I'm on my way back from an inspiring and educational trip to Vancouver and then Indianapolis. As per one of their stated values, “giving without expectation”, lululemon Athletica flew me out to their hometown of Vancouver to experience the Ambassador Summit and then I continued on to Indianapolis to learn from the leaders in my field at the Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar.
To say that the Ambassador Summit was inspiring would be putting it mildly. For 3 days I was surrounded by people from across North America who are literally elevating their communities to greatness. As I fitness professional I realize I am in a unique position to change lives and though I don't take that responsibility lightly, I never grasped the impact I can potentially have if I just open myself up to possibility.
Possibility - capable, but unlikely unless you do something
And that really was the theme of my experience while interacting with 80 other ambassadors. We learned to always “stay open to possibility” and that there are 3 ways to do that.
1. Leave the past in the past (and the future in the future). We spend so much time worrying about what might happen or how things used to be that we block possibility. Instead, stay in the present. This could be a whole post in itself, but the idea is that while in the present you are open to possibility. Here are some tips to help you present in the moment:
- Take deep breaths often (send it low into your belly)
- Meditate
- Get out into nature and really look at your surroundings
- Exercise daily
- Mimic an animal or a child-they are always fully present
- Smell a flower or work in the garden
- Do something new! Take a new route to work and observe the sights, or take up a new hobby. Anything to shake it up a bit and get mindful, not mindless.
2. Remove Constraints. In other words, remove the excuses or reasons “you can't”. These can be real or perceived, but I think you'll conclude that most of the time, these are perceived. Some examples are: time, money, fear, ability, physical, or feeling 'not good enough'.
3. Above the line vs. Below the line. The following illustration says it best. Put simply, you want to stay above the line. If you fall below the line, recognize it and shift above. How? Well, one way is to get curious. For example, what would happen if you DID take that next step towards your goal? What if you didn't fail?
I can say honestly that this is stuff I might have read quickly and probably never let sink in. Fortunately, I get it. Now. You only get one chance at life and it's there for the taking if you're open to possibility.
Here are a few examples of me 'staying in the moment' last week!
What is something YOU would do if you knew you could not fail? Can be running related or not!