Success in the ring of life

I stood in the ring at the Colorado World Tae Kwon Do State Championship, facing my opponent, who happened to be eight years younger than me, my mind racing around in an attempt to remember the training I had received to succeed in this moment. 

One particular memory led to a victory medal: When your opponent stands before you, shift your focus to the space around them to utilize all available options for movement along with pathways to flip any attack into positive momentum, revealing the portal through which you can execute your knowledge for a successful outcome.  Look through your target to your desired goal to unleash your complete strength and technique with accuracy.

How true is this wisdom for excellence in any endeavor we choose to engage in? When we fully occupy our space, aligning our words, thoughts, deeds and actions around our intent for a specific outcome, greater success is the result. Divine gnosis, knowledge that springs forth from within, becomes accessible when we choose to lean our entire personality, gifts and talents into the present moment (fully occupying our space).

Think about this for a moment. Have you ever been left empty-handed when you fully occupy your space? When you choose to show up in life implementing this practice you will find that curiosity rather than defensive behavior (including victimization and entitlement) becomes your set point which fuels your ability to access creative solution based thinking.

This invitation continues to pull at the heart of humanity throughout all of time: do not worry about tomorrow, be here now and everything will unfold perfectly from this vantage point, including your choice for your next step in a positive direction. Being a type A personality this practice has its challenges yet provides incredible opportunity to practice the techniques that you are trained in for success in life. Including your education and life experience.

Memory is inaccessible when you exist in the past or future, even though you are pulling from information gained from your past, your ability to access it and apply it exists in the present moment. Fully occupy your space and will see that this is true.

Too often as leaders we get stuck in the details that present themselves through the words and actions of those around us rather than keeping our eyes fixed on the desired outcome.  Too often distracted by shiny objects often produced by the drug of approval and the disease to please, we lose our focus along with our effectiveness. In journalism school, I remember learning about the importance of sticking with the theme of your title, and guiding all content back to that specific theme. It is no different for effective leadership and success.  As we keep our eyes fixed on our desired goal, and assist those on our team to do the same, we are more inclined to tune into all available resources and solutions to assist us in achieving our desired success in life.

The next time you enter the ring of life with a specific desire for a successful outcome, consider the following stretching technique, knowing that flexibility is a key element when it comes to reaching your goals:

1. Breathe in deeply to the count of seven, hold it to the count of 8 and exhale to the count of seven. Repeat this three times. Imagine releasing any tension that is wrapped around your desire for a specific outcome. Remember there are many techniques and methods to reach a desired destination.
2. Release expectations and assumptions around specific methods and pathways, needed to reach your desired outcomes. As you step back from micro-managing specific essential details to reach your end result, you open yourself up to exploring all available options for accessible success as you occupy your space, including input from those on your team. Remember, listen to understand rather than to be heard.
3. Focus on your desired end result one action step at a time. Victory in the ring rarely happens with one technique and skill. Success lies in your ability to chunk down the steps, which together make up the infrastructure needed to uncork a win in life.  Each step must tie into your ultimate goal. Clarity of focus and bit sized action steps lead to accuracy of response.

Enjoy this three-minute video lesson taken from Lauren’s book,  99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out.