You’re about to get hit.

Despite what you may see in movies or on television, getting smacked in the face is not very glamorous. You can, however, improve your life by learning how to take a punch.

If you've never had the dubious pleasure of getting punched or slapped, please do not run right out and do it so that you can equate to what I am talking about here. It hurts - just trust me on this one, okay?

So how does that knowledge help you to improve your life? Simple: by teaching you how to keep your guard up!

You see, as a general rule, people do not go through life ready for action. In fact, most people go through life not really ready for anything!

They just sort of float along in a reactionary state, waiting to see what life is going to throw at them, and then they react appropriately or inappropriately when the time comes.

That's not exactly conscious creation! In fact, that's not exactly living, in my opinion.

The way to break out of this self-induced funk is to realize that every single moment of your life is an opportunity for you to be aware.

The easiest way to be aware is to act exactly as you would if you were in a potentially dangerous physical situation.

Think about it. Have you been outside at night and felt like you might be in danger? Your senses are all very fine-tuned, you are constantly watching and listening for any sight or sound that might herald the onset of actual peril, and you are primed and ready to fight or flight with a split second's notice!

Compare that to how you walk around at your job.

Compare that to how you react when you see your spouse, your kids, or your friends.

Compare that to how you approach an upcoming workout that you don't really want to do.

In the types of situations that I just described, you wouldn't feel like your life was in any real danger, so you wouldn't feel the need to really focus on what is happening during those times.

In general, you simply float along knowing that this cubicle leads to the next cubicle, that your spouse, kids, and friends are all going to act a certain way, and that your next workout is going to be just as boring and listless as the last one was.

Now, consider what would happen in each of those situations if you actually thought someone might come up to you out of the blue and just belt you right across the face!

Would you be more aware of your surroundings? Would you notice what people were doing and saying, and whether or not you were going to be affected by that? In short, would you pay attention?

Of course you would!

• Your eyes would consciously register - not just look at - all of the things in your field of vision.
• Your mind would consciously make note of - rather than just observe - what people were doing, saying, or even what they were wearing.
• Your posture would stay strong, and firm, ready to instantly take action on anything that happened in your environment that might affect you.
• Your awareness of your own physical stature would increase, thus exponentially increasing the mind/body connection.
• Your memory of events would increase since you consciously made note of each aspect of your surroundings, rather than just floating through, barely even aware of yourself, let alone what other people were doing.
• Your ability to respond physically, emotionally, or mentally to the world around you would be sharper and more directed, rather than just having instinctive reactions which might or might not serve you.

Do you think that your life would be better if you started actually participating in it, rather than just having a front row seat, and asking the other non-aware person next to you to pass the popcorn??

I am not saying that you should run around looking for a fight all day every day, or that you live your entire life as if you are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

However, I am saying that by consciously being aware of - and thus being consciously prepared for - your life, that you will automatically start creating your life, rather than just reacting to it.

So, are you ready to attack life with a gusto, or are you just sitting around waiting to get sucker-punched?