‘Tis the Season
“There are three stages of a man’s life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus”
- author unknown
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la do you love this time of year, or do you loathe it? Perhaps you’ve already got your decorations up and your “Santa Stop Here” sign out in the front garden, or perhaps you’re doing your best to ignore it all, hoping it’ll all just go away. Well, even if you are The Grinch personified, I bet you can still remember a time back in your childhood when this time of year was simply magical—go on, admit it!
If you’ve got kids, it’s not hard to remember the excitement of believing in Santa Claus, and even if you don’t have kids, it’s not really that hard to remember being one yourself, is it? Do you remember writing out your letter to Santa? I do. I don’t remember writing anything in particular, but I do remember the feeling of belief. I totally believed that if I had been “good” and made it onto Santa’s “nice” list, my efforts would be rewarded with that something that I really, really wanted.
So at what point in your life do you stop believing in Santa, and, at what point in your life do you stop believing that you can have what you want? Yes! If you’re not happy with your lot in life and you believe that you’re stuck with it, you’ve stopped believing that you can have what you want. Okay, before you get all “bah humbug” on me, I’m not suggesting that you should write out what it is you want and then sit back and wait for a jolly man in a red suit to deliver it to the foot of your bed! But, I am suggesting that you should think back to your childhood thought processes.
Take a look around you at the kids you know today. As Christmas approaches, they begin to think in terms of what they need to do-over and above what they normally do in order to receive what they want in return. It’s a simple trade—they do good things and they get good things in return! Now you might argue that life is not so simple once you’re all grown up, but I’m here to argue the point that it is. The only thing that changes between childhood and adulthood is belief.
You already know that positive thoughts lead to positive actions, and positive actions lead to positive outcomes. Well, think about it again now; when a child writes a letter to Santa, they are thinking positive thoughts about what they want, and they are thinking positively about the positive actions they can take to ensure that Santa brings them the things they want in return. And, when they hold up their side of the bargain, Santa delivers that’s the positive outcome!
You can do the very same now, today. If you’re not happy with your lot, switch your focus away from what you don’t want and write down what you do want. Look at your list and think positively about what you could do right now to move towards those things, then add the “magic” ingredient: belief. Believe that you can have what you want.
Positive thoughts are not just for Christmas, they’re for life!
Don is taking on individual clients in January for an individual, one year coaching programme based on his Amazon best selling book “The 12 Hidden Laws of Performance” email freyja@zonedinperformance.com if you think this is the programme for you in 2012.
Superstition, Self-Belief and Success
Football fans of a certain age might remember the comic book story of Billy’s Boots, a feature of Scorcher in the 1970s that continued to appear in various other “boys’ comics” for many years. The stories revolved around a young aspiring footballer called Billy Dane who was actually a pretty poor player until the day he found an ancient pair of football boots that had once belonged to a professional footballer known as Dead-Shot Keen. When Billy wore the boots, they appeared to have a magical mind of their own, allowing Billy to effectively follow in Dead-Shot’s footsteps and play superbly − scoring eight goals in one episode to bring his team back from the brink of defeat!
So, I hear you say, what has a daft story about a pair of “magic” boots got to do with the real world? Well, recent research suggests that amateur athletes who use a professional athlete’s equipment perform better − could this be scientific evidence that the magic in Billy’s Boots was real? The participants in the study were all keen amateur golfers and part of the experiment was to putt some balls. Half of the group were told that the putter they were using belonged to professional golfer Ben Curtis, the other half were not. Guess what? Even though both groups were in fact using the same bog standard putter, the group who believed it belonged to Curtis consistently sank more putts! It would appear that perceived success is contagious.
In all areas of life, what we believe to be real has a direct impact on our actual reality. Clearly, in sport, believing that a piece of equipment has been used by a successful professional can have a powerful ‘success placebo’ effect − demonstrating beautifully the “magical” power of our own beliefs. Half of the amateur golfers in the study believed they would putt successfully because they were using a successful golfer’s putter, and they did. The other half had no reason to believe their putting performance would be any different, and it wasn’t. But, here’s the thing, the only real difference between the two groups was simply belief. It wasn’t Curtis’ putter so we can safely rule out any magic of the Billy’s Boots variety, the improvements in performance were purely the result of believing that improvements were a real possibility.
Billy’s Boots might be a bit before your time but how about Buzz Lightyear? If you’re familiar with the Disney Pixar movie Toy Story, you’ll know that he’s an action figure who doesn’t believe he’s a toy; he thinks that everything it says about him on his packaging is real. He believes that he is a spaceman and that he can fly into space, so he does! Of course, as the story unfolds, Buzz comes to realise that he is in fact only a toy and that nothing he believed to be real actually is − he can’t really fly at all. Okay, he’s a fictional character and he’s a toy fictional character at that but there is a point to all of this! Before the movie is over, Buzz learns that not being able to believe in the blurb on his box doesn’t actually change anything, he can still “save the day“ by simply believing in himself.
So, yet again, I hear you say, what’s that got to do with the real world? Think about it for a moment; it was the amateur golfers’ belief in the “packaging” that inspired their improved putting performances. What would happen if they were asked to putt again after discovering the real facts? It’s only by believing that success is a real possibility that you can become successful. With self-belief, you have all the “magic” you need to make your way to infinity and beyond!
Related articles
- It Boils Down to Commitment! (donmacnaughton.org)
- High Performance Keys (donmacnaughton.org)
Copyright © 2009-2010. Don MacNaughton. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written permission.
High Performance Keys
How Committed Are You to Your Best Game?
“Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the ‘right stuff’ to turn our dreams into reality”
- James Womack
Do you know a committed individual; someone who is committed to a cause perhaps, committed to their job, their family, or their sport? We often describe people we admire as being “committed” and it’s considered an admirable quality to be someone who is “not shy of commitment,” so what does it actually mean?
If you are a committed individual, you are committed to achieving a particular outcome in your life and you will accept nothing less. So how do you know how committed you are to your own cause and how do you know if you have the “right stuff” to turn your dreams into realities? The bottom line is, there’s a big difference between having an interest in achieving something and being committed to achieving that something. When it’s something you’re interested in, you’ll do what you can to achieve it when it’s convenient, but when it’s something you’re committed to achieving, you’ll do whatever it takes whenever it needs to be done, no matter how inconvenient!
Commitment means knowing what it is you want; having a clear vision of what it is you want to achieve, and then sticking with it, accepting no substitutes or excuses. Legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen endeavour in life.” In other words, if you’re committed to your cause and you’ve got the “right stuff,” you will accept nothing short of a best performance in whatever it is you do – and you won’t sell yourself short.
Of course, not selling yourself short means knowing what you’re worth! How do you know what your best performance is: if you’re committed to excellence, how will you know you’ve achieved it? Commitment is all about seeing things through. You can’t know what your best is unless you keep challenging yourself, so being committed to success and achieving your dreams means continuing to do just that. However, it also means remaining open to change. Management consultant Peter F. Drucker once said, “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” You do need an action plan to commit to but you also need to accept, even with the best will in the world, things don’t always go to plan. Commitment is keeping your eye on your goal no matter what life throws at you, and finding another way. With commitment, you might need to take a few detours to get to where you want to go, but you’ll keep going and you won’t settle for any other destination.
Related articles
- “Coaching yourself through changing fortunes like a Pro” (the12lawsofperformance.co)
- The 12 Laws of Performance – A Passionate Business (zonedinperformance.com)
Copyright © 2009-2010. Don MacNaughton. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written permission.
A Porsche 944, the Mega Bus and Waking Up
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
I was driving home from Glasgow last week on the A9. And my mind was asleep, day dreaming, I glanced out my side window to see myself being overtaken by a “Mega-Bus” with luggage trailer, and the driver looking at me with a glint in his eye. Then I remembered what was under the hood and that I was driving a Porsche , changed gear, put my foot down and accelerated away, much to the distain of the bus driver.
Now that is very much like life I find, we sometime drift off and forget just the power we have under our own hood and what we can actually be, do and achieve.
When do you drift away from your power?
What wakes you up?
How powerful are you when you change gears?
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Copyright © 2009-2010. Don MacNaughton. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written permission.
The main thing is…
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- Stephen Covey
You may know one of those people who have forged something from nothing, or you may be one of these people. Seeking their goals with a determination which is quite amazing. This could be someone in business, in sport or in any other sort of pursuit. The point is that these people seem quite amazing at first glance and our first reaction can be admiration or envy.
Let’s take a second glance. Often these people are amazing at single-mindedly pursuing one goal. This could be profit in the case of a businessperson, sometimes started because of childhood experiences or a desire to change things for their family. This could be awards, recognition, fame or other such things for a musician or an actor. It could be the next record for an athlete. The challenge with this is not the pursuit of these things. It is the imbalance the pursuit often causes.
Sometimes people often lose sight of the importance of other aspects in their lives and become so consumed with their end goal that they often damage or lose the reasons they had for starting in the first place. Forsaking family, friends, relationships. When it is all said and done, what is left when they’ve attained their goals?
The important thing is to know where your heart is, and pursue that goal in a way that is aligned with who you are and what is important to you. Never lose sight of your true reasons and don’t sell your soul regardless of the glittering prizes you may see in the distance. Your future isn’t all about wealth or fame.
It is about the sense of fulfilment you get when you practice your craft or when you’ve provided a suitable environment for your family.
It is about enjoying each moment instead of obsessing over what more you could gain.
It is about knowing when to pause and enjoy your “rich moments” rather than pursuing some future bliss, which may never come.
P.S. I will be taking on 4 new clients for a one year intensive coaching programme starting April 1, 2010 - more details to follow. Please email me: Donald@zonedinperformance.com
Being Grateful and Present
Two men look out between the same bars: one sees mud, one sees stars.
-Frederick Langbridge
We’ve all heard the popular words of Robert Eliot – “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.” It would be silly to argue these words, as they ring true to most ears. Worrying about the small things will usually get you nowhere, but what about appreciating the small things?
What are some things we take for granted everyday which could benefit our lives a little more if we appreciated them more?
The key to appreciating these moments is to concentrate on them, rather than letting your mind wander onto other matters. When eating a good meal, truly savour the tastes and the company instead of worrying about the dishes to wash up after you’re done. When phoned by a friend, wonder at the conversation and the marvels which allow you to connect with that friend from a distance, instead of worrying about which bills you haven’t yet paid or how many free minutes you’ve got left on your mobile contract. If you have to walk somewhere, enjoy the colour of the sky, the song of the birds – all of the sights and sounds of the natural world or even those native to a city.
Even seemingly menial tasks can be enjoyed in this way. When washing up after a meal, enjoy the work itself. Concentrate on getting each dish sparklingly clean and on the warm soapy water instead of thinking ahead to what you’d rather be doing. You’ll probably find the whole experience much more enjoyable this way.
The key is to concentrate on the here and now and enjoy this moment, rather than focusing on what has been or what is to come. Each of these small things joins together in the chain which becomes your life, so don’t sweat the negative ones and focus on the positive ones.
Copyright © 2009-2010. Don MacNaughton. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written permission.
Don’t mortgage your present on some future perfect
“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
When thinking to the future today, it is often tempting to imagine a utopian environment for yourself. Everything will be perfect tomorrow, or the day after, or 10 years from now, won’t it?
It can also be easy to get bogged down by worries and hidden obstacles along your path. You get caught up in the “what if” scenario, which is never a nice place to be. The truth is that we can never know what the future holds, so why box yourself in one possibility or another?
The past is gone, and we can never change it. All we have for certain in this world is the tiny, fleeting, gift of a moment which we call the present. While it is always important to look to the future, the present is where the hard work, dedication and staging area is for all of our future accomplishments.
If you let yourself get carried away with making plans that you’ll never carry out or by complicating your path with needless worry, you’ll taint the most important moment – this one. After all, if you let the present slip away, it will be lost to the past – and we know we can’t change that, don’t we?
Don’t give yourself a reason to regret this moment tomorrow. My advice to you today is to seize this moment, be bold, and do positive work for yourself now.
The future will stretch out before you, a wide and expansive path, continuing over your horizon.
You just have to want it Bad Enough and then Take Action!
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. ~George Bernard Shaw
Now, let’s face it! You’re going to have a very hard time finding anybody in the world who will say, “You know what. I don’t want success!”
At the end of the day, everybody wants success. And it can be success in any area of your life – it’s not necessarily the desire to have loads of money or material possessions.
Success can be something like being happy with your job and having a happy, loving family.
As simple as success may be to define, the truth of the matter is, many people don’t consider themselves successful.
Many people don’t think they’re really living the life they truly want.
So why is it that these people aren’t living the life they want? Why is it that most people aren’t successful?
It’s simple!
They just don’t want it bad enough or they settle for what they think they can have!
Too many people are quick to whinge. They’re quick to complain.
They’re quick to get down on themselves and get down with the people they’re talking to. They’ll blame absolutely everything for their lack of success.
But the thing is, they do nothing to achieve the success they want!
And it’s because they just don’t want it bad enough at the end of the day!
One very wise many by the name of Brian Buchner once said, “The key to success is to just want it bad enough. If you want it bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to get it. All other factors are irrelevant. Upbringing, IQ, genetics, environment and possessions – all don’t matter. It comes down to drive. If you have the fire, then you’ll get what you want, guaranteed.”
Now isn’t that something to chew over?
It’s pretty easy to really want something isn’t it?
But you have to want it enough, to be able to make the success happen.
If you want something – and I mean, really, really want it – then the circumstances, the situations and opportunities conducive to you having it, will come to you!
If we focus on the thing we really, really want, then we won’t be able to help but notice all of those great opportunities that come our way, to help us achieve the materialization of our goals.
It’s like when we meet somebody with a certain car we really like. After we meet that person and see their car, it seems as though every second person on the road is driving one of those cars!
It’s because we focus on it! We see things conducive to it!
If we want something bad enough, things will just happen in our lives to help us achieve it!
The key is to want the success enough, to notice the opportunities that arise and act on them!
Start really wanting the success today and I guarantee you’ll start to see results!
P.S. I will be taking on 4 new clients for a one year intensive coaching programme starting spring 2010 more details to follow. Please email me: Donald@zonedinperformance.com
