Drill Sergeant
You don’t need a military background to have experience with a drill sergeant. All you have to do is pay attention to your mind soon after awakening and you’ll hear yours barking out orders.
It’s not something I ever put into context until early this morning when I awoke. There I was coming through the reverie of the space between asleep and awake and all of a sudden my drill sergeant was banging a trash can in my head.
“You have to call so and so and get that straightened out,” “You’ve got to get to the grocery store,” “Today is trash day,” “You can’t go out until the UPS guy delivers the package you have to sign for,” “Fix that mailbox that the snow plow wiped out” were just a few of the orders I got within the first minute of waking up.
Then I noticed the noise. It would have gone on unchecked, for who knows how long, had I not noticed my drill sergeant preparing me for war as he was disturbing my peace.
Not only were there orders, there were strategies being formulated and specific tactics being explored to carry them out. No time for stretching; just instant marching orders.
What an awful experience it was until I noticed. I noticed that my mind had gone amok and was about to suck me into its muck. Just by noticing, the noise began to abate and my mind got a bit more sedate.
I realized there was no sense in arguing with the drill sergeant; that would only put him in my face even more. But just by noticing he was there with his laundry list of commands, allowed me to go back to the peaceful space that had been disturbed.
Don’t take my word for it. The next time you awaken, see how long it takes for your drill sergeant to kick in and start kicking your butt. Then instead of engaging with him, just notice him and notice what happens. That barracks inside your brain will get less noisy and you can more calmly begin your day, rather than being thrown immediately into the chaotic fray.
After a few mornings of practice to get this technique down, you’ll be amused at your drill sergeant’s antics rather than allowing him to make you frown.
You won’t find this next observation in Sun Tzu‘s “The Art of War” but maybe you can add it: Noticing is a time honored, proven strategy to kick your sergeant out of boot camp.
All the best,
John
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