What if you went to the Olympics with a cold?

As I sit down to write, I feel rotten. I've been coughing for days, I hurt all over, and I'm not confident that all the pieces of my brain are in working order. My most vivid goal for the day involves sipping tea and watching multiple episodes of Doctor Who.

Instead, I'm writing. The Olympics are ongoing and yesterday I watched a young woman do tricks on her way down a terribly dangerous slopeboarding course. Apparently, she has such a bad cold that her team has her quarantined outside the Olympic village. If it is the Olympics, you don't stay home and watch Doctor Who. You give more than you think you have racing headlong down a mountain.

Sometimes I talk to my college business students about days like this. I say: "What if you went to work in the state you are in now and it mattered? What would you do to find the energy and focus you needed to be at your best?" They usually look stumped for awhile, and then they start to notice that there are choices. Maybe they'd play music that pumps them up, or find a funny video to make them laugh. Maybe they'd take the stairs instead of the elevator. Maybe they would talk to someone with better energy and borrow some from the conversation.

There are lots of ways to find what you need to do what you want to do. It begins with the determination to show up and be your best.

Later, I will watch Doctor Who. Rest is part of being at my best for the long haul. For the moment, my head is clear enough to be grateful for all the hours of practice I put into managing my own state so that I can teach others to have better choices about theirs. Neurolinguistic programming always begins with checking in with oneself and making the changes that will make a difference.

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