Suzuki was a violinist, composer and teacher, but more than that he was a philosopher. And the philosophy of his that has had the greatest impact on me is, The posture you approach the violin with is going to dictate how you play. If you approach it with a beautiful heart, you will play with a beautiful tone.

I believe the same is true for how you approach your work, your team, your relationships, and your life. The quality of what you create is determined by your way of being when you create it.

If you want to create beautiful music, you must create beauty on the inside first.

When you know the answer to how do I want to be, the answer to what should I do becomes much more obvious.

I was leading a group of six CEOs a few weeks ago at an offsite. They all walked in for the first session, you could tell they were ready but not really ready. So I had them all stand up and walk out of the room.

What I asked them to do was simple, but I believe altered the trajectory of the rest of the day. "Before you come back into this room, I want you to be as intentional as possible about who's going to walk through that door. I want the version of you that is going to get the most out of today and bring their best for the group."

I watched six different people enter back into that room. Fully dialed in, completely open, relaxed but attentive, holding themselves to a higher standard.

They didn't change what they were going to do that day. They changed how they were going to be.

Robert Pirsig wrote that the only Zen you'll find on top of mountains is the Zen you bring there. Starting conditions matter. How you begin your day, your meeting, your conversation, your vacation, shapes everything that comes next.

When you change how you enter your work, your work changes. When you change how you enter into a conversation with your spouse, the conversation changes. A few deep breaths. Feeling your feet planted on the ground. Thoughtful intentionality. Then step in.

It sounds simple. It is simple. But simple and easy are not the same thing.

But what are you doing with your moments?

The walk to the office. The way you pour your coffee. The way you chew your first bite of food. None of these are filler between the important moments. There are no ordinary moments.

Somerset Maugham once wrote that in each shave lies a philosophy. I've never held my razor the same way since hearing that.

It's not about finding the space, but about entering into it. There are 86,400 seconds in a day where you can be more grounded, present and intentional. Those moments are always there. You just have to enter into them.

Every moment is a training ground for who you want to be.

I keep coming back to a simple pattern I created a few years ago.
Aware. Accept. Aim. Act.

Be aware of what's happening. Accept it without fighting. Aim toward who you want to be. Act, even if the action is just one deeper breath.

That's the whole game. Played a thousand times a day, in a thousand small moments that nobody sees.