The Process and Clarity of Purpose

To elevate is to push…to push against the limits of what you perceive, feel and recover as it relates to performing beyond the expectations.

Perceive:

To push the limits of your confidence is to learn from the disappointments and the pain of coming up short. To realize and understand in that moment what you need to do to get better, then being able to expand your perception of what is possible and do it.

Reflection: The “yes, I can” awareness allows you to overcome issues, conflicts and negative experiences that were once holding you back.

Feel:

To push the limits of your focus to include the sensations that allow you to express all of your fire and passion in practice and competition.

Reflection: The “yes, I am” acceptance allows you to work hard and feel the joy of being in the flow of the action: When the energy you expend comes back as feelings of pure satisfaction and success.

Recover:

To push the limits of physical, mental and spiritual exertion and manifest a complete restoration (healing) as needed.

Reflection: The “yes, I will” capacity allows you to learn how to improve and complete the process of Elevating to HiLevel.

Whatever your sport, occupation or life situation, the GED process can provide the gratitude (preparation), excitement (execution) and devotion (completion) you need to perform at your best under pressure.

Gratitude is power

The power to see beyond what is expected of you and what you expect of yourself. Gratitude provides the awareness of the “why” for what you want to have happen. The “why” in turn can be a source of confidence to prepare for the challenge and to confront, process and deal immediately with negative emotions rather than entertain them.

Reflection: It’s like being criticized for a poor performance and rather then quit or attempt to change the reality, you embrace the feedback and learn some valuable lessons that help you to prepare for future events.

Excitement is energy

Excitement provides the acceptance required to get up, stay up and access the elements of fitness, endurance and mental strength to transcend the discomfort and pain and get the job done.

Reflection: It’s like facing the challenge of running up a steep hill, welcoming and embracing the pain, and having the courage to run right through it with a burst of energy to the the top of the hill.

Devotion 

is the capacity to work hard and get better

Devotion provides the emotion and energy to balance the expectations and the acceptance of the results in order to complete the process and make good decisions in the future. Devotion provides a lens for seeing and seizing the opportunities for growth.

Reflection: It’s like keeping a written record of every effort and result and making changes on improving what works and letting go of what doesn’t help you get better.

The GED process is most effective when each phrase of preparation, execution and completion is combined with an emphasis on the proper breathing:

Preparation is matched with the breathing that allows you to settle down and go deep to rehearse the intended performance and build confidence and a positive mind set.

Execution relies on performance breathing to coordinate the inhale with proper posture and position and the exhale to put maximum attention on the movement for the right tempo and increase power and accuracy.

Completion demands the breath-holds to provide the endurance and clarity to debrief the results and implement the right amount of acceptance, change and emphasis for improved performance.

The ability to be deliberate and prepare, execute and complete each workout, practice and competition to the best of your ability.

Preparation

Throughout the time you spend preparing for your event, you need to focus on seeing and feeling yourself wanting to be present, embracing challenges and battling with the distractions that prevent you from giving your best effort.

Reflection: To battle during the preparation for your event involves a laser-like focus to be calm and ready to stay present and very confident.

Execution

Throughout the time you spend training, practicing or competing, your focus should be on working hard and enjoying the process. The critical distinction here is the ability to focus on the sensations that let you know that you are performing with the proper tempo, form and intensity in the moment and avoid the tendency to focus on the result and/or winning.

Reflection: Recently I was reminded of a wonderful team victory that I experienced as a high school wrestler in Amityville, Long Island, New York. During the match the team became aware that we had a chance to beat a previously undefeated program. I couldn’t remember the details of my match, just that I could feel this incredible energy and desire to support the team. As it turns out, I won my match in a convincing manner. The next year, in a rematch I got totally distracted by the need to win and I lost to a wrestler that I should have beaten. The loss turned out to be a painful reminder of the need to stay present and wrestle my match.

Completion

After your performance is finished, you will debrief the results in terms of what went well, what aspects need improvement and what decisions you have made that will help you focus on getting better at preparing, executing and completing your next workout, practice or competition. In the case of a disappointing performance or a painful loss you will need the mental strength to confront and accept the opportunity to learn some very important lessons.

Reflection: The format for the completion of your performance will be defined by the activity that you are working on and how important this improvement is to you and your sense of self. In my case, the lessons I have learned as an athlete, coach and mentor have formed the foundation for the HiLevel Process. You might say, I have become the person I needed during those times my performance let me down.

Seneca the Elder (54 BCE – 39 CE)
Roman rhetorician, writer and father of the stoic philosopher Seneca

The DAILY STOIC by Ryan Holiday