Day 90 The Magic - Part Three: Peak Condition Magic

Well, here I am. Day 90 is in the bag. I have a lot that I want to reflect on and I don't expect to get it all out now. I think I'd like my day 90 post to be the 3rd part of my discussion on Magic, because it really ties it all together. But first a run down of today.

I went and did day one's workout. Took me under 10 minutes. That said, while they were easy, I did almost sort of start to get a burn on most of the exercises. See, since they were so easy, I found I was actually able to really focus on my form and isolate the muscles with incredible accuracy. The result being that these exercises, while easy and not really "work" still felt really good and fluid. Kind of like going back and playing a really easy song on guitar after you've challenged yourself for months. You find yourself adding little flourishes and being exceptionally fluid just because, well, you can now. It was still amazingly clear that I've come a long way since Day 1.

Now on with the Magic post.

I've talked about competitive vs casual players and how they perceive the game differently. What pushes competitive players to get better is drive. They have to want it. They have to be willing to put in the effort to get there. This is what makes them want to improve. But to actually improve they need confidence, but they also need humility.

First, confidence means they have already seen themselves victorious in their mind. They've seen how to get there. So, deep down, they know that they can be great. This is a great start. But to carry it further you also need to be humble. Just as strongly as they know they will be a great player, they also have to know that they are not there yet. At this point I should be clear. By great, I mean perfect. To really succeed you have to seek perfection. You have to seek Peak Condition.

This means acknowledging your mistakes. The sign of a driven player: they get upset when they loose. The hallmark of a player that will go far: when they loose they want to know why. Too many players blame their losses on luck, mana screw, or their opponent having better cards. As I've said before, these elements are there, but not as much as people want to believe. Most of the time, if you stop and look, you can find plays that you could have done differently to change the outcome of the game. That is what great players do. They own their mistakes, they don't make excuses, and they try to improve. They put in the work and the focus.

This sound familiar? What has Patrick always ranted about with people and health? They make excuses: no time, too much work, gyms are expensive, etc. PCPers, like great magic players, accept that we are not in Peak Condition, yet. But we have seen ourselves getting there, and we put in the effort. We looked not at how life had placed fitness beyond our reach, but rather what we could do differently. How can I eat better? How can I burn more calories and build muscle? What are my priorities? When the answer to the last question becomes physical fitness, then you are started down the right track. You just have to focus.

That is the last thing I want to talk about here. Focus. It's something I've been seeing pop up a lot lately. It is certainly an important part of PCP. The things we give up from our past lives attest to that. But for the last year or so it has been popping up in Magic theory a lot.

There are many elements to Magic: The Gathering game theory (card advantage, tempo, etc). They are all focused on ways to mechanically improve your game play. How to find the correct play in every circumstance. Many of the gurus seem to think that this part of theory has been pretty much figured out, and now it's down to arguing minute cases. However, many of these same gurus have lately been dropping focus into their articles. They emphasize the idea that if you are in the right mental state, the plays will come. Specifically Zac Hill has put it best: Focus on what matters right now.

This summer, with my efforts both in Magic and PCP have taught me the value of focus, and how it is always within my power to improve. You know what, it's all worked. I'm in the best shape of my life, and I really feel that my Magic playing is approaching the most competitive it's ever been. I came in the top 3 of my last two tournaments, just local ones, but 25 players each time. When you decide to make something your priority, and focus focus focus on it, then you really can exact phenomenal change in a short while. Take responsibility for your own success.