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Go Deep! Active Practice

GED

Founded in 1989, the GED process (Gratitude, Excitement, Devotion) originated in my efforts to assist athletes get through moments of feeling overwhelmed in an endurance event… paddling long distance, running up hill or needing to handle the pain in competition of any kind.

Over time I began to refine the process and use it with a wide range of clients dealing with difficult situations in work, home life and athletics. 

Two New Knees

About twenty years ago I had an operation that involved getting two new knees. There were some minor complications that kept me in the hospital for ten days. When I got home, my knees worked great but my fitness was a 1 on a scale 15. The depression that followed was a first for me. The GED process helped to snap me out of it and served as the inspiration to develop a program for Complete Healing.

“Gratitude” Went Viral

The “mindful” community used clinical research to demonstrate the power that gratitude has to influence the brain to focus in a positive way. As a result gratitude shot to the top of the emotional tone scale. It quickly became the answer to the creation of a happy life, but not quite the solution for handling the challenges that you don’t want.

A Recent, Personal Insight

I was recently confronted by a personal challenge that pushed me beyond my limits. Needless to say, I was extremely motivated to find a way to respond to this challenge.

As so often happens, the Universe provided me with the answer. An email on my phone contained an article by James Clear that sourced Thomas Sterner and his work with Active Practice entitled “The Practicing Mind.” I was drawn to apply the concept to my challenge. And the rest, as they say, is history. The concepts of “Active Practice” have allowed me to “Go Deep” and find the courage to move forward with a challenge I for sure didn’t want. I hope you will find value in what follows.

This work involved in going deep will carry over in all areas and times in your life. For me going deep and being able to access the emotions that brought the clarity to focus, the fire and passion to move forward and the growth: a sense of humility to accept all of the negative emotions and welcome the simple pleasures and joy of being alive.

Active Practice: Go Deep!

I was recently confronted by a personal challenge that pushed me beyond my limits. Needless to say, I was extremely motivated to find a way to respond to this challenge.

As so often happens, the Universe provided me with the answer. An email on my phone contained an article by James Clear that sourced Thomas Sterner and his work with Active Practice entitled “The Practicing Mind.” I was drawn to apply the concept to my challenge. And the rest, as they say is history. The concept of “Active Practice” has allowed me to “Go Deep” and find the courage to move forward. I hope you find value in what I have written!

GED

To “Go Deep!” refers to the ability to access important feelings. Feelings linked to GED are:

Gratitude: It’s the powerful emotion that, with practice, allows you to want to be present and eventually to focus in the face of an extreme challenge. This focus can provide the awareness needed to manage the Expectations associated with your activity..

Excitement: In the form of fire and passion, this is the energy needed to get up and stay up and Get the Job Done.

Devotion: In the form of discipline, your devotion to your chosen task provides is the energy needed to complete the process and Experience Growth.

Going Deep

The act of going deep involves learning how to incorporate three different styles of deliberate or intentional breathing: 

Essential Breathing: The fuel for the awareness associated with settling down to access your feelings of calm, clarity and confidence. 

Performance Breathing: The fuel associated with the acceptance that allows you express your fire, passion and power under pressure.

Power Breathing: The fuel associated with the devotion that allows you to perform with power ad accuracy, recover quickly and give your best effort under pressure.

Integration

This is the process that allows you to maintain and experience an active practice: To focus on the energy and growth and reach your desired level of performance.

Focus: The focus is made up of the goals you want to achieve. 

Energy: The energy gives you the fire and passion to do the work. 

Growth: The improvement in your performance is fueled by both your moments of success and failure. Success provides the inspiration to push on. Failure provides important insights during practice which become tools that will also help you push on.

Debrief

The active practice works best when you are able to maintain a weekly debrief. A form of journal writing that allows you to capture the positive feelings, release the negative feelings and record the decisions you have for improving your performance. 

In the case of a new activity, be careful to draw on earlier and similar positive experiences and avoid linking this new activity with an area of your life that didn’t go well.

It’s kind of like the surfer who learns to surf in small and gentle surf and then experiences the power of big surf for the first time. If the experience is positive he is liable to come back for more. If his experience is negative he may avoid surfing when its big or worse yet give up the sport entirely.

For best results in all areas of your performance learn the basics of having an “active practice.” 

 The work involved in going deep will carry over in all areas of your life.

That’s HiLevel!