Building Mastery

[Shelly Ann]

I would be good if some guys happen to also comment on this one, but I have posted it here, because I could not see a general thread anywhere else..

I have been thinking about BUILDING MASTERY, as they say that it is key to reducing emotional vulnerability and in staying out of an emotional mind and for many people this means: being strong and on track regardless of what is going on.

Building mastery is about trying to do one thing a day to make yourself feel confident and in control. This is particularly important for people in pursuit of health and fitness and/or in proactively trying to balance life and work, including the fitting in of time for training, meal planning, relaxation and all of those other things we need to do to get by.

What ideas do you have for activities that may help to give you a sense of mastery?

[GymMouse45]

I think it helps to have a plan for where you are going and how you will get there. Set short-term and long-term goals with milestones along the way. Keep a diary or a chart showing your progress toward your goals. I also think it might help to spend a few minutes at the beginning of the day thinking about what you hope to accomplish before the sun goes down and a few more minutes at the end of the day reflecting on how you did and whether you need a course correction. I am also a big believer in some form of meditation, yoga, or tai chi to calm your mind and keep negative emotions and stress at bay. Finally, I think you need patience, focus, and discipline because mastery is a long-term work-in-progress. This was an interesting topic and I enjoyed thinking about it. Thank you for posting the topic.

[Shelly Ann]

yes I thought so too... when I thought about it I come up with-

- cooking
- budgeting
- being creative
- being a good friend
- being active
- doing my best at my job everyday
- and; always doing the right thing...

I find these help give me a sense of control and mastery over my life. Also doing my workouts even when I don't feel like it!!! That is dicipline to a t

[Megin]

Ah. Thought I replied here yesterday




But, for me:
Solving mathematical equations
Jigsaw puzzles
Lifting

[GymMouse45]

Originally Posted by Shelly Ann

yes I thought so too... when I thought about it I come up with-

- cooking
- budgeting
- being creative
- being a good friend
- being active
- doing my best at my job everyday
- and; always doing the right thing...

I find these help give me a sense of control and mastery over my life. Also doing my workouts even when I don't feel like it!!! That is dicipline to a t

This may be a totally male thing, but I think you need some type of goal to really achieve mastery. Your list is very process-oriented and open-ended. For example, you are budgeting---for what? It seems to me that budgeting is the process you use to achieve material prosperity, financial independence, peace of mind, something else (take your pick). All of your activities are paths that can lead to mastery, but you cannot achieve a state of mastery unless you know your destination.

[Shelly Ann]

mmm, yes, I see what you mean... thanks for that

[Fitness-Chic]

Originally Posted by Shelly Ann

yes I thought so too... when I thought about it I come up with-

- cooking
- budgeting
- being creative
- being a good friend
- being active
- doing my best at my job everyday
- and; always doing the right thing...

I find these help give me a sense of control and mastery over my life. Also doing my workouts even when I don't feel like it!!! That is discipline to a t

Your list is great. If I may add in one thing... motivating others. I feel that it's important to help others realize how important exercise is to maintain good health, mind and body. Helping to motivate and educate them as much as we can....... can make a world of difference in a persons life.

Me for cooking I pre-plan all my meals for the day and take everything to work with me so tha I am not tempted to run to the vending machine.

Budgeting.... it is so easy to spend more money trying to eat healthier than it is to eat what ever is cheep fo sho. There are many choices that can be made for food choices to eat healthier and stay within your monthly food budget. I make a list of things needed before I go do my shopping. Also budgeting for your supps on top of that. Now that can be a tuffy for some people. They can get kind of spending at times. Shop around and find the best prices on a quality brand and when you have the extra money buy an extra one or two for during those time where money may be an issue and you cant afford to buy them. Then they are in the cupboard when needed.

Creativity... another great one. Being creative with your workout program to keep thing interesting. There are many ways to change up an exercise or your cardio program to keep your motivation level up.

A good friend can be mind and body there. Mentally being there for your pal that need a little reassurance in things that are going on it there life or being there to help motivate a friend in making the choice to get into fitness and make the right choices so they to can see the benifits to exercise and in turn will help to keep them motivated.

Being active is a much for good health but so is REST.... let not for get about rest time needed to let your body recover and stay in good health.

Doing your best at your job duties are great for your mind, confidence, and of course your pocket book...lol. and also doing the right thing as well which will give you a sence of well being and confidence. confidence not only for you but for other that you are a person that can be trusted and they can come to.

Those are all great and are all a part of good health.

Also you threw in there discipline. Freakin awesome one not to forget. Without discipline and dedication we would all be on a roller coaster ride when it comes to our health.

I dunno ... you had some great ideas there. I thing those are all important things in life that everyone could benefit from.

[_Bethany_]

What a great topic! For me, I've been really working hard at becoming the best person that I can be. I'm being more conscious of how other preceive me through my words or actions, sometimes just a simple smile can make a world of difference in how somone preceives you - I've been working really hard with this. I've also been getting into the habit of reflecting on my day before I fall asleep. I think a little about any decisions I made and if I though all my choices were in my best interest, other best interest, etc. then I know where to make small changes in the future. So far it's been working unbelievably. I feel like the weight of stress has been completely removed from my life! I'm also getting into "mind over matter "medicine, which is exactly what is sounds like. Being able to convince your body out of illness. I work really hard at learning to listen to all my body's signals and respond to them accordingly. I feel like I'm becoming a better person! The more I do this, the more self confident I become and the less anxiety I feel (two things I have struggled with my whole life). I am starting to feel a sense of self that have not ever felt before.

As far as mastery goes, I too plan out my meals and do my prep cooking early in my week to ensure all my needs are met. I plan out my workouts and make sure I do them on the days I assigned them. It def. helps keep me grounded, focused and on track.

I'm also a huge creature of habit, so routines would be high on my mastery list. I do things at a set time everyday, with an alloted amount of time to finish, in a set order and change these if they are not working. Everything from talking out my two dogs, showering, getting ready, doing household chores, etc. My ultimate goal in life is to have as minimal stress as possible and routines really help with this!

Editing to add: One thing my BF and I do, which really helps both of us, is we take at least 15min - 30min every evening, wherever there may be time and we sit down and do nothing but talk about our day, or politics, or whatever is on our mind. I think it really helps us both unwind and without that little "pep" talk I guess, I feel like part of my day is missing and I haven't fully unwinded or relaxed. I mean we talk to eachother while doing chorse, working out, cooking, surfing the net, etc. but these 15-30min are 100% attention on eachother, no destractions.

Thanks for the great post!