So, if you have been following me for a while now, you know that one of the phrases I use on a regular basis is “Own THIS Day”.
I came up with this as a way to honor DDP’s “Own Your Life” and “Live Life @ 90%” catchphrases, of course.
But, more importantly, it is also a reminder that Owning Your Life is not a Part Time Decision. It is something that has to be done every single day.
This thought came to me pretty early in my journey, when Jake “The Snake” Roberts was just coming into the Accountability Crib (Dallas’s home, for those of you that haven’t see The Resurrection of Jake “The Snake” Roberts, yet). As Jake was battling Alcohol & Drug addiction, after a few weeks he thought he could get away with just having 1 or 2 beers. He found out that this was not the case. So, he took steps to make sure that he can stay on task. He also had bumps in the road that he didn’t have control over (food prepared with alcohol is one of the examples that sticks in my mind).
What I have noticed, whether it is looking back on my journey or talking to people about theirs, is that when we Fall, we are inclined to tense up and create drama around it. When that happens, it takes a lot longer for us to get back up and move towards where we want to go, especially if it is something that we don’t have direct control over!
The other thing I notice is tensing up at the thought of making it a Day-To-Day effort. That Addiction To Nothing gets really strong, particularly when we wake up in the morning!
So, what are the steps to Owning This Day?
1. Breathe. It’s the first thing we learn in DDPYOGA. Dallas says (and everyone else agrees) that it’s the Most Important Thing We Do. It gives us Life. It is also what we can control right now! Since getting control over whatever the Chaos of Life throws at us is Game of Moments, it makes sense to start by controlling what you can right now… the air going in & out of your body.
If you focus on your breath and know that no matter what else is happening… you have control over that one thing… then great things will happen. Your Body will relax. Your Mind will calm down, since you are focusing on the one simple thing. Think of this as your Safety Zone.
2. Engage. Now that you’ve given yourself a base, you can start building on that foundation. You do that by Engaging Your Body & Your Mind. Dallas talks about Changing Your State In An Instant, which he got from Tony Robbins..
You Engage Your Body by standing or sitting up straight,pulling your shoulders back and laughing. If you’re shoulders are slumped forward and you are looking down, your are restricting your air and your your circulation. Plus, your focus is down at one spot. When you straighten your back, stand up and pull your shoulders back, you are not only making it easier for you to Breathe easier, but you are Looking Forward
Then, you Engage Your Mind. This can be by Changing The Story You Tell Yourself or just getting yourself into a Positive Mindset. Instead of thinking about what’s wrong with right now or thinking about why things can’t work for you (in other words, looking down), think about what you can do to move things in the right direction (in other words, Look Forward). Thinking about the Possible is what’s going to help you make the Previously Impossible Happen!
3. Move With Purpose. When we do DDPYOGA, there is very little wasted motion. Every move has a Purpose, whether that is to get to the next Position or to to Work Your Body in a certain way.
Now that you are Breathing & Engaging Your Body & Mind by Looking Forward, you put the work in by taking those Positive Steps you were just thinking about. Positive Energy does not stand still, but is always Moving Towards an objective… no matter how big or small that is. You can’t go anywhere until you move towards it.
4. Achieve. In other words, keep moving toward your Objectives and looking at new Goals.
Whether you talking about getting through the next week, day, hour or minute, keep looking at achieving better things for yourself. That can be from doing a Psycho Push-Up to just getting up off the ground without assistance. This can be running a marathon or being able take a walk to the end of the block and back.
Achieving means not just wishing that something would happen, but using all of the things we talked about to get where you want to go. If you fall down along the way, it doesn’t mean you are starting all over. It means you are willing to find out where the ground is solid and where you can take that next step forward to where you want to go.
As the t-shirt say “NEVER GIVE UP.” No matter what you encounter in your life, you have the tools and the strength to…
#OwnTHISDay
Travis “Midwest Strong” Roberts
