One Thing: Architecting

Build your experience from the inside out.

Hi friends,

In How Emotions Are Made, Lisa Feldman Barrett posits that emotions are made by you, not triggered in you. She says, “you are the architect of your experience.” Your brain is constructing meaning moment to moment.

Here are two ways that I understand this:

• Your body state shapes your experience: When you’re tired, hungry, or stressed, the same situation can feel completely different.

• You can shape future experiences by changing inputs: Where you place your attention, new habits, sleep, movement, and nutrition all influence what your system has to work with.

And there’s a third place this lands for me, which is right before you step into something. A board room, a starting line, a hard conversation, a plane for a trip. That threshold moment can feel unmoored, like anything can happen and you’re at the mercy of it.

Architecting

What if, instead, you entered on purpose? Not controlling the outcome, but choosing your stance and setting intentions. Sometimes “architecting” is simply deciding how you want to show up. Try running through these prompts when you’re feeling aimless or reactive:

• How do I want to show up? What qualities and values do I want to practice in real time?

• How do I want to feel, during and afterwards?

• What do I need before (grounding), during (micro-recoveries), and after (recovery)?

I’m heading into my next HYROX race this week, and I’ll be using these to prepare mentally. I’ll share my intentions in the comments.

Take good care,
Lisa