1206, 2010

The little voice

By |June 12th, 2010|mental toughness|1 Comment

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein”

H. Jackson Brown, Jr

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This quote reminds me of the little voice. That little voice in our heads that we always hear. The little voice that doubts. That little voice that says we can’t do something. That little voice that presents us so eloquently with all those excuses we accept – just  like the video in my last blog entry contained. That little voice that contributes to us cracking under pressure. That little voice that breaks our discipline.  The little voice of daily compromise.

We all face it. Noone is immune. Everyone faces it equally. And it never goes away. And you can always rationalise it. And the worst thing – noone can hear it and noone except yourself knows if you’re given in to it.

Winning this daily battle of taking control of your thoughts, feeling and attitudes is crucial if we want to achieve anything significant. There’s no easy formula to developing mental toughness and ignoring the little voice but here’s a few tips on techniques that you can use as ‘circuit breakers’ when those negative thoughts come into your head. These will give you a chance to quickly take stock, to not let that negative little voice runs its usual pattern, and give you the chance to change your thinking in that moment.

And just watch – if we can replace all our negative thoughts with positive thoughts, imagine how our performance, our output and our behaviour would change. Try it.

Tip # 1 – When the negative thought comes into your head, yell ‘STOP !‘ to yourself. Out loud if appropriate or inside your head. Now replace with a positive

Tip # 2 – When the negative thought comes into your head, name as many animals as you can as quickly as you can. ‘pig, cow, giraffe, elephant, cat …’ This is a circuit breaker for the existing negative thought. Now replace with a positive.

Tip # 3 – When the negative thought comes into your head, count to 10 out loud as quickly as you can.

Tip # 4 – When the negative thought comes into your head, grab your breast or crotch or punch yourself. Sounds weird doesn’t it. But again, this acts as a circuit breaker for the negative thought so you can replace it with a positive one. And just watch, you’ll start to catch yourself before the negative thought starts running because this action is so embarrassing !

Good luck !

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2905, 2010

‘Dare to Dream’ and excuses

By |May 29th, 2010|Dare to Dream|6 Comments

This video reminds me of the many things that hold us back from becoming all we can be. The excuses that hold us back from being all we WANT to be deep down. The little voice that derails us from fulfilling our potential. The reasons we accept that ultimately stop us from chasing and realising our dreams.

There are a number of things that hold us back. Excuses are one. Limiting mindsets and beliefs are another (whether they come from self-imposed beliefs and limitations we put on ourselves or whether they come from others opinions of what we can or can’t do). Fears are another. Fears of making a fool of ourself. Fears of failure. Fear of putting our heart on the line and opening ourself up to heartbreak. Fear of all the hard work not being worth it.

As my first blog entry the thing I most want to encourage you with is to Dare to Dream. We all have dreams. We all have a vision of how we would like our lives to be. That perfect day. That ideal future. But having the guts to step out and actually chase that dream – to dare to dream is another thing entirely. It takes courage. It takes a willingness to step out and put your dream on the line.

• So what’s holding you back from actually stepping out ?
• What are the excuses that you tell yourself that stop you from becoming all you could be ?
• What is the little voice in your head telling you that you can’t do ?
• What are the limiting beliefs you have about what you think you can or can’t do ?
• What are those things that you are fearful of that are like a chain around your ankle as you try to take steps towards your ideal future ?

Take time to audit yourself and have a think about the excuses, the fears, and the limiting mindsets and beliefs holding you back and then take the first step – make a commitment to yourself … to ‘Dare to Dream’.

This is the first but often hardest step. But most importantly it is the first step – a choice only you can make.bot-only-image

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