I went to a meeting in Toronto earlier this week, put on by two of Tony Robbins coaches. One of them had this great line; “Coaches reveal your blind spots, so you can get different results than you have gotten in the past.”
The coaches in my life are massively important to me. They have always been my dream stretchers. I put out there what I would like to work towards and they look at me and say “How doable is that for you Susan? Can you stretch a little bit further?”
Many people will give you permission to coach them but not all want you to stretch them. A stretch means you have been moved outside of your comfort zone. Hey, that isn’t a place most people want to be. It isn’t anything like sitting on a big soft couch in your living room. . . as a matter of fact, for a while it is darn right uncomfortable! I guess it is supposed to be eh? Otherwise why would they call it a comfort zone?
The only way you can expand that comfort of yours is to step outside of it often enough until that outside is as homey as the inside. Suddenly you have a bigger comfort zone — time to stretch some more!
By stretching you become more at ease trying new things, new styles, new tastes and new challenges.
We as humans tend to play safe and like to stay with our realm of where we feel we can succeed. Most people will not dare to dream big because they don’t want to open up the possibility of failing big.
So they either don’t bother to set goals or they set easy-to-reach goals, aiming only for the lowest hanging, easy to pick fruit on the tree that represents all that is possible in life.
People justify the limits of their vision by explaining they only want to set “realistic” goals for themselves.
What the heck does “realistic” mean anyway? Sounds like a limit to me.
What is so wrong with aiming well beyond what you think could ever be possible for you today? What if you aim high but fall short does that make you a failure? Heck no!
Even if you did fall short of your lofty goal, reaching 75% towards it will likely still put you miles ahead of where you are standing today or where that “realistic” goal may have put you!
I have included a screen shot of my computer here. On it there is a quote from Marianne Williams that I read every day when I sit down to type this blog. It says
“Think bigger. Forget limits. Embrace the idea of endless possibility . . . it will change you.”
Right now, what is your process for staying accountable to your goals? Do you just let them float around in the “someday” or “wouldn’t it be great if. . .” part of your brain? Or are they detailed dreams written down with action plans leading you in their direction?
Take time today… write down your goals… your dreams… think bigger… forget limits. Live in possibility.
Today I am so grateful for Lynda, who gave up almost two full days of her time to help me get caught up around here before I head out to Australia and New Zealand next week. Everyone should be so blessed as to have a friend like Lynda.
Honestly, I cannot take on one more thing right now, or I will implode! But I love this blog. I so believe what you’re saying. And I will be back to sign up for the next seminar. Just right now, life insists on my personal attention.
Looking forward to the luxury of stretching myself and my dogs in agaility.
I read Lynda’s recommendation and then got on the “caninesinmotion” website and was very impressed.
The course sounds very attractive and I can see myself signing up.
My first question is am I ready to make the most of this sort of course. I’m still working on the variables I discovered in Recallers and I find that improving these fundamentals dramatically improved my attitude and focus with my dog on a course. Maybe I have to concentrate on consolidating these first? I’m bearing in mind John said you don’t have to be elite to take the course.
My other question is when does the course take place? I am waiting for information on your next ecourse which should start around Dec 1st?
Trudie –
Hmm – I think I remember reading in one of Susan’s posts, maybe one of the ones related to John Cullens stuff that her next ecourse would probably not start in early December. So might want to check through them.
Thanks Elizabeth, I’m re-reading posts as you suggested,
and just viewed the video “more John and Susan” on the “cognitive edge” site, which has answered my first question!
I am with you Trudie. So much going on in my life at the moment that I wonder if I can even make much of the course at this time. I have so much recaller info to digest.
I haven’t seen an exact start date for the course. Can someone point me to it?
Thx
Casey and Trudie,
I’ve been wondering the same as both of you. I’m still reworking and learning through the Recallers course. Here’s what I’m hoping, though. I’m hoping that John’s (and Susan’s) Pre-Competition Routines course will help me work through the Recallers course material (and my other training) even better. I know my head gets in my way sometimes.
Now if I can only come up with the funds. Working on that and hoping I can join the rest of you in the world of Mental Prep.
R.
Casey and Rachel,
Very interesting! I must look like my head gets in the way, every time my agility coach watches me walk a course he warns me “Don’t think too much about it!”
Last weekend at a trial the judge came up to me as I was looking at his course from the fence, and he said “My advice is just get on the course and run around as fast as you can!
I also get told I should take faster, longer strides when I run.
Coaching advice given to me consists of “Go out and have fun!” and basically the equivalent of “you need to make it fun and engaging for your dog”
I’m grateful for the criticism (which seemed mortifying at first) because, with no concrete instruction on how to bring about improvement, I’ve had to work on it myself.
(even having fun! well, as Recallers proved, you have to know what and how to play!)
Susan’s video demonstration is an eye-opener – – these very 3 problems are pointed out.
(The running is interesting, because I thought it was just a case of being a not-very good runner. (I did lose 10 lbs LOL!))
I’m in the same situation as you for the funds, but this will be a course I can use and re-view often in the future and I’ll keep getting more out of it. So — thanks for your response to me, and I’m signing up!
Before I signed up to Johns course I noticed in the email I was sent that the webinars will be available to be reviewed at a later date not just real time. Very important for those of us not in Canada or USA.
Hope this helps
joR
I have lofty dreams with my puppy, but I find myself very hesitant to share them with people that I don’t already know will be supportive of these dreams. I don’t want to be told I might be crazy or that they don’t think we can make it… because I think we can.
My primary concern at this point is that my puppy will probably mature just over the cutoff for the FCI 18″ division, meaning that if I wanted to pursue my international agility dreams with her, we’d have to compete in the 26″ class and I’m struggling with the ethical concerns of that. I know if I presented her with jumps that size (once she’s much older!) she would be game and try, but I feel I’d be selfish to ask that of her and that maybe we’re meant to do something other than international agility. Any insights would be greatly appreciated. 🙂
I also thought about the dimdim issue, but decided the advantages outweighed the disadvantages, so I signed up.
Stretch for me, both financially (dug into the new pup fund) but also mentally. I see applications for my dog training/competing, but also for my job as a teacher/researcher.
My stretches/accountability – dreaming big for a new pup to come next year. I have to train mostly by myself but have been learning enough that I am starting to push myself out of my comfort zone and aiming to be better than just an average weekend trialer.
My house – “wouldn’t it be great if…” -I am finally getting past the problems I have had with it and realizing the potential that it is here. Like the majority of the basement for a dog area; how to redo the yard for better training. I am finally working on some POA’s for it and stopping the regrets of not being able to buy an acreage.
Thanks Susan for the motivation!!
Very interested in the mental coaching but am leery of paying for dim dim after all the trouble with your webinars. Is this new one to be done thru dim dim. Or what will be done to make it work before the new webinars?
Hi Susan,
Can’t wait to see you in Australia, only 7 sleeps to go.
joR