I was recommended a book by a friend called “Body Mind Mastery” by Dan Millman recently and was just able to crack it open this week. It’s great! I’ve been a fan of Dan Millman and his philosophical approach to to applying the lessons in sports and really anything you do as a hobby or profession to all areas of life. In general, his approach is that all activities are a method for personal development. I love it!

I first read a book by Dan Millman in college called “The way of the Peaceful Warrior.” I believe it was one of his first bestsellers that appealed to the masses. I think there is a move based on the book floating around on Netflix too. Unfortunately, it’s not as great as the book because it loses some of the mysticism and self exploratory reflections that make the book a good read. I was a college athlete at the time and the book had a profound impact on my approach to training and thinking about competition.

I was pleasantly surprised to read this book. I had read a few other books by Dan Millman, and they were a far reach from the initial book I had read. (Although I do recommend the sequel to the “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” it has an even more mystical feel to it) Here are a few things I want to pull from the book and share with everyone to start with. I look forward to sharing a few more things from the book as I read through it.

In the initial chapters, the book explores many concepts and ideas but one thing that stood out to me is the value of preparation.

• If you have 6 hours to cut down a tree, spend 4 hours sharpening your axe.
• If there are two spaceships venturing to Mars, it doesn’t matter who takes off first. What matters is that you make proper preparation to stock your supplies and calculate for fuel that will get you there and back. Even if you are the first to leave, if you don’t have enough fuel or run out of supplies, you won’t make it back! 

Both of these emphasize the value of preparation. Especially if you are in a competition with someone, preparation is essential. It might seem essential to be the first to launch your operation to be the first to execute. However, taking the time to make proper preparations will allow you to efficiently cut down the tree or ensure that your space exploration will get you there and back. Therefore, preparation is the foundation building of any and all actions. Many of us would agree and understand that having a strong foundation gives us the ability to build a higher set of advanced skills. Peak performers understand the essences of this is accomplished during the preparation phase.