Every so often, it happens.
We have one of those days. Everything lines up just right. Our training, our planning, and our timing synchronizes perfectly and we realize what’s happening: we’re crushing it. If we’re athletes, we’re smashing our splits. If we’re in business, we’re closing deals. If we’re artists, the words, music, and images flow like water.
It’s the kind of day we live for.
The euphoria intoxicates us. We want more, because we know these days don’t come along often. With the best intentions, we do what we’ve been told we should do: we seize the day. We carpe diem. We push harder and go for more as quickly as possible, thinking we can compound the amazing sensations and send the day into the stratosphere.
We get greedy.
Ride the Wave
There’s a problem with greed. It clouds our judgment. It skews our point of view. This is true across the board in life, and it’s also true with our transcendent days. When we get greedy with these amazing moments, we run the risk of derailing them. We force things that don’t fit. We get ahead of ourselves. In the push to get more, we try too hard. We throw our timing off, and before we know it, elation turns to frustration.
The magic evaporates into thin air.
The solution is to get out of our own way and savor these days. Not by pushing for more and going faster, but by slowing down and mining each moment in all its glory. Shower these days with praise and step into gratitude. Focus on the moment and it will expand. Look past the moment, and it might not be there when you look back.
This is a valuable lesson for champions in any walk of life: learn to let these peak moments unfold organically. The next time one comes along, you’ll know exactly what to do. You’ll be confident you can get the most out of a great set of circumstances, because you’ve done it before.
You’ll see the swell on the horizon. You’ll relax. You’ll feel the energy run through you. You’ll put in exactly the right effort at exactly the right time, and you’ll ride that wave all the way home.
