Video transcription
Yesterday I talked about how the beliefs of our own possibility are a reflection of a kind of fitness; our self-authoring fitness.
The belief is an expectation, similar to how a weightlifter might anticipate whether they can lift a particular barbell. Their expectation, or belief, is based upon their previous experience. But whether they believe they can lift it now or not, they know that if they practice they can build their strength.
A habit or practice of any sort operates on the exactly the same basis. We build our self authoring fitness by practicising. And the more effort we put into our practice, the fitter and stronger we get. No matter what your current commitment to your practice is, in other words, how frequently, or for how long, or how successfully you are sticking to it. If you practice you will get stronger. You will develop your self authoring fitness.
But here is the part that where it gets pretty magic.
Self-authoring fitness is not practice-specific. In other words the fitness and strength that is developed in one practice can be applied anywhere in your life. That means when your self authoring fitness is increased, your capacity to make and keep commitments to whatever is important to you is increased across the board.
Also. When a weightlifter develops strength or a runner develops stamina they are both building a kind of fitness and this extra capability enables them to take on bigger challenges. When a person develops their self authoring fitness it also enables them to take on bigger challenges, but what is being taken on is not a weight or a marathon but rather your larger aspirations. This is some sort of Tony Robbin’s style motivation-speak. Its simple logic.
And to my mind Self-authoring fitness is the most essential capability of being able to live a life in which we flourish.
And it starts with your practice. Every day you keep your word to the commitment you made to yourself and your practice, you are not only bringing the benefits of the practice into your life; the sense of well-being, the greater productivity, the body that you feel prouder of, the skill or craft that you are learning, whatever it is that sparked your participation in this program in the first place. But you are also strengthening your self belief and your overall capacity to flourish.
And it starts with that thing that sounds simple, but is so difficult. Keeping your commitment to your practice. And that in turns includes that simple little moment when our Grunt is called into action. And learning how to, and developing our capacity to, meet that moment, so we can make the changes we want to see in our world.
I will leave you with a quote that speaks to this from a guy called John Bennett, but could have just as possibly be said by Sir Isaac Newton;
“Change can only be proportionate to the amount of force which is put into it”
Have a good practice.