A recent MO Retreat, aimed at Recruitment leaders held in Windsor, 4th-6th Sept 2019, allowed me some serious thinking time.
One of the remarkable speakers was a guy called Jim Lawless, who as you would expect from this gathering was a motivational speaker. However, he was much more than that. With passion and energy, he explained how you could transform your mindset, how through metacognition - we can think about how we think; understand what we put up as blockers, what's getting in the way, overcome this and why we are all capable of brilliant things.
Walk the walk
He has some fabulous examples of how he had 'walked the walk" form becoming a professional jockey, with zero riding experience and training to having held the previous British freediving record for reaching 101m underwater, yes that's holding your breath for 5mins.. So I think we can safely say he has tested his theory.
He referred to our comfort zone as 'a parachute holding us back.'
We are writing the story of our lives; he affirmed, no one else. We all have to accept those good, bold decisions may mean taking risks.
Change in our lives, starts with an event, whether you want it to happen or you create the event?
So if you think about an action, maybe learning a new skill, or changing jobs - humans' don't want to do it, or stop themselves because it involves "risk'. Now, what type of risk are we talking about? It boiled down to three things (yes, incredibly only three things..);
- Breaking bones - what physical harm can I come to?
- Security - the ability to house, cloth oneself
- Ego /Self-esteem - my ego and reputation
To overcome fear, you need to understand - what is the fear I am worried about?
What's your data point?
Our beliefs and perceptions are packed into our minds over time. How we see the world is our data set. One of mine is I can't get past a certain level with the Spanish language. My data point is the time I have lived here, how everyone else seems to learn it with ease. The 'Fear algorithm' lives on in our minds as our 'opinion narrative.' It has stopped me furthering my language skills.
The issue is that the world is moving at a swift pace; the data we have programmed is for an industrial age. We were taught to get things right, teaching methods were about perfect answers, getting the right results; that was the way, not "make loads of mistakes and fail" and don't have any fear.
When you start thinking about your goal, your mind starts filling in the blanks think "What could really go wrong if I do X? We create stories in our mind as to why we shouldn't do something.
All new things start with beliefs. "I can learn new things'. We need to manage our minds and the voice in our head. Yes, we all talk to ourselves, reply situations and often justify inaction.
So to change or do new things, we may need to adapt our relationships to move this forward. "Change happens in the calendar" - I thought how simple and accurate. I have blocked my Spanish studies because I haven't made any time, not don't have any, just haven't added to the calendar, or taken anything out to make it happen. There, it’s out there, and I guess no one is laughing at me.
So face your fear, be real. Think about your goal - can you influence the outcome?
What have you earned the right to work out and go and do it?
Fear provides focus; it's ok to have fear but know how to deal with it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes along the way. “Commit to compete’, go on have a go!
Espero que pueda hacer el cambio también.