Making an AO1 Moment

 Who is ready to stop being a slave to the clock? So much of life is measured by time: 

“I have to get this done by this time so that I can do this task and meet that person’s expectation…” It is very easy for this cycle of time and tasks to turn life into a hamster wheel.

Time and Tasks

Instead of measuring life by time and tasks, can we shift our focus to creating moments by measuring life by experiences? Creating a moment involves all five senses and can only exist free from distractions. Each moment requires our full attention. Be aware! Moments are EASY to miss. If we’re not intentional about looking for moments and creating moments, they will pass us by.

Experiences

We may begin to notice more beautiful moments: the extra cuddle from a child, the random smile from a stranger, the extra beautiful sunrise or the simple quietness of a morning. There are also moments from uncontrollable scenarios that will deeply challenge us: a death in the family, severe illness, failing a test or job uncertainty. We can’t control when those moments appear, but we can prepare for them using fitness.

That may sound slightly absurd and quite honestly it won’t happen with all fitness and shouldn’t happen with all fitness.

Unique Moment

There is a particularly unique moment that can happen in a workout. It will only occur if we plan for it and allow it to happen. The condition is that we need to work at a relatively high intensity. This means that we are near our maximum threshold. In this state, our thoughts will slow down and become much stronger and clearer. They will also be fewer in number as we will not be capable of having multiple distracting thoughts.

Choices

In this moment of clarity, we will have a choice to make – what kind of person do we want to be? This could be a moment where we choose a self-defeating thought. This could be a moment where we choose to give in to the temptation to take an easier path. 

“Just let off the gas pedal a bit more, no one will know…”

OR, this could be a moment where we choose to be an overcomer. This is a moment where we choose to take the harder path. We choose the challenge. The rest of the workout was simply a ‘buy-in’ to get us to this moment.

THIS is one of the most impactful opportunities for character development.

When we seize the opportunity of this moment, we are making deposits into the character and person that we are choosing to be. Now that person is better equipped to handle the uncontrollable moments that life is sure to throw at us. This is how mindset and fitness are so beautifully interwoven.

*As a bonus side point. This magical moment more often comes when you have scaled the workout appropriately. If you are trying to do a movement you haven’t committed, in perfect form, to muscle memory, you will either hurt yourself or be distracted.

“Many moments make a path; a path leads to a destination.”

Stefanie Hitchborn