Form drills for life hacking

Change your state by changing your form

If you’re a runner you know all about having good form.  Good form in running consists of being tall and upright with your shoulders and hands high – landing on you mid foot with rapid cadence and light strikes – Pushing your hips open and forward like you are being pulled by your belt buckle – your head up, chin forward with your face relaxed and a smile.

That’s good running form.  The powerful thing about practicing your running form is that it makes you more efficient.  You can assume good running form at any point in a race and you will be instantly relaxed, confident and powerful.  The act of assuming the form changes not only your physiology by also your psychology.  By assuming the practiced form you become that powerful runner.

Amazingly the concept of the interrelation of form and power carry over into your real world.  Observe a powerful person walk into a room.  What do you see?  They don’t slouch.  They walk tall and confidently. Their head is up, chin forward and there is an almost imperceptible, confident, small smile.

When they talk to someone they square their body and hips to that person and look them in the eye.  They are open and relaxed in their body language.  They give off a sense of relaxed power.

This is a practiced form and skill.  When you walk into a room you can adopt the same posture and attitude.  You can practice it.  You can practice talking to people with your body and hips squared to them – tall posture – open shoulder and body.  Engage them with your eyes.  Nod every so often to show that you understand and are listening.  Smile slightly.

If you can create the ‘form’ of open and powerful engagement you can use it, just like you would your running form to get into a physical and mental state that will allow you become that person.  Just as your physiology dictates your state in running, your body movements, positions, postures and language also dictate your state in normal interactions.

Try it.  You can change your state by changing your form.

Cheers,