After a lifelong effort that, on my own, looks a lot like a slump, I now wholeheartedly believe in being guided into the thing I’m pursuing. It righteously perpetuates my passions! If you can imagine, I use this approach involving most aspects of my life. I believe my body should be the healthiest, fittest, firmest visual presentation of me and so I often have a personal trainer sculpting me and driving that process. I seek to make an impact daily, with regards to how I release my talent, purpose and abilities into the world. With that aim, I am in partnership with a professional life coach to ensure that my actions in every aspect of my life are acutely directed toward my intent. I take time daily for meditation and prayer with my chosen spiritual mentor to be guided into a higher existence, a more meaningful response and an acute awareness. I also utilize a financial planner, service technicians for my automobile, naturopathic / homeopathic doctors, and many others…

So! As I was working out to meet my goals for physical wellness with my trainer (who is a BEAST!), I found within myself the presence of mind to marvel how she consistently uses the power of modeling. Not only does she show me the exercise, demonstrating the correct form, she indicates which muscles are being utilized, all with minimal instruction. Before I begin, my trainer positions herself directly in front of me, so that it appears as if I am in a mirror, and even does the exercises as I do them… This goes on the entire hour and a half.

There are many who use the engaging practice of modeling as a standard today because of its highly effective power in creating clearer mental images of what is expected. It is this visual picture whose impact enables a higher mastery of skill, a quicker understanding of what is being conveyed and a longer-lasting use of all that has been grasped. This is incredibly important since there are a plethora of styles by which people learn - what they see (visually), what they hear (auditory), using their hands (tactile), engaging their entire bodies (kinesthetic) and also some combination of these. Wonderfully, modeling incorporates all of these approaches and encourages communication to be sure of what is expected. Thru demonstrating what is desired, my trainer reflects more adequately than words specific behaviors I am to perform without the delay of discussion, confusion, doubt. Even as I begin to carry out what she is doing, all traces of needing instruction, bewilderment around what she’s doing or why -and- concern that I will be unable to complete the task all subside.

Here are some of the gems that I surmise have come from modeling:

• Higher Performance – As soon as my trainer begins modeling, I find myself engaged and ready to mirror what she’s demonstrating. Minutes later, I am putting in practice exactly what has been instructed.
• Fewer Mistakes - Often I am amazed that my form looks pretty close to hers without her having to say one word to correct me.
• More Productive – I get way more done! There is dramatically less talking (both in giving instruction and in me finding reason for not being able to perform). I find that I accomplish much more during our sessions.
• More Comprehension – I instantly get it! There are no names that I don’t recognize or techniques that I find confusing in my way. Because she uses minimal words and quite a bit of demonstration, I quickly understand exactly what I am to do.
• More Efficient – Time is used much more wisely. My trainer converts precisely what I need to know in a short amount of time.
• Higher Focus – I am made to pay attention. My aim is on achieving the end goal… because I see (in her) that it can be done.
• Heightened Visualization – My mind captures each of her moves and “plays it” back to me, with me as the subject. Whether she is in or out of my sight, I visually “see” myself using the correct form and cadence to complete the exercises.

After taking a moment to appreciate all of this, my mind was completely blown… I found I actually was more engaged during my workouts – yes, even at 6am, geesh! I discovered I was ~excitedly~ achieving my fitness goals. I was opting not to partake of foods that weren’t on my nutritional plan (ones that usually tempted me, like chocolate). I was in the mirror not looking at new bulges of perceived fat but bulges of muscle! After all of these changes inside and around me, I discovered that my trainer (that sneaky little vixen) was NOT sculpting my body as I truly believed… By modeling before me the physical movements she expected, the precise technique I was to use and the very cadence at which I was to use it each and every session, she was instead sowing seeds that would produce a higher state of consciousness yielding in my total physical transformation. She was instilling seeds that were already germinating throughout my being, as evident in my thoughts, actions and visualizations. She was inspiring a whole revolution using seeds that were uniquely intended to bring about, very soon, the more superior, premeditated outcome that she designed...

Aches and pains aside, I now completely submit myself thru the process towards the end goal. For a better physical wellbeing, yes, but on a quintessential level of consciousness, I choose modeling ~mirroring~ daily to launch a classroom of learners who watch my every move, from the breaths I take to the flexing of my spiritual muscle, and respond in like manner to the visual image before them… I accept the strategy used with greater and greater outcomes in classrooms all across this world for greater and greater impact in the hearts of people around the globe… I AM THE GREATEST EXAMPLE OF SOWING LOVE, HOPE & ENCOURAGEMENT INTO THE EARTH. Well? Isn’t THIS greatly needed?

Why don't YOU join me? Will you decide to consistently mirror these seeds NO MATTER WHAT the circumstances, outcome or recipient? Try to begin a habit of being the example of the hope you seek. You grow as you go ~ each day, you will get stronger and stronger! You can do this! YOU REALLY CAN. My hope is that you too will be a mirror. #IfICanYouCan

In Quintessence...