Sleepless Nights

I haven’t been sleeping well this past while, for various reasons. I was up last night at about midnight, last looked at my watch at 4:15am and then woke up to my 5:00am alarm. I could have forced myself to get up, but today, a little more sleep was more important. And so I missed my morning training for the second time in the last couple of weeks. Obviously, there are some things I need to address here, but there will always be these kinds of obstacles now and again. Knowing how to deal with them is the key to not letting them de-rail my efforts.

Although today won’t follow my ideal routine, I will still be able to get my reps in throughout the day at work. They will not be as mindful as usual, nor as intense…I’ll have to run through them a little faster, a little more compact, and I won’t be able to go too deep into my stances or techniques…but that’s okay. For today I need to adjust my mindset to simply maintain numbers. When my mind, my body and my physical space allows, I go as hard as I can. And that is often when some really great progress is made and insight is found. But there are also days where I just need to stay on top of my numbers and hammer out some reps. And even in these, there are benefits, if I pay attention and get creative. I will sometimes challenge myself to doing them fast, just to see how good I am getting at knowing the steps without having to think about them too much. I will face different directions to ensure that I’m not becoming too reliant on certain visual aids. I will also sometimes choose one “easier” thing to focus on, and slow things down just in those particular sections. And I won't lie...sometimes the rep might be completely mindless, but there is still success because I chose to do something, rather than nothing.

Sifu Brinker recently blogged about hoops versus tools.  Today's approach may look, to some, as though I am approaching my number requirement as a hoop. Something that I need to check off. But I disagree. Today's approach is about preventing it from BECOMING a hoop. Even though today will be more about maintaining numbers than making any great leaps and bounds with my progress...there will still be progress, just by the simple act of doing. The teams' number requirement has definitely been a tool for me. It's a reminder to take consistent action, in a measurable way, every single day. These small steps will then add up to great accomplishments...but only if I'm doing them. I refuse to let my numbers slide simply because I can't give 100% on a given day. Let's face it, there are many days when I can't give 100%...and that is no reason (or excuse) for me to do nothing. Maintaining those numbers, as a base requirement, is what keeps me going the next day, and the next. If I can keep up with my numbers, this requirement remains a tool that continues to provide benefits and will keep moving me forward. If I let those numbers slide, and I fall behind, I risk succumbing to the mindset of defeat and a "why bother?" attitude. And THAT is when it will become a hoop.

Full intensity and mindfulness are ideal, but just not always possible. First and foremost, I simply need to take some sort of action. Action is the first step. Getting those repetitions in, is the first step. The mindfulness, the insight, the intensity will always come…but not without action.

Some days, like today, are more about the numbers and not allowing myself to fall behind. And I’m happy with that goal for today and am confident it will serve me in the long run.

Something is ALWAYS better than nothing.