October 28, 2009
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!
Read on… it is after all your story.
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Observations | Tagged: aristotle, comic book, novel, perspective, repetition, stories, storyteller, your story | 
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Posted by mindscape
October 21, 2009
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.
Leave a Comment » | Mindset, Observations | Tagged: coach, goals, hockey, personal development, positions, professional development, sport, team work | Permalink
Posted by mindscape
October 13, 2009
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.
2 Comments | Mindset, Simply World Class | Tagged: athlete, athletic performance, belief, best, dope, double blind, drugs, HGH, human growth hormone, Mindset, performance, placebo | Permalink
Posted by mindscape
October 6, 2009
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.
2 Comments | Action & Tactics, Observations | Tagged: action, change, courage, do it, learning, modeling, modelling, success | Permalink
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