Today's facebook question from the Cairns Taipans - "OK folks, what's your theory on our road demons?"
Well for me facebook doesn't give me quite enough room, so here's my response.
Let me start by saying that my 2.6yr old son is the biggest Taipans supporter in Cairns and lives, breathes, eats and sleeps Taipans and basketball. At 2ft nothing he has the hoop set at 6ft and gets it in on average about 90% of the time. (WOW!!!) I am the second biggest fan and cannot shoot a hoop to save myself. A few weeks ago I tried and achieved 5/50 from the free throw - woeful, to say the least.
What's the difference - my son practices with his basketball everyday in the morning and the afternoon, and he continues to practice, celebrating his success everytime the ball goes through the hoop, reinforcing that he can do it. POSITIVITY PLUS!
Back to the Taipans, our local heros ....
People fulfil expectations, good or bad - it's a subconscious thing. At home the team and the crowd expect a win, and usually we get it. New Zealand Breakers are the exception - once - ... but that' a whole other blog.
The public, Australia wide, have watched Taipans fail on the road for the past several years, and so now have an expectation of this, regardless of recent home game form. Negative thought is a powerful tool.
And yet, Taipans SMASHED the Wildcats early in the season in Perth.
The public expectation for Taipans to fail on the road is currently higher than the Taipans expectation of themselves to succeed. It's up to the players and the coaches to position themselves in the positive with the knowledge that so far this season they have beaten every team, with the exception of New Zealand. The Breakers have some interesting tactics ... but like I've said already - that's a whole other blog.
I am a fitness trainer and this morning I have seen the power of the positive at work in the (extra)ordinary individuals that I trained. A 52 year old client could not do 4 reps of a chest press with 25kg; he came back to me about 4 minutes later and said, right let's try that again, I'm feeling strong. He smashed out 8 solid reps with 35kg. I knew he was trained to do it, he just need to remind himself of that and focus on the task at hand.
The greats have said it ...
"Can or cannot - there is no try" - Yoda in Empire Strikes Back
"Trained or untrained - there is no try" - Denzel Washington in Man on Fire
Taipans need to simply answer these questions before each game and focus on their goal - put the ball in the hoop.
Can you win - YES - you have defeated 90% of the teams in the league
Are you trained - YES - you are hardworking professionals that practice your craft
Do you believe you can do it .....?
I have my tickets for Friday night and am looking forward to another home court victory.
LET'S GO TAIPANS, LET'S GO!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Finding your motivation
This week I was searching for some motivational material to help me with a presentation I was making to 40 business leaders on Wednesday morning. I had a great time searching and found some amazing clips on YouTube that really fit the bill. There were two that hit me like a sledgehammer, so much so I want to share them with you.
Meet Ruth Frith. At the age of 100 she is breaking records - what an inspiration!
And meet Nick Vujicec - there are no words for what watching this clip will do to you. I finally understand the power of a positive paradigm.
Our lives are filled with highs and lows; challenges and rewards; and inevitably times of frustration, relief and celebration.
Our motivation comes from within. All the talking in the world could not have got these two amazing individuals to do what they do nor achieve what they have, if they did not have the internal motivation to do so.
If you have a dream, be inspired by these people to find your own internal motivation. If you have a challenge or a problem to solve that seems so big, be inspired by these people.
Borrow their words and make them your own ...
Just Try .... say "I love living life, I am happy" ... and finish strong, in everything that you do!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The power of goal setting!
If your goal is clear, the path to it will also be clear. The more vivid the image you have of the achievement of your goal, the clearer that path becomes.
Can you remember a time when you absolutely, completely, totally had to have something? There was no other option. It might have been your first car. It might have been a must have piece of jewellery or clothing. It might have been the new release of your favourite rock band or a mint condition copy of a favourite collectors item comic book, or perhaps your first ever skiing holiday - there was no way I was giving that one up!!
The "NOs" from those around you were silenced by your absolute knowledge (yes, knowledge - not just belief) that you would achieve this thing.
Whatever it was, you knew what it looked like, what it cost, how it would feel to have it and hold it, and whenever you thought of it, you got excited; you felt energised and alive. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Well, that was the experience of having a clear goal and focusing all your energies on achieving it. Not having it was NEVER an option.
I am privileged to have two little people that I live with who remind me on a daily basis that if you are determined and you want something, then failure is not an option.
Goals in life, in love and in fitness are the same. You must eliminate the options you don't like and get clear about what it is that you really want. When the vision is clear it doesn't matter what obstacles come up, your brain will find ways to work over it, under it, around it, and most likely through it, to keep you on track to your vision.
Our brains are amazing. They work in the positive. Once you start wishing and hoping you bring in uncertainty and the brain gets confused. Know that the hard work you do today and the efforts you make today move you closer to your clearly defined goal. When your picture of your future is so clear it's easy to work out what fits and what doesn't.
The clarity of your envisioned goal will lead you forward.
See your future, believe in it and step steadfastly forward knowing that success is your only option.
Can you remember a time when you absolutely, completely, totally had to have something? There was no other option. It might have been your first car. It might have been a must have piece of jewellery or clothing. It might have been the new release of your favourite rock band or a mint condition copy of a favourite collectors item comic book, or perhaps your first ever skiing holiday - there was no way I was giving that one up!!
The "NOs" from those around you were silenced by your absolute knowledge (yes, knowledge - not just belief) that you would achieve this thing.
Whatever it was, you knew what it looked like, what it cost, how it would feel to have it and hold it, and whenever you thought of it, you got excited; you felt energised and alive. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Well, that was the experience of having a clear goal and focusing all your energies on achieving it. Not having it was NEVER an option.
I am privileged to have two little people that I live with who remind me on a daily basis that if you are determined and you want something, then failure is not an option.
Goals in life, in love and in fitness are the same. You must eliminate the options you don't like and get clear about what it is that you really want. When the vision is clear it doesn't matter what obstacles come up, your brain will find ways to work over it, under it, around it, and most likely through it, to keep you on track to your vision.
Our brains are amazing. They work in the positive. Once you start wishing and hoping you bring in uncertainty and the brain gets confused. Know that the hard work you do today and the efforts you make today move you closer to your clearly defined goal. When your picture of your future is so clear it's easy to work out what fits and what doesn't.
The clarity of your envisioned goal will lead you forward.
See your future, believe in it and step steadfastly forward knowing that success is your only option.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The glass is still half full!
In the wake of Tropical Cyclone Yasi that decimated the east australian coastline between Cairns and McKay, I find myself sitting blissfully amidst my family and friends and reminding myself of how lucky I am.
Life is extraordinary and these past few days have been a perfect example of how everyday we can be ordinary people living extraordinary lives.
Remember JB's 5 tips for extraordinary living ...
1. Experiencing daily joy
2. Feeling comfort and contentment
3. Expressing hopefulness and optimism
4. Repeating professional and personal success
5. Manifesting energy and vitality'
TC Yasi gave us all of these.
1. Everyone has experienced the joy of survival. Doom threatened and yet we have survived. A net gain in life from a natural disaster, due to the delivery of three babies during the cyclone, is an amazing outcome and has been the cause of much joy in a time that could be filled with despair. Extra-ordinary!
2. The comfort and contentment of friends and family in the most difficult of times is truly joyful. Everyone becomes a friend and neighbour at these times, and the human spirit is at its best as we all turn to each other to help and support wherever it is possible. Extra-ordinary!
3. With their houses, and farms lying destroyed, and with torrential rains pouring around them the people of Tully, Mission Beach, Innisfail, Cardwell and along the far northern coast of Queensland have again shown their hopefulness and optimism by simply moving forward and cleaning up. Optimistic that the sun will shine and hopeful that after the clean up things won't look quite so bad, the fighting spirit of the far north is truly ordinary people at their extraordinary best. Extra-ordinary!
4. The repeat of professional and personal success is seen in every minute of these days as we see the reduction in personal injury and loss of life due to better preparedness, and the speed with which infrastructure and services are being restored, having learnt from the past. Extra-ordinary!
5. The people of the far north are nothing if not energetic and vital. There is no other way to deal with a situation like this. Lethargy and despair achieve nothing, and as I look down my street tonight I see the neatly packed piles of green waste ready for collection, lights on in every house and as I speak to my friends and neighbours many are talking of their task tomorrow to travel south and assist where they can be useful. Energy and vitality abounds. Extra-ordinary!
So, despite the carnage of TC Yasi, I feel gratitude and a desire to contribute where I can. Natural disasters such as these are unpredictable and completely beyond our control. A reminder that we cannot change what happens to us but we can certainly consider how we react and let it mean something positive in our lives.
Farewell Yasi - despite your best efforts my glass is still half full - extra-ordinary!!
Life is extraordinary and these past few days have been a perfect example of how everyday we can be ordinary people living extraordinary lives.
Remember JB's 5 tips for extraordinary living ...
1. Experiencing daily joy
2. Feeling comfort and contentment
3. Expressing hopefulness and optimism
4. Repeating professional and personal success
5. Manifesting energy and vitality'
TC Yasi gave us all of these.
1. Everyone has experienced the joy of survival. Doom threatened and yet we have survived. A net gain in life from a natural disaster, due to the delivery of three babies during the cyclone, is an amazing outcome and has been the cause of much joy in a time that could be filled with despair. Extra-ordinary!
2. The comfort and contentment of friends and family in the most difficult of times is truly joyful. Everyone becomes a friend and neighbour at these times, and the human spirit is at its best as we all turn to each other to help and support wherever it is possible. Extra-ordinary!
3. With their houses, and farms lying destroyed, and with torrential rains pouring around them the people of Tully, Mission Beach, Innisfail, Cardwell and along the far northern coast of Queensland have again shown their hopefulness and optimism by simply moving forward and cleaning up. Optimistic that the sun will shine and hopeful that after the clean up things won't look quite so bad, the fighting spirit of the far north is truly ordinary people at their extraordinary best. Extra-ordinary!
4. The repeat of professional and personal success is seen in every minute of these days as we see the reduction in personal injury and loss of life due to better preparedness, and the speed with which infrastructure and services are being restored, having learnt from the past. Extra-ordinary!
5. The people of the far north are nothing if not energetic and vital. There is no other way to deal with a situation like this. Lethargy and despair achieve nothing, and as I look down my street tonight I see the neatly packed piles of green waste ready for collection, lights on in every house and as I speak to my friends and neighbours many are talking of their task tomorrow to travel south and assist where they can be useful. Energy and vitality abounds. Extra-ordinary!
So, despite the carnage of TC Yasi, I feel gratitude and a desire to contribute where I can. Natural disasters such as these are unpredictable and completely beyond our control. A reminder that we cannot change what happens to us but we can certainly consider how we react and let it mean something positive in our lives.
Farewell Yasi - despite your best efforts my glass is still half full - extra-ordinary!!
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