Mental Jumping Jacks

The last time I played a down of football was 26 years ago.  But as I sit in my chair this morning pondering and planning the week, there is one lesson from my playing days that sticks in my head: How to play well when you are tired.

Mental mistakes. The desire to quit when it is “too tough.”  Procrastination. Letting things fall through the cracks. All things that happen when you are tired. Who hasn’t wrestled with those demons?  And yes, caffeine will give you a boost and prop you up, but at the end of the day, the battle is between your ears.  Physical toughness is important. Mental toughness is a must.

I had a coach who used to make us do the most devilish conditioning exercise.  We’d line up on a line on the practice field and do five jumping jacks in unison.  And did I mention silently?  No sound could be made. And if someone did not stop when we were supposed to, he’d add another one.  OK, that sounds easy, right?  Here’s the catch: In between them, we’d run long wind sprints or some other form of physical torture.  So when we were done running our 20 sprints, we’d come back and do more jumping jacks. The process repeated until we got down to zero.

You learned mental toughness quickly.  Getting done was the carrot.  Exhaustion was the stick.

I’m thinking back on it because I’m probably as tired as I’ve been in a while. Not a complaint, just a fact and I’m making some mental mistakes like stuff falling through the cracks and me procrastinating.  I’m messing up my jumping jacks. And more are being added because of it.

So here’s my plan:

1. Better organization.  I’m living and dying by the “to-do” list right now.  It’s time to make sure my time is budgeted like I’d budget my money.  It’s my most most precious resource. It must be spent well on things that matter.

2. Physical exercise.  Since I’ve been working three and four jobs, my physical condition has deteriorated. Today I start a BFHG (Big Fat Hairy Goal) as my cousin Dave calls it and am going to run another half marathon.  It’s time to get my energy back.

High performance is a dance between high mental output and physical endurance.  It’s a lesson that learned when I was 17-years-old on a dusty Georgia football field and can now only grasp when I’m 43 in my leather recliner, planning out my week.