Precision & Mindfulness

Precise thoughts, precise words and precise actions will change your life for the better. Precision can be learned.

I have two jobs, being a coach and being the Managing Director of the companies that constitute the Dan Roberts Group. I have found the skills which have helped me become a good coach. i.e. knowledge, empathy, leadership, attention to detail, curiosity and enthusiasm have helped the business too.

Precision in business means knowing your numbers and having clarity over your mission. Precision is not perfection. (Perfection isn’t something I aim towards as that becomes very restrictive to both creativity and productivity.) Precision is about being in the moment and seeking absolute clarity.

Mindfulness and precision go hand in hand

After failing to sell an atrociously bad movie script that I spent five months writing while living in a little hut in Raratonga in the Cook Islands (followed by two months playing Volleyball with Miss Sweden in Indonesia – good times!), I needed a challenge…, one thing led to another and aged 25 I found myself working as a cook in a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in the mountains of Queensland.

One day I was sweeping up the courtyard, and a monk came up to me and told me to slow down.. and subsequently gave me a beautiful explanation of being precise, ego-less and how to be ‘in the moment’. He never used the actual word ‘mindfulness’… but it was a perfect lesson in exactly that. The idea he told me was to be only focused on the exact task at hand. Through precision and focus, I soon go into flow state.. (the psychological-emotional state that athletes, artists, dancers and fighters often talk about when they are so focused, the body takes over the mind, and you become a vessel; you don’t try to do anything.. you just LET it happen. Now I’ve had this feeling playing sport…  so I was quite shocked when I felt it by sweeping leaves!

I have come to learn that precision is fundamental to both mindfulness and high-performance living. Being precise, being focused on what you are doing and not letting your head get distracted will make you more successful in anything you want to do. How can you be more precise today in your thoughts, your words and your actions?

p.s If you’re in your twenties reading these tips and you are focused on making money… maybe don’t be. Money will flow effortlessly into your life when you can truly offer value to others – be it inside a company or externally as a freelancer/creative. So don’t stress!!! From experience, I strongly recommend using your twenties to explore the world, yourself, and ideas. Careers are fun, and making loads of money is nice, but I’ve met a lot of dull millionaires &  billionaires over the years. Experiences, adventures, silly decisions… these are the things that give you true insights and perspective.