How to Feel Good, Day 2

The 5 Biggies, my list of first principles (fundamental ideas everything builds on), includes "Feel Good First."  Instead of leaving your mindset to chance thinking you'll feel good if the thing you're doing goes well...

Feel good and then get in the batting cage.

Feel good and then start to throw.

Feel good and then step on the field to coach.

Feel good and then talk to your child.

See the pattern?

Feel good and then X, where X is something important to you or someone else.

Why?  We perform better when we feel good.  We have better access to our talent.  Plus...

Our Ultimate Want

Feeling good is our ultimate want.  What do I mean?

Whatever you (or me) says we want -- to be a starter on the HS team, to be a college coach, to win a championship, to make $1,000,000, we want it because of how we think it will make us feel.

"What do you want to have happen?"  is the opening question.

Whatever the person says, ask, "And what will that get you?" or "And what's important to you about that?"  Keep exploring and you'll come to some word that means positive affect.

We each might use a different word, like happy, fulfilled, peaceful, safe, satisfied, but I'll drop them all into one word:

"Good."

So that's why I think this is a worthy aim -- creating a series of emails that both bring that idea front and center and provides simple tools to feel good.

Day 1 was "smile."  No need to go back and read it, just smile at someone and see what happens.

Day 2 is the Ball Breath.  

Let's go: 

1) Exhale the air you have in you now -- empty it out.... pull your belly button in (this sets you up for a satisfying breath in...)

2) Through your nose, mindfully draw air down into your belly, imagining inflating a ball... feel it expand your midsection in all four directions (both lower ribs move out slightly, and your lower back expands out a bit).

3) Hold for a count of 2.

4) Relax and let the air exit your mouth, perhaps through pursed lips like through a straw... letting the exhale be longer than the inhale.

Notice what you feel.

Repeat as desired.

This breath will, for most, have a relaxing effect.  You might notice muscles release that you didn't know were tense.

For most, being relaxed feels GOOD.  

Confidence is relaxed.

Confidence moves slowly.  (Unless fast is needed at the time).

Play with taking a breath like this to Feel Good before you do something today.  Play with deliberately Feeling Good and then X, where X is something important to you or someone else.

That's Playing Big,

Dr. Tom