The First Five Minutes Protocol - part three.
Winning Your Day Before It's Begun. - 6 Min Read.
What is your intention for today?
Setting a daily intention before rising means asking one question before your feet touch the floor:
Who do I choose to be today?
Not-
What will I accomplish.
That might take some of you by surprise because we are used to it in reverse.
We have for so long gotten to the point of thinking that once we have made it, once we’re more successful and wealthier, only then will we be clear of what we want to accomplish because we’ll have the funds to do it.
Really?
How realistic is that?
There’s an old saying,
“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”
This saying no doubt stems from the quietly observant act of neighbors competitively scanning each other’s yards to see who’s is looking better by comparison.
We forget that the person with no grass might be assumed to be depressed and a failure at yard care, when in reality he has built a multi-million-dollar business from the privacy of his home and his focus has been elsewhere.
A fair comparison? Hardly.
But this is true of human nature isn’t it.
What we see and perceive as a reflection of good or bad does not necessarily make it true.
The woman for instance dressed overly casual and who likes to use an old vinal shopping trolley to visit Wallmart looks like she’s not very successful in life, she looks lonely, she looks like she mustn’t have any goals and looks like she probably sits in front of the television all day.
Fact is, she’s a bestselling author of hundreds of thousands of copies of a book on entrepreneurship and how she started with just $100.
As they say,
“It’s good to never and I mean never, judge a book by its cover.”
To begin we want to ask:
*
Who do I choose to be today?
Not-
What will I accomplish,
Not-
What do I have to get through,
But who will I be while the day unfolds?
Image by Canva.
Look at this:
Today I will be present.
Today I will be patient.
Today I will be disciplined
Today I will be honest.
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One word or sentence out of the above examples is enough.
Having a single and clear intention held consciously throughout the day, does more philosophical work than a page of goals reviewed once and forgotten.
“Premeditatio Malorum” - Anticipating difficulty as a morning tool.
This reflection refers to an acknowledgement of possible evils and remains one of Stoicisms most misunderstood practices.
This is because when we think about negatives opposed to positives all the time, this can be a bad habit leading to heightened anxiety and depression.
What we choose to focus our minds on does directly influence how we feel, act, think, and behave so why would we want to meditate on hypothetical evils, right?
To the modern ear this does sound like pessimism.
An intentional digging of a dark dungeon just so we can fall into it.
And that’s understandable thinking until we know the exact meaning and execution behind the practice.
Is it actually a negative state of mind built on would-be grey skies with a calendar set on repeated bleakness?
Or
Is it referring to a framework built on something constructive to achieving something more powerful?
Ahh, now we might be onto something.
If we take the weighing up of not only the positives but the negatives and we equally put these into the same boat to work with by simultaneously removing ourselves from the first-person perspective and take on the second person view, now what do we see?
……………………
The ability to do this and certainly master it takes regular practice and requires strong visualization skills.
It also asks for a mind that is set for meditative silence and reflection.
Then, rather then anguishing unnecessarily over hypotheticals which helps no one, we have distinguished what it means to stand aside and envision scenarios ahead of time without actually living through them and being plagued by unsettled emotions.
This is because in this state of mind, the second person view acts like a mere spectator to events.
The events can look, sound or feel stressful but you are in a controlled state of mind where you can pull the plug on the script any time, and can rehearse multiple ways of behaving in response to and if, each scenario should ever take place.
What this practice does when mastered properly and is attempted by individuals of a well state of mind - it is not recommended at all for anyone suffering from forms of mental illness such as anxiety disorder - is it builds mental resilience and problem-solving resolve.
Always about preparation.
When we consider the practice was something the Stoics prided themselves on as part of regular disciplinary actions for daily living without exception, then we must question the importance of application to the mind and body, not just for those before us, but for all of us throughout history up until now.
The Practice.
Mental Rehearsal.
Think about possible scenarios in the day based on what you already normally do, see, know and who you will encounter.
Lingering unrealistic time puzzling over hypotheticals will defeat the purpose so keep it brief like checking of a quick mental list.
Remember:
This is not about creating daunting would-be nightmares!
*
Here’s an example:
“Ive got an appointment with such and such (who I don’t like).
There’s the frustrating pile of paperwork that needs finishing.
The main plan failed, I’ll need to speak to my boss who will not be pleased.
Any possible setbacks like late night finish=cancellation of dinner plans.
Behind schedule could happen big time because of new trainee today.”
By the time any difficulty actually arrives, you will have already met it once.
There was then no ambush of events because of that first consultation you took.
The neuroscience of this is now well established.
Mental rehearsal of difficult scenarios activates the same neural pathways as the actual experiences without huge stress from literally going through it yet.
So, what happens is a building up of something more resilient that takes place before the event.
✅You have psychological resilience
rather than mere-
✅Positive thinking
Calm Anticipation.
This facet of the whole practice is what will ensure it works most effectively or not for you.
The idea of thinking about possible negative scenarios structurally with an intentional calm state of mind means you stay in control.
For instance, when you calmy anticipate difficulty in the morning, your nervous system is less likely to be hijacked by it when it arrives in the afternoon.
This is not ‘worry’ though, that needs to be clear.
Worry is anticipating difficulty without a planned response.
Premeditatio malorum is anticipating difficulty with a philosophical one.
Now granted, not everybody has a philosophical mind-set, and this practice does not ask you to completely overhaul who you are as though philosophy by way of thought structure alone outshines everything else.
It simply works to teach the mind of anybody who wants to apply it for self-improvement, to adjust and be present, along with some tools to equip it to function much better then before.
But it is always a choice.
You must decide for yourself what you will accept in your own life, and I do not assume to know what is of more importance for you or not.
If this practice does not resonate or interest you, then move on to another topic; it’s no issue.
For those who are ready for the five-minute practice to start making a difference in their lives then I am glad to assist in that journey.
Keep in mind that the difference between anxiety and readiness are two separate things and that this practice is made to implement an ongoing state of readiness while remaining calm, to build resilience not resistance.
Cont. reading part four.