job” “I’m no good at this” “You’re destined for failure, you’ll never be successful” “The world doesn’t need anymore coaches”
came to the fore…
It was mad!
And I couldn’t rationalise.
I couldn’t shake them.
I was trying to tell myself a different story.
“It’ll be ok Joel. This is just a moment.”
But it was almost like the more I tried to rationalise, the stronger my emotions got.
I was spiralling.
My thoughts were feeding my feelings, and my feelings were feeding my thoughts.
I let it take control of my day…
And night…
Till 1am I was tossing and turning and continuing to ruminate for hours.
I finally got to sleep…
And when my alarm went off at 5am, my immediate reaction was, “no chance… I’ve had a few hours of sleep.”
But fortunately the app alarmy came to my rescue again… as after solving four ‘tough at 5am’ maths equations I was wide awake.
But still tempted to go back to sleep, when two guiding principles came into my mind…
“What you do on tough days determines what you do on extraordinary days.”
And “The worse you feel the more you rely on your systems.”
So I did just that.
- 5 mins breathwork and priming
- 5 mins of movement.
- 5 mins of silence, gratitude and visualisation.
- Write down my goals.
- 1.5 hours of deep work.
- 1 hour fully engaged with my daughter.
- Get to the gym and sweat.
And BOOM!
I can see clearly…
The irrational thoughts have gone. I am clear on my direction for the day. I am connected again to my why. And I am confident in me and my process.
And what a wonderful lesson that was…
A wonderful reminder that it all starts with the body.
See, when you are in survival mode, as I was yesterday, it’s very difficult to see clearly, it’s very difficult to rationalise. The survival part of our brain (the amygdala) is heightened, and the rational thinking mind (the prefrontal cortex) is less convincing.
It’s why in those moments to take command of the mind, we must take command of the body.
We must lean into the fundamentals… sleep, breathing, nutrition and exercise.
We must lean on our systems that help us feel the way we want to.
We must take action first and allow the feeling (and thoughts) to follow.
As the quote goes,
“It’s easier to act your way into a new way of thinking, than think your way into a new way of acting.”
So my message to you is this…
The tough times will come. The troughs. The valleys of despair. The failures. The rejections.
It’s all inevitable.
And when you are there, get back to basics. Ramp up your routines.
Do the opposite to what your thoughts and feelings are telling you to do…
Instead of distracting yourself with short term comforts, lean into the uncomfortable…
Move your body. Sweat. Meditate. Journal. Breathe. Eat nutritious food. Get 7–8 hours sleep. Reach out to a friend.
“What you do on the tough days, determines what you do on the extraordinary days”
Big love,
Joel
P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 3 ways I can help you start living life on your terms.
1. Grab a free copy of my ebook
It’s a 5-step high performance playbook, that’ll help you gain immediate clarity, eliminate distraction, and free up to 2.5 hours per day — Click here
2. Apply for my next mentorship program
If you are an ambitious man ready to live life on bigger and better terms, apply here to join the waitlist for my next group coaching program.
3. Work with my privately
I have one 1–2–1 spaces freeing up, so if you’d like to work directly with me… book a call with me here to apply.
