The “Diamond Hour” — Explained
We too should make ourselves empty, that the great soul of the universe may fill us with its breath. — Laurence Binyon
The “Diamond Hour” is a concept I like so much I have it as my email domain. The notion a modification of the “That which does not kill me makes me stronger” notion. This is wrong. More accurately, “That stress which does not exceed my body-mind’s capacity to absorb and adjust makes me stronger.”
Why? Because stress can CRIPPLE as well as destroy. It can leave you emotional roadkill, and we have all been there, and all seen people overwhelmed by life to the point that they are in constant depression and anxiety, or constant anger. Try to get close to them and, like a drowning swimmer dragging down the lifeguard, they will infect you with their fear and pain.
Because this is a time when we are ALL under unusual amounts of stress, the thing to ask is not merely “how can I survive this?” but “How can I use this to GROW?”
And the answer is to stay within that zone where you are under stress, but not suffering STRAIN. Stress equals pressure per unit area. Strain, on the other hand, is “deformation per unit length.” Hans Selye, the “father of the stress concept,” spoke about six languages. Before he died he said that if English had been his first language, he’d be known as the father of STRAIN.
In other words, it is NOT the pressure that hurts you. Pressure is just a part of life. In Hollywood, and most other arenas of competition, they PAY you for how much stress you can take without cracking.
IF you can take that stress and healthfully adjust to it, THEN it makes you stronger. The metaphor of the “Diamond Hour” concept then, is that heat and pressure make DIAMONDS. And that your body, heart, and mind are no different from base carbon in that sense.
Turning Heat and pressure into diamonds by calming your breathing
Focusing on Gratitude, which is a natural antidote for fear and anxiety
Finding the “eye of the storm” by tapping into your HEROIC nature, being a warrior for your family.
If you have at least THREE fail-safes, techniques that reliable stress coping mechanisms, you have the flexibility to deal with life with passion and power. And while one or even two of them can be indirect (gardening, listening to music, getting hugs) I believe we also need to have at least one, preferably two, specific techniques designed to deal with the physical, emotional, or mental aspects.
Meditating — directing your mind
Incantation — directing your emotions
Breathing — directing your body
Gratitude — specifically focusing on your blessings.
If you are committed to maximum growth, or even just being able to protect your family, you want to have a SPECIFIC practice that you can deepen. And do this in the FIRST hour of the day.
Even if its just the incredible power of the “Five Minute Miracle”: sixty seconds of deep, slow, diaphragmatic breathing at the top of the hour, at least five times a day. That’s the minimum.
But you need to carve out more time. Five minutes. Ten. Twenty. An entire “Diamond Hour” of meditation, movement, focus, input, specifically designed to prime you for the day’s challenges.
Keep a journal, and track your results. What works best? What works fastest? What works for the longest time? What affirmations put you in the right headspace?
Here’s one I love: “God’s wealth is circulating in my life. His wealth flows through me in avalanches of abundance. All my need, goals, dreams and desires are met INSTANTLY by Infinite Intelligence, because I am one with God, and God is everything.”
This works for me because of my upbringing and belief systems. But you could modify it to match your belief structures, aligning with nature, or Gaia, or the ethical structure of the universe…whatever works for you.
But you need to remember that your emotions are controlled by three things: how you MOVE, what you FOCUS on, and the LANGUAGE you use to represent reality.
Roughly Belly Brain, Heart Center, Head Center. If you will begin, today, to demand that you get FIVE MINUTES out of each 24 hours, you can slowly leverage your way up to 20, and 40, and 60. A “diamond hour” that puts you in the eye of the storm. That transforms base carbon into diamonds.
Your own “acres of diamonds” as one philosopher suggested.
All it takes to get everything you need is everything you’ve got. Get started!
Steve
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