Living the Solution

YouTube - Lost Generation

There are so many things that we must choose to reverse. Not just in our own personal lives, but in society–in our own communities. Reversing things starts with seeing the world around us from many differing perspectives.The next step is committing to the change.Finally, take action. Do something! Start with yourself!

A little different motivation today. Sorry the audio is a bit off, but the words are more important than the scene. Remember don’t be the dark cloud that rains on other people’s joyful parade of hopes and dreams, especially those of your kids.  Be an example to your kids of how a person creates the possibility for achieving their own hopes and dreams.

I speak frequently about awareness of knowing where you are right now. As a coach I am frequently asked to help people get where they want to go. I often say coaching is a lot like a good map or a GPS. It can show the route, but you must do the work to get there.

If you have ever used google maps for directions you know it asks 2 questions, start address and ending destination. If you called me on the phone for directions, the first thing I would ask you is where are you at now? So I ask you “Where are you now?”

Take an inventory of where you are at now? What resources are at your disposal? Are you aimed in the right direction at your goals? Do you know the direction of your goals? What are your beliefs? What are you telling yourself? WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?

Last week there seemed to be a theme in much of my interactions with people about another big question. This came up in a leads group I attend and it is a big coaching question, “What do you want?” Now this question must be put into situational perspective and it must be applied with, intensity and sincerity. We often think we know what we want, like money, but the truth is we want the money to buy the thing we really want–a new car, a bigger house, a maid, a boat. So I ask you what do you want? Stop and think for a minute. What lies in your deepest desires? What do you seek? Wisdom? Freedom? Clarity? A worry free life? A vacation? WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

The answer to the previous question will help establish the ending destination I spoke of earlier. That question will define the goals you are chasing, the port that your ship is aimed at. “It is not the going out of port, but the coming in, that determines the success of a voyage.” ~Henry Ward Beecher.

The final big question is an internal measurement, an internal compass that will let you know as you get closer to your port. How will you know when you’ve got it? Often people reach a goal they put down on the paper, but they feel no satisfaction from achieving it. Usually these individuals did not put down what they really wanted and they didn’t take an accurate measurement of how they will know when they got it. Sometimes it is easy, we want a car. Say you want an Escalade. You want it because of how it makes you feel, the way it drives, and it’s safety record. How will you know when you’ve got it? You will be driving the Escalade, feeling safe and confident. Other times you will need to define the measurement a little better, because the payoff isn’t quite as cut and dry. For example, I want organization in my life and in my home. How will I know when I have it? This gets a little tougher.

This question is designed to help create SMART goals and to help us associate the emotions related to our desires and goals. When we use emotion on our side it is a powerful ally. Emotion creates inspiration, drive and purpose to our actions. HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE GOT IT?

• Where are you at right now?
• What do you want?
• How will you know when you have got it?

WARNING: Use these question with caution, they may cause uncontrolled goal setting and lead to success in you life. If used on a daily basis, these questions can lead to positive habit development and positive lifestyle choices. If you become addicted to these questions please consult a professional immediately. Not intended for children under 3 years of age, let them enjoy their innocence.

It was widely believed that no human being could run the mile in less than four minutes. The best time was 4 minutes, 1.4 seconds, set in 1945. The record stood strong for several years, and both medical exerts and athletes were unanimous in the view that the four minute barrier could not be broken. “Not possible”, they said. In fact, it was believed that the 4 minute mile was physically impossible, that it could not be beaten without causing significant physical damage to the athlete’s body. And this was commonly accepted as fact.

Then, on 6th May 1954, Roger Bannister did the impossible. At a windy athletic meet in London, England, Roger ran the mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, shattering the four minute barrier. John Landy - Roger’s rival and an accomplished runner - had until then a personal best time of 4 minutes 1.5 seconds. In fact, after running a mile in under 4 minutes and 2 seconds three times, John said that the four minute barrier was “like a wall”. Amazingly 56 days after Bannister conquered the four-minute-mile barrier, John Landy, broke Bannister’s record and ran the mile in 3 minutes 57.9 seconds.

So what happened? Did the human body suddenly get stronger? Was it new technology improving running shoes? Did Bannister have a special training method? None of these really. The reality was… The four minute mile was a psychological barrier more than anything else!

To further prove the point, by the end of 1957, sixteen other runners had run the mile in less than four minutes. What Roger did was prove that the barrier or “wall” was not a physiological one, It was just a mental one. What Roger Bannister did on that windy day was not merely set a new world record; oh no, it was much more historically important than that. He demonstrated that overcoming mental barriers is the key to delivering breakthrough and historical personal performances–performances that affect more than just ourselves. Through overcoming our own limitations we empower others toward success.

The power of your mind is incredible. Your “limiting beliefs” or “mental barriers” are profoundly more powerful than physical or accepted facts. You see the mind cannot distinguish between imagined and real. We all have our beliefs about what we can achieve - and what we can’t. And our success is limited by those barriers. Even our effort is often restricted by those barriers. We don’t try - because we see those barriers. To our mind it is like driving towards a road closed sign. It already is making other plans, devising another route.

What are you thinking about? What is holding you back? Change your thinking to change your results. What mindsets do you have that are getting in your way? What self limiting beliefs have you accepted as fact, physically impossible?

What is your “Four Minute Mile Barrier”?

Opportunity! Probe the limiting beliefs, mental barriers (like the 4 minute mile), or negative attitudes that you are keeping in your mind. Awareness is the first step to shattering that barrier.

· Write them down.

· Change the “I can’t” to “I will”.

· Stop thinking impossibilities and Start believing in possibilities

· Decide to break through your mental barriers.

The choice is yours. Make the decision and take the action!

Last post discussed writing your goal down. This is a key step. Where do you write it? Excellent question. As your coach through this journey I suggest you get a Success Journal. A journal where you can write your goals and your progress of these goals on a daily basis. I know sounds hokey. But often drills are a bit hokey. I remember doing this tennis drill where we placed tennis balls on five spots on the court. We would run and bring the balls back to the starting point and then we would put the balls back, making sure they would not roll away. It was gruelling and looked silly. In the beginning I often wondered how this was going to make me a better tennis player. Well now as a raquetball player, I can say that I get to most balls. I don’t have the stamina I developed back then, but back then I got to most balls. I got there in a controlled way that allowed me to still return the ball.

Drills are merely conditioning for the real thing. They help you develop the necessary skills to be good or even great at whatever task you are taking on. So get yourself a journal. Next is how to write the goal. An undisciplined goal is a lot like a child created dessert, it often looks good, but you just can’t stomach it.

OK Smarty-pants, How do I write a Goal?

Follow a simple recipe for sure-fire hit, a SMART goal will lead you to success.
A SMART Goal is an acronym for the necessary ingredients that a goal MUST have in order for it to be achieved. In any recipe there are essential ingredients and then there are personal preference ingredients. These are ESSENTIAL ingredients:

• A goal must be Specific: You must be very clear about what exactly you want to accomplish. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
• A goal must be Measurable: You must have a quantifiable way of tracking your progress. How will you knowthat you attained this goal?
• A goal must be Achievable: . Your goals must be things that are within your power to control.Your goals must be challenging, but realistic for yourself
• A goal must be Relevant: Your goals need to be in-line with your personal mission statement or your purpose in life. Goals that are incongruent with your personal values will not lead to happiness, but rather disconnect.
• A goal must be Time Specific: Your goal must have realistic deadlines.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” ~ Willie Nelson

One final tip for constructing your goals, write your goals as positive statements, rather than negative ones: Example of positive statements: “I will be smoke free”, or “I will make healthy eating decisions and be 195 pounds.” Negative examples might be: “I will stop smoking” or “I will lose 25 pounds”. Your subconscoius doesn’t register the negative. Program your mind to think in the positive. To allow yourself, rather than limit yourself.

Now write your goal down in 2 places: 1. in your success journal and 2. on a 3 X 5 card and place it somewhere that you will see it often. Maybe on your computer at work. Possibly the mirror in the bathroom. Put it somewhere that you will see it often and you can check -in with yourself to see how you are doing.