My husband and I recently visited the Canary Islands. He conducted a triathlon training camp while I tagged along. The Canary’s are known as the Hawaii of Europe and like their US name sakes they are volcanic islands which means there is almost nothing flat on the island. So we spent a lot of time on our bicycles climbing slowly up very steep roads and descending very quickly. As we cycled I had flash backs to other times I’ve trudged up the mountains in the Rockies and the Alps. One thing that helps me stay focused, have the perseverance to keep putting one pedal in front of the other, and finally conquer the mountain is replaying mental movies.
Mental movies are those positive memories I’ve stored of other times I’ve done something equally challenging. I relive the smell of the meadow flowers, hearing the cow bells in the distance, seeing the mountain goats by the side of the road in the fog, feeling the sun on my back as the bees buzz around the flowers and before you know it, you have more miles behind you. The time and the miles go by much more easily and more quickly when I’m watching a movie. This is partly because I am suddenly some place else. I think it is also because I get a boost of energy, my muscles get a bit of virtual relief, pedaling becomes more even and stronger as I refocus, and my mind is more confident because I know I’ve ‘been there, done that before’ successfully. When I act ‘as if’ I am confident, full of energy, believe I can conquer the mountain, I can. When I believe I am not able to, I’m not. The mind and the body are one – one leads the other and in this case the body responds to the mental movies which are telling me I can do it…I can do it…I can do it and sure enough, I do!
The key to being able to draw on your bank account of mental movies is to store only the best. There is great value in storing memories of those times when you were successfully able to do something. While we learn from our mistakes, we learn more from our positive accomplishments.
I’m reminded of two quotes that underscore achieving tough goals. One is by Lance Armstrong who said something like…’motivation can’t get you there if you don’t have the legs, but if you have the legs and lack motivation, you’re not going to get there’. And the other is by a colleague, friend and very strong cyclist, Christina Maddox, who said something like…’you have to have commitment before you have passion. Passion follows commitment. The first step is to commit and then you have to have a great plan’. I’d add to these ideas one ingredient that can help your motivation and, as a result, increase your commitment is banking the best of your mental movies and draw on them when you face tough challenges. It doesn’t make any difference what the situation happens to be. This technique helps whether you are climbing a physical mountain on your bicycle, climbing an emotional mountain in your life, and conquering a business challenge that seems insurmountable.
I’m watching this happen right now with my 8-year old granddaughter. She is learning to read more advanced books at the same time she is conquering more advanced gymnastics. As her confidence in the gym grows her ability to master more advanced reading is accelerating also. The mind and the body are one. One confidence breeds another and along the way she is filling her bank account with the best of her mental movies.
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Learn, grow and have lots of fun doing it – join Deb Waitkus and myself in one of these programs:
* Mental Mulligans * Birdies, Bogeys and Business: Success On and Off the Course
Get more details at: www.peakperformancecorp.com and www.golfforcause.com
Joyce Friel
Peak Performance Consulting, LLC
11353 E. Raintree Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480 236 4266