Inner Game

For the past sixty some days, I've spent a good amount of time on what I like to call the "outer game" stuff, which is the actual how-to portion of making changes in our lives. The goal of 90 Days to Discipline has been to grab hold of ourselves, our minds, bodies, and most importantly, our emotions and get down to business working on the specific actions we know will produce the results we all seek. We have much of this aspect figured out...the "outer game" stuff...the how part, I'd say...or at least enough to get started and be dangerous.

But, the one thing I'm certain of is that a man can have all the answers right in front of him and understand them intellectually, but if he can't get himself to take action and follow through, then it's all in vain. Actually, it's much worse than that...it becomes a curse, because he is now painfully aware of everything he's not doing. That's where the "inner game" stuff comes into play. This is what I'd like to discuss tonight.

Every single morning, I come down to my office, sit down and turn on my computer monitor. My schedule pops up, along with my long-term vision, long-term goals with dates for completion, shorter-term milestones to hit along the way, and my plan to make all of this happen. My plan includes my big goals for this year and describes in great detail how I'll make each one of these a reality this year. This is all great stuff. Hell, it's all right there, leaving absolutely nothing to chance. The only challenge is sometimes I just don't feel like doing any of it. That's when this whole deal can get a little dicey.

So, what is the key to getting ourselves to follow through on the plans we create? I know I don't have all the answers, by any means. But, I'm going to share with you what works for me...most of the time. Nothing works every time, I'll be completely forthcoming. But, this routine I've created(with the help of some kick-ass philosophy and strategy from Tony Robbins) will make it much easier. Here's how it all goes....

First, I awake early...real damn early, like 5:00 am. Just the thought of getting a bunch of hard work in before most of the world gets out of bed gives me a slight edge mentally right off the bat. Then, I take in a full 8 oz glass of clean water, to get the inner parts performing the way they should. From here, I go into a crisp visualization exercise in which I sit down in my office and project myself into a life in which everything I dream of has come true. My business has evolved into a full-time writing, speaking, coaching endeavor that's completely portable, it's hugely profitable, and it's helping millions of people all over the world(I know this may sound a bit egoic, but I refuse to think small...I just won't do it any longer. I'm going HUGE from now on).

My office in my home is huge with dark mahogany custom woodwork, with zero clutter, efficient, clean, elegant. My office is a metaphor for who I've become in my vision - a man who's in complete control over his mind, body, and emotions with laser focus on providing more value to more people than anybody in my business space. My personal income is significant, I'm liquid, and I am confident that I'll never HAVE to do anything anybody tells me ever again. No more dependence on anyone else for my economic needs. I now have complete control over this aspect of my family's existence...and they all respect and love me for this.

My body is light, lean, and explosive. In my mind, I can feel myself step out of bed with ease, because my abs look like they did when I was 17 years old. I can see myself in the mirror, looking absolutely phenomenal. I see myself going through an intense workout in which I'm strong, explosive, and can go and go. When my visualized workout is complete, I shower up and get into my kick-ass Aston Martin DBS Volante and drive up the coast to my office(again, my biz is portable, so I live in a ridiculous place on the beach).

The viz process goes on for a good 15 minutes. I know it probably sounds ridiculous, especially to those of you who really know me, but this is the stuff that drives me. Down deep, I'd love nothing more than to be writing full-time, have my business focused 100% on this "inner game" and "outer game" stuff. This way I will be portable and will live somewhere I love, instead of living just somewhere because my job is here or my family is here or whatever.

The point is that this has become a compelling, white hot obsession for me. So, it's easier for me to pop up out of bed in the morning, while all of my competitors are all tucked in bed in fetal position. Gives me a competitive edge in my head, which is what we all need.

So, after the viz process, I get my butt to the gym. Most of my workouts consist of some cardio and strength training. I run too much right now to build the muscle I'm searching for, in preparation for this race I committed to with my wife. Anyway, I'm usually there for 75-100 minutes.

Then I shower up at home, have breakfast, and get locked in with the plan. This is the short-term, one year strategy. I make sure I understand everything I'm working towards and why...most importantly. The why is the deal. This is much easier having already seen my life "as if" this morning. There's a method to all of this. But, again, I take a good 15 minutes to go through all of the details of the plan and make certain I've committed to doing the right things for the day. Once I'm re-sold on what I'm doing...I do it.

Before I head out, I go through a list of the philosophy I've created and the stuff I've borrowed from other people. This list reminds me of all the empowering beliefs I've built inside of me, the ones that have replaced the fearful beliefs I once held. By the time this exercise is complete, my mental filters are that of an unbelievably insightful and courageous leader in business and life in general. These filters have allowed me to lift myself up out of a life of mediocre results. They now guide my thinking and the decisions I make on a daily basis.

By this time, I am ready for whatever life throws at me. But, think about how hard it must be for somebody who's not fired up about his current station in life, or his job. He is faced with scraping himself out of bed every morning and it's not easy because he isn't even slightly enthused about his gig. This is not a great situation and sadly, I'd say it's the case for a large percentage of our population in this country. But, the question I'd have to ask to this man is..."what is ever going to change if you don't change?". "How can you ever expect to do whatever it is you love if you don't even have the energy or the enthusiasm to do your current responsibilities well?" It's crazy to think any of this is going to change.

My suggestion to a person in this circumstance is to figure out a compelling vision for his life. From there, he can then create a plan in which he continues to fulfill his day job or continues to grow his current business while he works his ass off in his spare time to make a go of his true passion. But, he must first kick seven shades of ass at his current gig before he leaves. Some may argue this point, but I truly believe we only make good decisions when we're in that state of being on fire. When we know we're not doing something well or we're half-assing something, our brains have too much fear and limitations running it to think freely. So, go forth and kick ass, while you dream and work toward your dream at night, or whenever you're not working.

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