Lessons from my Peloton...

I love riding on my Peloton. Two of my regular instructors, Robin and Christine, are both driven and help me perform at my highest level but with different approaches.?

Robin is the more driven,?slay-the-ride-or-die-trying?type of instructor.?I can count on her to crack the verbal whip on any given ride to get it done. Christine is just as competitive but tends to focus more on encouraging me to stop listening to her measures, staring at the leader board, and go inside to find my own desires and drive.

Both, I find useful. And recently their approaches I found just as useful off the bike as it was when I was riding.

Christine’s recent Reflection series focused on her mantra:?"I am.?I can.?I will. I do." In each class, she’d encourage us to turn off the leaderboard and close our eyes - going inward and focusing on one of the pieces of the mantra.?By week four, we were mapping our way to action on one of our deeper desires, having cleared the mental chatter that gets in the way.

Robin's class took another approach - focused on busting life “shoulds”.?For me, the “shoulds” are mostly outside directives I have taken on without much self-responsible reflection on whether the goal or desire is my own (think of things like?I should write my weekly Mojo pieces earlier). Robin’s class went a whole different route in conquering the “shoulds”.?She was pushing the cadence and the effort.? She suggested taking any should and running it through a different mantra:

I should …write mojo early. I can …write mojo early. I will …write it earlier so I am not rushed and can write a solid piece. Because …then I am relaxed on Monday and not worrying.

Hopefully, you get the idea.

There's great value in both approaches.?Some people may be drawn to Christine's as it comes more from the inside out.?You reflect and find what you are wanting and go from there.

I am …a writer. I can …write a strong weekly piece. I will …make sure it’s out each Monday. I do …get it out regularly and sometimes even write it early.

Robin’s tests your “shoulds”.?Because when I run through one that isn’t really mine, I either ditch it or own it.?In the actual class, it went more like this:

I should...keep up and slay this ride.

I can …work harder to push myself.

I will …wait…no, not today.

Because …I am a little tired and just want to listen to the music and enjoy the ride.

In this case, the ‘should’ wasn’t mine.?Sometimes I do want to push, and it helps to own that. When I do, I will bring it up a notch, because I want to push myself.

Now, it’s your turn.

You don’t have to have a Peloton.?Just take some time, and think about one of your daily “shoulds." Then try finishing the sentences:?I should... I can... I will... Because….?See if it is really your “Should” or not.?

I also encourage you to take some extra time to reflect on the mantra:?"I am, I will, I Can, I do."

Both are powerful tools for making things happen.

Let us know how it goes.