MONDAY MINDSET: THE SWORD YOU SHARPEN IS THE ONE YOU CARRY INTO BATTLE
Although most of us will intuitively understand this, there is absolutely a major difference between understanding and application.
Too often we conflate the visualization of a task with the accomplishment of that task. On a chemical level, visualizing the completion of a task–say, going to the gym, eating a healthy meal, waking up early–gives us a dose of dopamine and a sense of actual accomplishment..
And while visualization is important, we have to constantly pull ourselves back from the world of the imagination and be mindful of the real world. Actually going to the gym. Actually eating healthy meals. Actually waking up early.
These duties are what keep our swords–i.e., us–sharp.
Because when something stands in our way, and we need to make a cut–whether that is standing up for ourselves in a professional setting, saying no to a meal or invitation that is not in our best interests, or backed into a corner with a need to physically defend ourselves–we need to know that our blades are sharp enough to complete the task!
Not every training session has to be done perfectly, but it needs to be done.