by Barb | Mar 7, 2024 | Competitive Mental Skills
I have many things that excite me about everyday living – like ‘coincidences’ that lead to outcomes I never could have imagined and learning new things.
Recently, through a mutual friend, I met Dr. Stephanie Burns, an Australian human behavior specialist specializing in adult learning and the human brain and body.
Among the many things I learned from Dr. Burns is a simple yet profound ‘hack’ for sustaining motivation.
But first, as a little ‘background, a great motivator to get humans ‘going’ toward a dream, in the beginning, is the evidence that someone they relate to has done it before them.
It’s the ole, “If they can do it, I can do it!”
That’s a great starter. It’s the well-known “I can!”
The challenge is that specific self-talk repeated “I can. I can” indefinitely doesn’t last long-term by itself because “I can” gives us an image of precisely what we want, and nothing else will do!
Instead, once we believe we can, if we say to ourselves, “I’m not sure how far I’ll go – let’s see,” and we work at the goal diligently day after day, our motivation is fueled because we’re excited to see how far we really can go.
Perhaps it will be further than the original dream – who knows? Let’s see!
So that’s what I have for you today – a power-packed Mighty Mouse inner voice phase that encourages and challenges you simultaneously.
I know you can go for your dreams – and I’m wondering just how far that will be!
by Barb | Feb 13, 2024 | Competitive Mental Skills
Hi, my friends,
For some reason, a few ago, I was going through a challenging time.
There was a lot going on, including the weather (I know, any of you Northerners or Mountain folks have no sympathy for our Southern winter complaints (-:)
Business-wise, there were simultaneously challenging and exciting things happening. One exciting development is launching a new Master Class for Cutting. I always love these classes. They are some of my greatest joys. My favorite part is interacting with the students I get to know, and of course, I always learn, too.
On the challenging side, this past week included empathy for a friend going through the hell of a lifetime.
So I was feeling super vulnerable, and fortunately, Brene Brown came to mind. It had been quite a while since I had watched her videos or re-read her books, so I got on YouTube and was grateful to be there.
Her words were healing.
I remember her saying before that whatever makes us vulnerable makes us beautiful, but I couldn’t remember much more detail than that. When we feel vulnerable, we feel raw inside; sharing it is always good with someone we trust.
In the video, she was talking about how if we fear someone discovering our weaknesses, it can cause us to throw up our guard. That’s certainly not the stuff of connection. 😉
Brene also talked about how vulnerability is the birthplace of positive emotions.
I’ve always loved positive emotions (who doesn’t), and I know and aspire to live their joy and power. Positive emotions are like the heartbeat of life to me.
It was enlightening to reflect on the fact that without vulnerability, there is no love, empathy, or, in some cases, the need to innovate.
Somehow, those videos were exactly what I needed.
I’ve always believed that in difficulties, we can find our greatest gifts. (It’s the same when we ride a horse. A place of weakness is our customized place to improve.)
But now, I see vulnerability as a shared emotion and a powerhouse for connection. When we open our hearts to others, whether it’s with horses or people, those moments of sharing are powerful movers of the heart.
With sharing comes connection. And connection is what we all crave.
So there you go. That’s my vulnerability experience of the week. It feels good to have rediscovered Brene’s wisdom and realize that feeling vulnerable is part of the human experience – albeit a dark feeling – but beautiful light is on the other side.
Vulnerability is something! It isn’t easy, but as we have the courage to walk through it, we discover some of life’s most precious gifts and beauty.
Please leave a comment for me.
