Priming and Daily Routines for Mental Readiness

Concept of Priming

• Definition: Priming involves thoughts influenced by the environment rather than originating solely from oneself.
• Self-priming: The practice of consciously influencing one’s own thoughts and emotions, especially at the start of the day.

Tony Robbins’ Morning Routine

• Duration: 10-minute process every morning.
• Components:
  1. Gratitude:
     • 3 minutes spent on feeling genuine gratitude, not just intellectually acknowledging it.
     • Emphasis on experiencing gratitude deeply to cause biochemical changes.
     • Example: Feeling the ocean’s wind or a loved one’s smile.
  2. Prayer/Blessing:
     • Focusing on cleansing oneself and strengthening attributes like love and passion.
     • Sending positive energy to family, friends, and others.
  3. Three to Thrive:
     • Visualizing and feeling the completion of three goals or achievements.
     • Using this to prime the brain’s reticular activating system to focus on success.

Physical Practices

• Cold Exposure:
  • Use of cold plunges to wake up and strengthen mental discipline.
  • Emphasizes non-negotiation with oneself and immediate action.

Emotional Fitness

• Distinction from Emotional Intelligence:
  • Emotional fitness is a state of readiness, not just capability.
  • Involves activating emotional circuits for immediate application.

Visualization Techniques

• Use of Imagery and Feeling:
  • Visualization involves both seeing and feeling outcomes as already achieved.
  • Different sensory modalities for different individuals (e.g., see-feel, audio-feel).

Mental Preparedness and Execution

• Activation of Stories and Beliefs:
  • Preparing by priming positive stories and beliefs.
  • Importance of executing learned knowledge rather than just philosophizing.

Knowledge vs. Execution

• Knowledge: Seen as potential power.

• Execution: Considered more powerful and necessary for achieving mastery.

• Mastery Levels:

  1. Cognitive Understanding: Basic intellectual comprehension.
  2. Emotional Understanding: Learning through emotional experiences of pain and pleasure.
  3. Physical Mastery: Actions become automatic and require no conscious thought.

• Conclusion: Robbins stresses the importance of routine, discipline, and the physical activation of the nervous system to achieve success and readiness in life.