In today’s Episode 10, I wanted to take a moment to unfold some fundamental principles that underpin great performance, something that has shaped history's finest achievements. You might find these principles deceptively simple, yet their impact is profoundly transformative.
I discussed how our performance, in any aspect of life, often feels like a mystery, subject to the whims of chance. I talked about how even top athletes can't predict if they'll have a 'good day'. But what if we could understand and rely on certain principles as dependable as gravity? This idea led me to explore two core functions of being human - thinking and feeling.
I likened thinking to breathing – it's constant, inevitable, but it's the act of thinking that matters more than the thoughts themselves. We breathe regardless of whether the air is pure or polluted; similarly, our mind produces thoughts continuously, irrespective of their content. Recognizing this pattern is akin to a revelation, as it shifts our focus from the content of our thoughts to the process itself.
Next, I touched upon how we bring life to our thoughts. Our internal 'special effects department' makes every thought feel real and tangible. This understanding is crucial as it means our experience of reality is entirely generated from within. We are the architects of our stress, joy, fear, excitement - all emanating from our thoughts.
Imagine the implications of this understanding. When you feel upset, it's not your partner or your surroundings causing it; it's your thoughts. And here’s the exciting part - next episode, I’ll introduce a third principle that ties this all together, making even more sense of our experience.
S01E10 - Reality is exactly what you think it is