The Power of “Being More”
Hey everyone! Welcome to Pivot & Progress, a blog where I will be posting a variety of content surrounding all things performance psychology, sport, and mental skills.
For my first blog post, I wanted to share a phrase that stuck with me and continues to act as a reminder for how I want to show up in my life and work. I first heard this message from a former professor, Dr. Mark Aoyagi, during my graduate program at the University of Denver:
“Instead of doing more, be more.”
When I heard this, I experienced a bit of dissonance as ‘hustle’ culture, especially among graduate students, can act as the standard for operations. “Doing more” is often associated with high performance and success, as busy student-athletes, professionals, and high-achievers continue to pack their schedules and lifestyles with more training or more responsibilities and subsequently less intentional recovery or quality practice.
“Being more”, as I understood it, offers an alternative perspective for how we can operate as people in a sport culture and society where quantity can often be misconstrued with quality.
Being more present. Being more intentional and focused. Being more grateful, kind, loving, committed, growth-oriented, and so on, acts as a shift in how we approach life, sport, and work. And while I do not want to discount the value in appropriate levels of challenge, adversity, and concentrated effort, reflecting on the quality and motivations behind the effort allows us to stay grounded and focus on what matters to us while refining our goals and the paths towards achieving them.
So how do we be more? Practice. Here are 3 actions that I do each day that foster a sense of purpose, groundedness, and presence in my life:
Practice gratitude. At the end of each day, I reflect on 3 things that I was grateful for during that day. Sharing these aloud with a person or writing them down can remind us of the positive feelings that those moments brought us throughout the day.
Breathwork. Moments of pause and deep, belly breathing act as a reset for a racing mind.
Try it: Place a hand on your chest and another on your stomach. Notice which hand rises and falls when you breathe. On the next inhale, try to only move the hand placed on your stomach. On the next exhale, release any tension you notice in your body. Repeat 5 times.
Dance. While it may seem silly, putting on a new song or old throwback and dancing in my house gives me joy. Whether it’s dancing, singing, or another hobby, I encourage you to try something that is new, pushes you outside your comfort zone, and maybe draws out a few laughs or two. Regardless of how “good” I am at dancing, allowing myself to be authentic and free of judgment in the comfort of my home, prepares me to accept and love all that I am when I walk out the door.
Thank you for taking the time to read along, and in the spirit of being, I commit to being more courageous and pressing post.
-Meghan
