The Olympics are over and hopefully you still “Believe”. In fact, I was thinking about how much believing is a part of something that I talk about called the Evolution of Mindset. Whether you’re an athlete, a businessperson, a volunteer, a parent, a bon vivant, or just the girl next door, everyone goes through the Evolution of Mindset. The more you understand the Evolution of Mindset, the better you can understand yourself. The better you understand you, the higher performing you will be. A part of that is understanding at what point in the process you actually believe in yourself.
So, take one area or situation of your life and decide where you are on the Evolution of Mindset.
For those who are paying attention to the Olympics in Canada, you cannot miss the use of the slogan… “I Believe”. There’s been much written about this slogan and I want to weigh in with my thoughts… perhaps even my beliefs.
The Olympics is all about performance and results. It is about healthy competition (yes, actually competing against one another as well as yourself). Many things contribute to one’s ability to perform (whether that is in the Olympics, in the office, or at home). And, one of the fundamental building blocks to success is belief.
Once we believe, then we can allow it to happen. Now, to be clear, unsubstantiated beliefs will not make anything happen. But, lack of belief for something that is substantiated can be a road block. For example, research shows that unqualified affirmations don’t have any affect in a persons ability to perform. But, affirmations that are grounded in seeds of truth do reinforce successful performance.
So, how does this affect the Olympic slogan? Well, I like the slogan because it is the starting point for where we need to come at the Olympics. We need to believe (as Canadians anyway), that our elite athlete programs are producing individuals who are competing at the top of their game and that this is at the very top in the world. Something that we generally do not assume.
Although this message is important to Canadians in general, probably the most important audience for this are the Canadian athletes themselves. They need to know that with their hard work and effort it is very possible for them to do well, to be world class, and to obtain a medal. The results are showing. Although we will likely not get quite as many medals as we did in the last Winter Olympics, we are getting more gold. A pedestal that we are getting more comfortable standing on. That is a great result.
So, what is my take on this slogan. I love it. And, I think it’s something that everyone can use in their own relay race through life.
Of course, great examples of high performance exist at the Olympics. And, if you pay attention to what the athletes and the coaches say about the athletic performances, they will often say that performance comes back to mindset. A really great example of this was given today during the hockey game between the USA and Canada. At the game, Alex Bilodeau, who was the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold on Canadian soil, was asked whether he was more nervous watching the Canadian team playing or participating in the final of the Men’s Moguls in Freestyle Skiing. He responded quickly and confidently, “I’m way more nervous today because I don’t control anything.”
Control is one of the most powerful words / concepts that we have. If you have control, you have a lot. You tend to perform better, be more confident of the outcome and react better to a negative outcome. And, if you listen to the winning athletes, they tend to sound like they have control before during and after the event. They believe that they have control not over others but of their situation (not matter what the end result is).
So, if you want to wish your favourite athlete well, wish them control. And, here’s to control for you as well.
Every now and then, everyone has an experience with customer service that is just awful. That’s not a surprise. It’s bound to happen that you’re going to experience that from time to time. What’s unfortunate is that I think many of us find the customer service that we experience on a daily basis is lacklustre. It’s not awful but it’s also far from great and probably often struggles to be good.
I often wonder why this is the case… alas, I don’t know that I’m going to ever get a great answer. But, I think that I’ve been able to learn something about the core of really really great customer service. Some of the best customer service that I’ve ever seen happens at the Ritz Carleton in Doha, Qatar. So, what is it that they do so right? Sure, they use your name. Sure, they anticipate your needs and act. Sure, they’re polite and professional. But, I believe that what is at the core of it is…. they don’t just perform great customer service… they live perfect customer service.
They don’t give them a set of rules and procedures. They give them power to perform at world class levels and they expect that their team will live the principles and values that are at the core of their business. And, the result… real customer service… Ritz Carleton Customer Service.
My wife and I have 3 truly wonderful boys who just happen to have the first initials, M, E and N. As our 3 little “men” came into the world, one thing that struck everyone was how much they looked alike although they were born each 2 years apart. Almost like triplets, 2 years apart, we say. So, it was easy for me initially to want to fall into a pretty standard parenting trap. I wanted to treat my kids equally in all respects.
Well, I failed. I learned pretty quickly the important truth that I cannot treat my kids with equality. It’s impossible. Yes, they are very similar in many ways but they are different. And, this shows as they get older and older. Even recently, I was reminded how similar they are (and how much of me is in each of them). But, it’s not always the same parts of me that they have and they have unique needs, strengths, desires, stories, histories, interests.
This taught me the interesting difference between equality and equity. I cannot treat my kids equally but I CAN treat my boys with equity. The concept of equity gives me the freedom to treat each of them fairly and justly while giving the amount of attention that each might need at the time. To not do the same thing with each of them but to do what they want and need, what is appropriate for each of them.
So, what’s the learning point in this? As you know, I like to see what I can learn as the joyney goes on. Well, perhaps equality isn’t what we should be shooting for. We are all different and want to be treated fairly and justly but that just might mean differently from the next person. Think about that as it applies to your work, your sports teams, your family, your social groups. Let’s go for equity.
So, have you decided? It’s part way through the month of January and hopefully you’ve decided what this is going to be The Year Of… for you. Have you done this before? No, then, read on.
I’ve started a tradition in asking people to write down what you are excited about, what your New Year’s Resolutions are going to be, or what you want to declare this “The Year Of…”. Please feel free to add a comment below.
Declaring this to be “The Year Of…” something is a great way to give your year a focus. Give it a try.
If you are going to write down a resolution or two, consider writing the date the you are shooting to be complete by.
And always feel free to send me an email. info <at> mindscape.ca
All the Very Best to You,
Paul
PS. Don’t forget to check back next year to see how it went. You’ll be surprised
Right now, I’m in Qatar in the Middle East. This is my second time visiting the country for work and again, I am struck with one thought. People are people.
My colleagues and I are working with executives for a large company here, and what is interesting is that the executives suffer from the same challenges that people experience in Canada or the US or Europe or Africa or the Caribbean… okay you get the point.
This is a fundamental truth that I believe in and every time it is reinforced for me, I wonder how much better we all would be if we could just remember that truth all the time. Whether that other person is someone across the globe, or across the table. Whether they are you client or your spouse. Your friends or your potential friends. This ideas helps to bind us together as one or to put it into one word…
When someone is talking about good fortune, do you think about it as being big or small? No. Good fortune does not come in a size. In fact, it can’t be “Super-Sized”. It’s just Good Fortune.
Those who are the most fortunate actually search it out. And, they are looking for it anywhere and everywhere. In the small cracks and large crevasses of their life, they are looking for it wherever they can. This is an important truth. Those who are the most determined to search out good fortune will also be the ones who find it the most, in whatever format they find it in.
It’s a refreshing thought that good fortune doesn’t come in a particular size, colour, type, look, etc. It is just what it is… Good Fortune.
Was listening to the radio today and heard an interesting program on why we need repetition in our lives. Much of the program revolved around stories which made a lot of sense to me. As I’ve said in the past, I think that we are a sum of our stories. And, the stories that we tell are those that we choose to define ourselves by. Aristotle said it better when he said that we are “that which we choose to consistently repeat”… or something along those lines. It’s true. If you think about the stories that you tell over and over. If you think about the stories that you like to retell about your past, and those that you go out and relive… that’s you.
In all that we repeat and the stories that we tell and live, that is who we are. Are you the serious intellectual story, the dramatic story, the sublime novel… perhaps the comic book? Check inside the covers. You might be surprised at what you discover. And, I guarantee that it’s a really great story!
One of my sons is playing hockey. This comes as no surprise since he is, as many younger boys and girls in Canada are, passionate about the sport. This is his second year and he is still loving it. He seems to be quite competitive (which perhaps isn’t a huge surprise) and certainly enjoys being involved in getting goals.
Last year, he spent basically the whole year playing a forward position which allowed him to be more involved in “goal getting.” This year, however, he’s been asked to play defense as well from time to time. In the locker room the other night, one of the coaches came up to him and asked how he was doing and what he thought of playing defense. His response was non-committal. He wasn’t excited or disappointed. The coach’s response was this, “Well, you’ve got to learn to play all positions.”
What a great response but also what a great comment about our personal and professional lives as well. We do have to learn to play all “positions”. We need to have an understanding of what it takes to be in a different position. It helps us work as a team better. It helps understand what the other person needs and how they can help us.
Sport can teach us a lot about life, business and excellence. And, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Novice or an Old-Timer.
Sometimes research is interesting. Sometimes it’s curious. But, sometimes it’s just plain important…. and awesome. So, what’s got me all excited? Research into HGH or Human Growth Hormone. This is a popular doping drug used by athletes to get a performance boost. As you can guess, anytime the term “performance boost” comes up, I’m interested, but not normally when it has to do with drugs or doping drugs. So, what is the research?
The short story is that the World Doping Agency did a double blind study involving HGH. The participants were asked to guess whether they believed they were getting HGH or a placebo. Those that guessed correctly that they were getting a placebo did not improve in their performance. Those who guessed that they were getting HGH and were in fact getting a placebo actually improved. What this says and why I’m so interested is that it shows the power of one’s mindset to affect one’s performance.
And, what’s even more interesting is that according to a review in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it looks like HGH does increase lean muscle mass but does not lead to athletic performance.
So, the big learning point here is how “dope” might seem to be a great performance improver but in reality it’s all locked up inside your head and your beliefs.
That’s an important point that everyone can take away. Not just athletes.
Found some interesting notes of mine that must have been sitting around for a couple of years. They were only a few short lines on a small piece of paper but they spoke a truth that can help anyone who doesn’t know how to do something. In fact, the notes are so basic that they could be considered obvious. And, yet, I still think they are worth repeating…
Modelling — If you don’t know how to do something, ask someone who does and go out and model that.
It’s such a great truth and reminds me of another truth that I’ve heard a few times and have repeated here.
If you truly want to succeed in business (or anything for that matter), then consider what others are unwilling to do and do that.
Once we know the above, then all that’s left is to have the courage to go out and do it.
I got a mass email today, and guess what… it was actually not a myth, hoax, joke, spam, or phishing email. It was a true story that was staged by The Washington Post. It’s a great story about perceptions. Take a moment to read and then reflect on what this means for you. The following is the YouTube video, the email I received and the link to the Washington Post article:
THE EMAIL:
“Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning. A man with a violin plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people passed through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made… what else are we missing?”
I was listening to an “expert” in the personal performance field talk about habits the other day. It was interesting. Didn’t agree with all that she had to say but it did get me thinking about habits some more.
I’ve thought about and researched this area about as much as anyone, I guess. And, I’ve basically come to the conclusion that there is a <SNAP> when a habit breaks. Literally, a breaking point. A time when you no longer can keep up the old manner or habit. For some that SNAP is loud, almost deafening but often it’s just a normal snap that can easily get missed. What’s interesting about this is not the point at which the SNAP takes place but what lead up to the SNAP. What motivated that person to change behaviours? How did it get to a point where that person “just couldn’t take it anymore”. That’s where the learning is and where that person can better understand what their true motivation was for the change.
And, if you’re looking to change a habit, it’s also good to approach it from the standpoint of, “what will it take to make this break?” And, observing one’s SNAP’s in life can help us understand how we can created additional habit changes.
Okay, I just read about something that I find fascinating. I have read research on altruistic behaviour before and the research – to my memory – basically had shown that people will exhibit altruistic behaviour in many circumstances when they had no reason to. But no one knew why!
Let’s flash forward to some research on the 7 Deadly Sins. The research was largely based on fMRI research by several groups looking at one or more of the 7 Deadly Sins. There was some interesting stuff but the most interesting thing had to do not with the Sins but to Virtue.
One researcher has found altruistic behaviour actually beats out sin in at least one area — neuro feedback. When someone does something altruistic it sends the reward-related brain areas and systems into quite a fervor. Even more than when you’re doing something selfish or related to self-interested gain.
Looks like being the good guy wins out in the end. Nice guys finish first or at least more neurologically rewarded.
Speaking of Impact is the magazine for professional speaking, events and conferences in Canada. It is published every quarter and has a lot of really great content. But, things have just gotten better. SOI, as it is known, is now online with additional content, blogging and video blogging. If you are a professional speaker, work in the events industry or just want to get some great content you need to check it out.
I continue to be amazed at the power of the story. I was walking along a shopping mall recently and walked past a couple of “old timers”. You know the scene. They were holding court with each other on a bench, oblivious and completely aware of those people around them. And, what were they doing? They were telling stories of how things were and how they had made the right decision long ago at an important junction in their lives.
Last night, while perusing what was on TV, I realised how many reality shows there still are. Why? Because, we all love a good story. We love the story of the hero, the underdog, the opponents, the good and the evil. And, we get all of that from these shows. We get people who are often larger than life living out a “play” where we get to see a very human story act itself out.
Why are these stories so important for the old timers and the reality TV stars? Because we are essentially defined by the collection of our own stories. Both people define their self-worth in what they’ve done and what they’re planning on doing.
This is not going to come as a surprise to anyone, especially those who read my blog…. but, you can learn a lot from kids if you choose to.
I had a belief reinforced recently when I watched my kids after what had been a couple of long days. We had been packing the days a fair bit and needed to have a couple of later nights. What did this mean? Our boys were starting to get fatigued. Not fall on your face tired, just grumpy tired.
Fatigue causes performance loss. And, the worst kind is not the kind of tired where you go to work completely worn out. I’m talking about just a little tired. It can be insiduous. You don’t see how your performance changes. Or, the kind of decisions you make… or don’t make. You don’t see the subtle little changes that happen to your manner and your manners. People around you don’t know quite what it is but they don’t enjoy your company as much.
It’s very much like kids, except that they are more external and overt about it. They may get grumpy, stamp their feet, cry or even get very quiet… it’s all the same thing. They are telling us that they need more rest… and likely that we need more rest too.
I’m seeing it everywhere. Things that people shouldn’t be talking about. This is a time of economic uncertainty. People are experiencing financial pressure, job loss or perhaps a job change. Many may be experiencing a lack of direction for career, professional or personal life; others are facing an unknown future or disillusionment with their career or industry. So, this is a time when many people really see very little that is positive.
But, I’m seeing opportunity everywhere. Many of my colleagues are having their best year ever. Many colleagues who have had challenges have also created opportunities elsewhere and are moving forward with strength. Throughout the beginning of this year, so much conversation was centered around the uncertainty in the global economy, a global recession, depression or worse. Very few people were talking about opportunity.
For me, truthfully, I was ignoring most of the conversation that was going on. And, as the year goes on, I’m hearing from a lot of people who have been choosing to not participate in the negative “reality”. It’s exciting. People are realizing that now is a major time of opportunity. Whether it be corporate, professional, or personal opportunities… they are out there.
The other thing that I’m hearing a lot about is…. Renewal. People are seeing this as a good time for renewal whether for organizations or individuals. People are getting ready for new directions, new strategies, and new futures. Now may be a time of uncertainty, but it is also an amazing time for opportunity and renewal.
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