“…an attachment to results (which we can’t control) rather than to the process (which we can control) is what causes us to feel perpetually discontented.” Brian Johnson

The May issue of Experience Life magazine opened my eyes to an approach that may increase my joy while pursuing goals. Brian Johnson’s article ‘Practice, Not Perfection’ outlines the Do, Observe, Correct (or DOC) approach that Thomas Sterner coined in his book, The Practicing Mind.

When I read the article and began researching this topic, I found so many rabbit trails that my mind wanted to explore that I think we will have to make this a little mini-series on developing a practicing mind.

This week let’s explore the fundamentals of what it means to develop a practicing mind. When we set goals we typically have to learn new skills or participate in new experiences. Sterner suggests that learning alone and focusing on the end result is not enough to achieve the success we seek. As a matter of fact, he suggests that learning can be passive while showing up to practice is intentional. He believes that repetition and intention are keys to successfully achieve the goals we’ve set.

Sterner suggests that if you show up with a practicing mind (repetition and intention) using the Do, Observe, Correct (DOC) approach, you will develop the mastery that you seek. To ensure that the journey to your destination is fulfilling, he recommends that you ‘analyze’ and ‘do not judge’ when you observe. Judging tends to add emotions, primarily negative emotions (e.g. I suck at shooting free throws). He suggests that you analyze the data obtained during observation and use it to determine corrective actions (e.g. When I shoot a free throw with a bent wrist, I miss 3 out of 5 shots; when I shoot without bending, I don’t miss any). Sterner implies that using the data (without judgement) to develop corrective action is required to truly enjoy the journey on the way to our goals.

There is so much to say about the impact of setting realistic expectations. However, I will leave that topic for next week’s post. Let’s just recap. Developing a practicing mind means showing up repeatedly with intention to learn and master a new skill or experience. Without judgement, we should use the DOC method to continue to move forward towards our goals. Focusing on the process versus the end result will increase our odds of achieving the end result.

Listen to Brian Johnson’s interview with Thomas Sterner discussing, The Practicing Mind…

Until next week,

Pernà

“Getting enough sleep doesn’t mean that you are giving up your goals or your desire to achieve and succeed—on the contrary, it makes you more effective…it’s a performance enhancer.” Arianna Huffington

I’ve been working on my healthy transformation since mid-April. I’m making good progress despite occasional missteps and lesson repetition. Most of my focus so far has been on improving my diet and fitness. Recently, I’ve become aware that SLEEP is another area that is critical for improving health and wellbeing.

The National Institute of Health released a comprehensive guide in 2011 to educate us on the impact of good quality sleep.  This 72 page resource has some great tips and tricks identifying sleep challenges and finding resources to improve sleep quality.

The NIH guide informs that sleep impacts the following areas:

Brain – Learning, Memory, and Mood are positively impacted by good quality sleep. Lack of sleep can cause confusion and irritability. The brain often performs its filing processes at night so missing the opportunity to file may cause your brain to look like a messy office with papers all over the place.

Heart – Provides rest to your heart and vascular system; otherwise the lack of sleep produces stress in these systems which leads to high blood pressure and can trigger high cortisol.

Hormones – Vital hormones are released during sleep. In particular growth and energy related hormones are working to refuel your body. In particular lack of sleep can impact hormones that control weight gain.

Here are a few links to helpful resources to improve your sleep quality:

• NIH Sleep Guide: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/sleep/healthy_sleep.pdf
• Arianna Huffington’s Ted Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep
• Arianna’s Sleep Revolution Book : http://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Revolution-Transforming-Your-Night/dp/1101904003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465178628&sr=8-1&keywords=ariana+huffington+sleep
• Rich Roll’s Podcast with Arianna: http://www.richroll.com/podcast/arianna-huffington/

The NIH sleep guide includes a sleep diary which you can use to observe your current sleep quality.  While you are planning your sleep analysis take a listen to Arianna’s Ted Talk on sleep…

Until next week,

Pernà