The 10 Most Important Minutes of Your Day

I was stopped at the intersection of Virginia and Burkhardt Rd.

Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I looked to my left.

Hopefully those two peeking through my car window didn’t judge me.

I can’t blame them if they did.

They probably weren’t expecting to see a crazy man.

It was 5:42pm.

It wasn’t until my concentration broke from the alternate reality I was currently occupying that I noticed what I was doing. Those two didn’t laugh, perhaps because it was more peculiar than comical. What they saw was a 25-year-old guy motioning with his hands, speaking in full sentences, and for no apparent reason, smiling all the while. No one else was in his car. No phone was pressed to his head. Not even a dog was riding shotgun.

He was completely alone.

I was having a conversation. I’ve had many conversations like this one. Conversations in which I play the role of “interviewee,” and I always have the privilege of speaking with someone whom I greatly admire. Why?

Like many, I listen to quite a few podcasts. Some are business-centric, some bodybuilding-related, and many others. Typically, there’s an accomplished guest who’s been invited to join the podcast and share insight. For those who’ve been living under a soundproof rock, there’s usually a portion at the recording’s onset where the guest or “interviewee” is asked to briefly introduce him or herself.

I am the guest, and this is where I start.

But this is also where I deviate. See, I don’t give details or anecdotes that are grounded in the present. Instead, I give a detailed monologue as if I’m who I want to be in a few months or years. I regale accomplishments I’ve attained, when in reality, I am hoping to accomplish them in the future. This is the perspective I take for the remainder of the interview. The future Brian.

Each discussion is different from the last. Maybe I’m brought onto a podcast to discuss how I’ve grown a successful blog. Perhaps I’m a guest on a panel of successful individuals who’ve started their own businesses. Or maybe I’m giving a guest lecture pertaining to muscle growth or a special topic in Physical Therapy I’ve pioneered. You get the idea. Remember, this is the future Brian.

I give an introduction and continue to engage in discussion; answering questions from either the interviewer or the audience in attendance. Sometimes I get so engrossed in the levity of the situation that I begin nodding my head, pointing to the invisible presentation I’ve created, or recanting personal anecdotes that haven’t even happened yet.

I don’t believe I’m crazy.

I do this because when I’m able to verbalize my accomplishments and how they’ve come to pass, those words turn into purposeful intentions and actions. I am literally spelling out my plan and pouring cement on my goals. I’m an actor, playing the role of who I want to become.

I had a tremendous teacher in high school named Mr. Bauer. He told me “You never really understand something until you can teach it to someone else.” That’s a bit cliché, but it stuck with me.

During these discussions in my car, I’m not only teaching a scientific principle or explaining how I reached 1,000 subscribers at my website, I’m also explaining to myself what I plan to accomplish and how I plan to go about it.

Several years ago, I was humbled to be included on a panel of Physical Therapists who had graduated with their doctorates, found jobs they can’t wait to venture to each morning, and who were each pursuing their interests outside of the clinic. Fortunately for me, the discussion was occurring in my car, so I didn’t need to travel too far.

I am not a psychologist. I am not yet an accomplished businessperson or clinician. And I am certainly not a life coach, whatever that means. However, I am someone who’s accomplished things I’ve set out for, like many of us have. But sometimes I’ve felt lost, discouraged, or just pissed off.

Refer back to 5:42pm; I was smiling all the while. That’s how I know it’s worth it.

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