El modelo uno: NYSE, horizonte de inversión día/ días

We’re now going to look at the Hexaflexercise, which covers all elements of the hexaflex (see chapter 1) in “one hit.” I use it in all my workshops, talks, and lectures; at the start of group sessions; and as a brief “refresher course” in later sessions with my individual clients. As written here, it takes from ten to fifteen minutes, depending on how fast you talk and how long you pause. Please practice it a

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This exercise, used in its entirety is undoubtedly too long for some clients. But you can easily do abbreviated versions or use “chunks” of it. I’ve numbered different

sections of the exercise so we can dissect it and refer back to it in later chapters.

Now … please read the exercise out loud. Read it in a slow, calm, steady voice, and pretend that you’re saying it to a client.

SECTION 1

Therapist: I invite you now to sit up straight, let your shoulders drop and gently push your feet into the floor … and get a sense of the ground beneath you … and you can either fix your eyes on a spot, or close them, whichever you prefer.

Now just take a moment to notice how you are sitting. (Pause 5 seconds.) And notice how you are breathing. (Pause 5 seconds.) Notice what you can see. (Pause 5 seconds.) And notice what you can hear. (Pause 5 seconds.) Notice what you can feel against your skin.

(Pause 5 seconds.) And notice what you can taste or sense in your mouth. (Pause 5 seconds.) Notice what you can smell or sense in your nostrils. (Pause 5 seconds.) And notice what you are feeling. (Pause 5 seconds.) Notice what you are thinking. (Pause 5 seconds.) Notice what you are doing. (Pause 5 seconds.)

SECTION 2

Therapist: So there’s a part of you in there that can notice everything that you see, hear, touch, taste, smell, think, and feel. (Pause 5 seconds.) We don’t have a good word for this part of you in everyday language. I’m going to call it “the observing self,” but you don’t have to call it that. You can call it whatever you like. (Pause 5 seconds.)

Life is like a stage show. And on that stage are all your thoughts, and all your feelings, and everything that you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. The observing self is that part of you that can step back and watch the stage show: focus in on any part of it, or step back and take it all in at once. (Pause 5 seconds.)

SECTION 3

Therapist: Now take a moment to reflect on why you came here today. There is something that matters to you, something that is important deep in your heart that motivated you to come here … Is it about improving your life? … Personal growth? … Learning new skills? … Building better relationships?

… Is it about improving things at work, or with your family, or your friends? … Or perhaps it’s about your health: nurturing your body or enhancing your well-being?

Getting Experiential

… Just do a search, deep inside your heart, to clarify what values led you here today.

(Pause 15 seconds.)

SECTION 4

Therapist: And now take a moment to reflect on how you got here today. You didn’t get here by magic. You are only here because of committed action. You had to organize the appointment. You had to reschedule things. You had to invest time and effort and energy to get here. And chances are that getting here today brought up some uncomfortable thoughts and feelings for you. And yet … here you are. (Pause 10 seconds.) And recognize that right now, in this moment, you are taking action. You are sitting here in a chair, doing an exercise that probably seems a bit odd or unusual ... and you probably have all sorts of thoughts whizzing through your head ... and all sorts of feelings passing through your body. (Pause 5 seconds.) And there are all sorts of things you could be doing right that are much more fun than this, and yet here you are, taking action to improve and enrich your life. (Pause 10 seconds.)

SECTION 5

Therapist: Now for the next few breaths, I’d like you to focus on emptying out your lungs: push all the air out of them until there’s no more left, and then allow them to gently fill, all by themselves. (Pause 5 seconds.) Really notice the breath—notice it flowing in and out.

(Pause 10 seconds.) Observe it as if you’re a curious scientist who has never encountered breathing before. (Pause 10 seconds.) Notice how once the lungs are empty, they

automatically refill, all by themselves. (Pause 5 seconds.) You can take a deep breath in if you want to, but notice how there’s really no need to: the breath just happens by itself.

(Pause 10 seconds.) And I invite you now to undertake a challenge: for the next couple of minutes, keep your attention on your breath, observing it as it flows in and out. (Pause 10 seconds.)

SECTION 6

Therapist: You will find this hard, because your mind is a masterful storyteller. It will tell you all sorts of interesting stories to grab your attention and pull you away from what you’re doing. (Pause 5 seconds.) See if you can let those thoughts come and go, as if they are merely passing cars—just cars driving past, outside your house—and keep your attention on the breath. (Pause 10 seconds.) Notice your breath flowing in and out. (Pause 10 seconds.) Notice your abdomen, rising and falling. (Pause 10 seconds.) Notice the rise and fall of your chest. (Pause 10 seconds.) Let your mind chatter away as if it’s just a radio

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on the breath. (Pause 10 seconds.)

From time to time, your mind will succeed in distracting you: it will hook you in with a good story, and you’ll lose track of your breathing. This is normal and natural, and it will happen repeatedly. The moment you realize this has happened, take a moment to note what hooked you, and then gently refocus on your breathing. (Pause 10 seconds.)

Again and again and again, you will drift off into your thoughts. This is normal and natural. It happens to everyone. As soon as you realize it, gently acknowledge it and refocus on your breath. (Pause 10 seconds.)

SECTION 7

Therapist: As this exercise continues, the feelings and sensations in your body will change. There may be pleasant feelings showing up—such as relaxation, calm, peacefulness—and there may be unpleasant ones—such as boredom, frustration, anxiety, or backache.

See if you can allow those feelings to be exactly as they are in this moment. (Pause 10 seconds.) Don’t try to control your feelings, just let them be as they are—regardless of whether they are pleasant or unpleasant—and keep your attention on your breathing.

(Pause 10 seconds.) Again and again, you’ll drift off into your thoughts. As soon as you realize it, acknowledge it and refocus on your breath. (Pause 10 seconds.) This is not a relaxation technique. You are not trying to relax. The aim is to let your feelings be as they are, to feel whatever you feel without a struggle. So if you’re noticing a difficult feeling, then silently say to yourself, Here’s a feeling of frustration or Here’s a feeling of anxiety or Here’s a feeling of boredom. Acknowledge it’s there, and keep your attention on the breath.

(Pause 20 seconds.)

SECTION 8

Therapist: So life is like a stage show. And on that stage are all your thoughts and all your feelings, and everything that you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. In this exercise, you dimmed the lights on the stage and you focused a spotlight on your breathing.

And now it’s time to bring up the rest of the lights. This breathing is happening inside a body, so now bring up the lights on your body: sit up in the chair, and notice your arms and legs, head, neck, chest, and abdomen. (Pause 5 seconds.) And your body is inside a room, so now bring up the lights on the room around you. Look around, and notice what you can see and hear, and smell and taste and touch. (Pause 10 seconds.) And notice what you’re feeling. (Pause 5 seconds.) And notice what you’re thinking.

(Pause 5 seconds.) So there’s a part of you in there that can notice everything: whatever you see, hear, touch, taste, smell, think, feel, or do in any moment.

And that basically brings the exercise to an end. So let’s take a good stretch, and then we can talk about it.

Getting Experiential