I am privileged to work with some amazing athletes and one of the really special things that is noticeable about great athletes and great athletic feats is how time seems to slow down. When you watch the best athletes play a game, it just seems like they have more time, as though there is no rush, the moments we perceive as fleeting or imperceptible are an eternity for them.
This phenomenon is evident in business as well as life. People who are doing great things just seem to be able to do more in less time than those who aren’t achieving. They seem to be able to slow the process down, understand when and where to make decisions, and make them out of a sense of confidence versus a sense of fear.
What is it that these people do to seemingly make time slow down?
The first thing that seems to be consistent amongst these people is Patience. People who are high achievers, even though they desire to accomplish much in a short period of time, or to make the bold move or the perfect play at the right time, always seem to have the patience to wait just that fraction of a second longer to pull the trigger.
By that, I do not mean stalling, or getting stuck, or delaying, what I mean is that they don’t react, they pro-act. This is really defined by the next “P” Preparation. They’ve done their homework, they’ve gone through this scenario, or set of circumstances in their mind over and over again, they constructed this move, or this action, so it doesn’t need to be done in haste, it get’s done at the right time, in the right moment and it causes the right reaction or action to occur.
In being prepared they have also endeavoured to Plan. They’ve constructed the steps, organized the process, and they understand that even though point A to point B is never a straight line, it does follow a sequence of steps, and they’ve thought out and considered those steps.
They are also Persistent! They will consistently and repetitively do what needs to be done to be really good at what they do. They don’t try something once, fail and then just drop out. They do the action, task, work, movement, and each time they do it, they learn from it, they see other opportunities, they fine tune, adjust, make clearer, so that when they finally do something when it really matters, it works, and it seems effortless!
This persistence leads into the concept of Practice. But not just practice, purposeful practice. What I mean by purposeful practice is that the desired outcome is understood, there is a connection or vision of what they want to accomplish and so each and every time they practice the things they need to do, the skills, the actions, the deals, they have seen the express results before hand, they visualized the outcome, and they are connected to what they are doing and why they are doing it. They don’t just do something over and over again, they execute repeatedly with a purpose.
Purpose is the final “P”. It is the most important “P”. Doing things without a sense of purpose leads to meandering, listlessness, procrastination and real failure instead of constructive learning. If you don’t know what you are trying to accomplish and why you are trying to accomplish it, then you are just doing things for the sake of doing them. The greats know instinctively why they want to accomplish something. For some, this sense of purpose is innate, for others it must be procured or constructed. But for everyone who desires to make time stand still, to really see what it is they are about to accomplish, or will accomplish, this sense of purpose is fundamental.
The 6 P’s of warping time are: Patience, Persistence, Preparation, Planning, Practice, and Purpose. Start today to shape your world with these elements. Understand the purpose of each day, prepare each day, plan your course, be patient and persistent throughout each day, and practice, practice, practice these skills each and every day.
If you truly employ the 6 P’s in your life time will slow down, I promise!
Originally published at medium.com