+1: #985 Operating at the Highest Level

In our last +1, we did our best Boss impersonation as we reinterpreted our sweaty palms and racing hearts as a sign we're EXCITED and READY TO GO rather than as a sign that something's wrong. When I read that passage in Marie's book, I immediately thought of some parallel wisdom from Jon Eliot's Overachievement. Recall that Eliot is the guy who told us that we want to keep our V-12 engines and learn how to manage all that power rather than swap it out for a lawnmower engine. And, he told us that we want to be more like squirrels than Einstein when we get ready to perform. So… Here's the passage I thought of as I read about the Boss's Bossness. Eliot tells us: "The physical symptoms of fight-or-flight are what the human body has learned over thousands of years to operate more efficiently and at the highest level. Anxiety is a cognitive interpretation of that physical response." Aha! That energy we feel when we're about to perform? Eliot tells us we need to remember two more things: "1. Everything that your body does to you when the pressure is on is good for performance...

1. Pressure is different from anxiety; nervousness is different from worry."

One more time: Everything is inherently empty of meaning. We get to CHOOSE the meaning we give to any and everything that's happening to us. (Period!) So, might as well choose the optimal response. Excited about anything Today? Me, too. Let's do this!