First Ever Tough-Smart Poll: “Your Baby Can Read” or Sergei Beloglazov

So this morning, I was supposed to put my one-year-old son, Oz,  in front of his “Your Baby Can Read” video.  Instead, I put him in front of wrestling technique videos by Sergei Beloglazov (Olympic Champion).

Prelude to The Tough Zone Part II : House Rules

Do you know how a microwave oven  works? I don’t. I’ll tell you what I do know. When I put my food in a microwave and push start, my food gets hot. I don’t need to know how the circuits work, how the microwaves are generated, how much power the oven has. My microwave is useful whether I have this information or not.

Living in The Tough-Zone is a lot like using a microwave. It’s something you will have to learn from experience.  Do it and see if it works. If it doesn’t work, don’t do it. I won’t always be able to tell you the exact mechanism behind my advice. What I can tell you is that if you follow certain Transforming to Tough precepts, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL NO MATTER WHAT THE CONDITIONS. That’s what “tough” is all about.

 Use these precepts with the roadmap presented in The Smart Zone and you will become boundless. In The Tough Zone, we will cover all sorts of subject matter: overcoming ego, losing the victim mentality, defining success, mindfulness, appreciation, seeing the good in others to name a few. But first, lets discuss the house rules to the Tough Zone.

1. Our conscious minds have no idea what is going on

In his book, “The User Illusion,” Tor Norretranders describes the tiny lens through which we view reality. According to this world-renowned mathematician, our conscious mind processes 15-20 bits of information per second; this out of  11 million bits of information per second that our senses pass on to our brains.  Thus, in any given instant, we are aware of only a tiny, tiny fraction of our physical reality.

Couple that with the latest from quantum physics: According to Superstring Theory (also known as “The Theory of Everything”), our physical universe has ten dimensions. We experience only three dimensions. Our daily life, what we perceive as “real,” is merely a three-dimensional shadow in a ten dimensional universe. Translation: There is a lot going on that we are not aware of.

Are you aware of the Internet? Are you aware of  the actual waves traveling through the air, bouncing off satellites and somehow producing an image on your computer? Of course you aren’t. But, you are using the Internet to communicate now.

How does knowing this make me tougher?

When something kooky appears in your movie, admitting you probably have no idea what is going on makes it easy to be proactive. You can simply say, “I have no idea why this is in my movie. I’m not going to fret about it.” Or you might say, “Is this my Call to Action?” Perhaps, “I won’t realize the significance of this event until later in my movie. For now, back the Smart Zone!”

2. Our brain is not in control

Our conscious minds like to think we are in control of everything…..so does our ego. We assume that our brain is the originator of our thoughts and that these thoughts determine the events in our movie. Not true. In fact, our brain is more like a holographic  TV set.  It receives signals and creates a picture of reality – albeit a very limited picture. So who’s in control? The real question is where are these signals coming from?

How does knowing this make me tougher?

Tough people learn to discriminate among their thoughts. Quite simply, there are thoughts that help us on our journey and thoughts that don’t. Think of your brain as a TV that has two stations: 1. K-TUF  2. K-WIMP.  Unfortunately, our brain is naturally set to K-WIMP (blasting at full volume) most of the time. We are constantly bombarded by worthless thoughts that harm our journey. The hero in your movie would certainly know how to turn the channel to K-TUF. Tough people have no interest in controlling everything. They do, however,  have a lifelong interest in listening for inspiration.

3. We create our own reality

Quantum physicists are beginning to question the “realness” of our reality. The physical matter that we experience as  “solid” is merely energy slowed down in a very peculiar manner. Further, the future seems to exist as potential, not a particular single outcome. Rather, there are an infinite number of futures occurring simultaneously. The million dollar question is: Which future will pop up in your movie?  The answer, of course, is the one you choose.

How does knowing this make me tougher?

Tough people take 100% responsibility for everything in their movie. They are not victims, subject to the random events of a cruel and uncaring universe. They realize that their consciousness, their inner essence determines what events will take place. They also realize that our universe is not a McDonald’s drive through. You don’t just wish for something and see it in your movie immediately. Tough people understand that, over time, if their consciousness remains positive their reality will become positive.  In The Tough Zone, we will talk extensively about how to keep your consciousness positive.

4. We are here to get better

Get better at what?  When we answer our Call to Action, we quite naturally take ourselves out of our comfort zone. Challenge pushes us to our very limits. At the ragged edge of our capabilities arise the personal issues that we must overcome:  Maybe we need to overcome shyness. Maybe we need to become more patient. Maybe we need to listen to others. Maybe we need to control our anger.   Whatever our personal issues, they will not arise until we are challenged, until we push ourselves.  If we approach our journey correctly, we transform during our Call to Action.  No matter what the outcome, a successful journey includes learning about yourself; overcoming the personal issues that limit you. Success means getting better at….life.

How does knowing this make me tougher?

Tough people sense that personal transformation is where it’s at.  Transformation is their purpose. Period. Tough people understand that they are not on this Earth to win trophies; that they are not here to accumulate millions of dollars; that they are not here to become famous, to kick ass or to takes names. Make no mistake. Truly tough people are likely to do these things. However, their focus is on becoming more skilled at living.  No matter what horrific event occurs in their movie, tough people make it a point to turn it into a positive by learning and evolving.

5. Being “right ” is of absolutely no value…in fact it’s a form of violence

Liberal vs. Conservative

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design

Christian vs. Jewish vs. Muslim vs. Buddhist

My way vs. Your way

These people vs. Those people

Who’s Right? Who’s Better?  Who cares!!!!!!!   If you are wasting time trying to prove that you are “right,” you are not in the Tough Zone. What does “right” mean? Being right implies: 1. That a great number of people agree with you. 2. That you said it the loudest. 3. That you are pointing a weapon at someone that is bigger than the one they are pointing at you. Think of all the cruelty and violence perpetrated over being right. Is it worth it?  The assertion that the Earth was flat was once “right.” Almost everyone agreed, passionately. How many people do you know who would rather be right than be happy?

How does knowing this make me tougher?

When you are in the Tough Zone your singular focus is what’s right for you. What everyone else thinks  is not even on your radar.  In the Tough Zone, you are flexible, creative, open-minded. You never attach your identity to a particular way of thought.  In turn, you are able to allow the rest of humanity to focus on what is right for them.  Trust me when I tell you that there is no “right.”

6. Sharing acts are always in your best interest.

“When you get to worrying about the needs of others, The Light (of God) gets to worrying about you.”

Karen Berg

Have you ever noticed that, when you have a problem, helping someone who is less fortunate than you always makes you feel better?  When you share with others, suddenly your “problems” don’t seen so important. You feel uplifted. You regain your power.

How does knowing  this make me tougher?

Remember, tough means:  The ability to perform at a high level, no matter what the conditions. When you are sharing with others, no conditions seem formidable. Sharing is the ultimate defense against fear and anxiety. It’s an instant fix for anything in your way. Tough people share constantly, even to the point of being uncomfortable.

So, those are the rules.  When you try to enter the Tough Zone, come prepared. Are you ready to take this journey with me? Being in the Tough Zone will give you the proper state of mind to achieve anything you want, no matter what.

As always, I welcome comments, stories and inspirations

Peace begins with me

Coach Dave