What Denzel Knows About You

Instinctive Achiever,

Have you ever experienced a perfect moment in time?

One where things feel easy, effortless, and in flow.

Where you didn’t have to think. You just did, and you did it well.

This week, I want to challenge you to diagnose your own magical moments of effortless ease as symptoms of hard work paying off, not magic.

These moments are the moment your training became instinct.

An Instinctive Moment

This past Monday, I’d been asked to speak for 7 minutes, approximately 2 minutes before the meeting started.

Despite being very proud of my public speaking abilities, my gut reaction was no.

However, my inner knowing, that supportive voice won:

You know how to do this. You’ve been trained, Dan.

I finished on exactly 7 minutes, right as the timekeeper raised the red card (the red card signals time’s up).

Most of the audience had been engaged, perhaps even impressed. I was really proud of that, with the best part being that it felt effortless, or at least appeared to be.

When I got home, I debriefed it like I always do and something came up: three years ago, the same situation happened and the experience was completely different.

The audience averted their gaze, barely interested. I ran 3 minutes over. It absolutely wasn’t effortless. That big red card made sure I knew it and I was so embarrassed that my instinct was to never put myself forward again.

Yet I learned something that day. A lesson that quietly prepared me. A lesson that allowed evolution to do its work so that on this Monday, I would be ready to be effortless.

The Three Steps of Evolution

We have the benefit of choosing what we get good at.

Sometimes, we forget how good we have it.

My belief is that we struggle to remember that sometimes.

So, here’s a simple formula to help us with whatever it is we want to be effortless at:

Earning the Effortless: Two More Examples

t’s easy to look at a seasoned professional such as a successful author, a brilliant runner, or a confident speaker and think they possess a gift you lack.

Remember that their ease is earned.

I know the running to be true from my own experiences at the track I run at.

The faster runners, people whose backs I know better than their faces because they’re always so far ahead circle the track like gazelles.

They look effortless, But are actually putting in 60+ mile weeks. I used to think I run a lot, but 40 would be a big one for me. They’ve earned that ease. Their bodies have evolved through practice, adaptation and integration.

The same is true of doctors. They put in the work up front, so that they can serve on instinct. Particularly those NHS Doctors with 12 hour shifts.

If You Don’t Believe Me, Ask Denzel

One of my favourite motivational speakers is Denzel Washington.

He’s credited with offering many of the people we consider mainstream famous advice for continuing to do so (their effortlessness).

He understands that the struggle is necessary for the skill to become instinct. Here’s one to remember:

The Code: Listen to Achieve

Never mistake the appearance of ease for the absence of hard work.

The hardship of Practice and Adaptation is exactly what secures the Integration.

So, the code this week is for you to be honest with yourself

1. What do you want to be effortless at?

2. Are you doing the work that evolution requires to get here?

You may be surprised.

Your Evolution Coach,

Dan x