Episode #70 - 4 Simple Practices that Successful People do that you Might Want to Try

Today's episode is inspired by a Twitter post from Mindset Machine, which on Twitter is  @ Mindset_Machine in the post mindset machine gave 10 simple practices that successful people do that you might want to try.

I've distilled these down into four very simple practices that you might wanna try on a day to day basis that will make a massive change to your life.

Items mentioned in the Episode:

Mindset Machine

@Mindset_Machine - https://twitter.com/Mindset_Machine

Dr James Doty  - Into the Magic Shop: A neurosurgeon's true story of the life

USA - https://amzn.to/3tHzgsY

UK - https://amzn.to/3xz8lk9

Susan Jeffers - Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway: How to Turn Your Fear and Indecision into Confidence and Action

USA - https://amzn.to/39CJZOs

UK - https://amzn.to/3OnSFH3

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Welcome to the winning edge coach podcast with your host peak performance mindset and life coach Kevin Oakley. In each episode, Kevin will share with you the tools, tips, and strategies to help you to be the best you can be.

Hey everybody, you are listening to episode 70 of the winning edge coach podcast. The podcast aims to provide you with the tools, tactics, and techniques to create a winning edge mindset to allow you to live the life you are meant to live. Today's episode is inspired by a Twitter post from mindset machine, which on Twitter is at mindset underscore machine in this post mindset machine gave 10 simple practices that successful people do that you might wanna try.

Well, I've distilled these down into four practices, very simple practices that you might wanna try on a day to day basis that will make a massive change to your. Before we get started. I just want to remind you that all the previous episodes of the podcast are available on all the major podcast platforms.

So if you've not yet had the chance, why not put some time to on site and give them a lesson. If you enjoy the podcast, don't forget to hit the subscribe button or like button so that you can catch all the future episodes. If your podcast platform allows you, please leave a review. Cuz that helps us to.

The audience and gets a scene. Also tell your friends about it, share the podcast on social media. Let's get the word out there. Let's share this information with as many people as we possibly can. The aim of the podcast is to make sure that people aren't sleep walking through life. I want people to live the life.

They were meant to live and bring forth their gifts and talents into the world. Okay. Let's get on with today's episode. As I said, I'm gonna give you four simple practices that successful people. Do that you might wanna try to make massive change in your life. As I said, this episode is inspired by mindset machine, which would from a post of his on Twitter.

And you can follow him at mindset underscore machine on Twitter, simple practice. Number one, take a hundred percent responsibility for your life. Don't play the victim and don't play the blame game. It's too easy in your life to play the victim and be the victim of circumstance wherever you are, and start blaming others.

And that can include your parents, your economic background, the economy, your job, your qualifications, your. Don't play the blame game. You are where you are today because of the decisions and the choices you made, and you always have a choice and you can always take action. If you don't like what you're getting change it, do something different.

I've very much a proponent of the Jack Canfield formula E plus R equals O E is the events in life. The events in life happen to us all. Just downturn, the economy spiraling, inflation the traffic jam on the way home, the running late because of other people, events happen to us. All the thing that makes the difference is the R N Jack Canfield's equation.

And the E plus R equals O R is our response. To that event, we choose how we respond to the events on our life and the way we respond changes the O which is the outcome. If we respond negatively, We get, maybe not the outcome we're looking for. Whereas if we choose the appropriate response and re respond accordingly with a positive approach with ideas and all the resources we have available to us, it changes the outcome.

It can be something as simple as getting ready in the morning for work. And one of his children spills the milk, how you respond at that time. Can determine the outcome. Do you lose your temper, start shouting, et cetera, upset your child, which then makes you even later, et cetera, means you're further behind, you know, your child misses the buzz for school, et cetera.

Whereas if you respond calmly and appropriately and, and say, nevermind. You go, I'll clean the milk up. You were go and get changed, et cetera. And in a measured and resourceful manner, you end up staying on schedule. You don't end up late your child. Doesn't miss the buzz and the outcome is different. And that's what I'm getting at.

It's very easy to play the blame game. And blame on our past, on our parents, on our upbringing, on our education, where we are today, you've got to take a hundred percent responsibility for where you are today and sometimes means getting yourself in a more resourceful state and the way I always. Coach people to get themselves in a more resourceful state is by asking themselves better questions, ask yourself, how can I get the best out of this situation for me, or what can I do differently in this situation?

And just spend a little bit of time and you'll be amazed at how you, or the answers that your brain will come up to, to those questions and the options. It will give you. The other thing is, is step back, take time to analyze where you are and look at all the options you are not tied to one option. We don't have to accept the current reality.

I recently read into the magic shop, uh, by a doctor and he a neuroscientist, and he talks about his upbringing and trying to get into medical school and his initial reject. Of around getting into medical medical school. And he was stood before the medical panel to be accepted. And basically he was stubborn and he refused to accept their decision.

And he was polite. He was very much in terms of stated this case. He stood his ground. He didn't accept the events would unfold him around him. And he argued his case, as I said, very politely, but he stood his ground and he was prepared to use the options available to him to change his outcome, which he did because of his doggy determination is rational argument.

He was able to get a place in medical medical school and. A neuroscientist and also wrote the book into the magic shop, a link which are put in the, the show description. So that's simple practice. Number one, take a hundred percent responsibility for your life where you are today is down to you. Number two, practice number two, know exactly what you want.

Sit down, define what you want your life to look like, set yourself clear goals, know exactly what you want in your life, from where you wanna live the profession, what you want to do, the type of person you want to be. What is your health gonna be look like the reason I say this is without that direction without, and this is the important bit without those written goals or written expectations for yourself, you will meander through life and be lost and you will turn around someday and think I have basically not achieved what I want to do.

I have wasted 40 years, 30 years, 20 years in jobs I don't like or. Living an occupation that I didn't want to do. And you will have immense regret, have clear written, defined outcomes for exactly what you want to do and review those regularly. It's like a sailing ship setting. Cause without a. Roots without a plan without a compass, without a map, basically they would be at the whim of the winds and the tide and would end up wherever, but definitely not where they were intending to end, end up.

Well, without a planned journey, you could end up anywhere. You've got to define where your destination is and check in regularly to make sure you're on course to re reach that destination. But the important thing is here. Sit down and define exactly what you want from your life in all areas of your life, which can be from financial health career.

Money, et cetera, simple practice. Number three, mentally reuse your success. Once you've defined what you want. Spend three to five minutes every day, quietly sitting and mentally reusing what it'll be like when you achieve what you've defined. Sit quiet. Undisturbed close your eyes and paint the picture, produce the images of what your life will be like when you've achieved the successes you've defined in your written objectives for yourself in.

As much color and as much detail as you possibly can do it. Looking through your own eyes, look through your own eyes and see yourself being the success. You've set out. Why do this one again? It's. Something. I picked up from the book into the magic shop, but also the brain cannot tell the difference between the visual images we create mentally and actually real life.

Uh, there's a study I read recently where they had, I think it was yeah, weight trainers and basically they got one group to go in and do biceps with a weight. The other group, they actually just got them sit and mentally re reuse. They're doing the bicep kills. I think if I remember correctly, there was a third group that did nothing apart from the initial assessment, they then measured all three groups after a set period of time.

So they measured the people who'd been in the gym three times a week. The people who'd mentally erased three times a week. And of course the people who'd done nothing at all during the week. And what did they find? They found in the mental rehearsal group, there was still a strength improvement. In their bicep, despite the fact that they'd done no training whatsoever, that is the power of mental rehearsal.

Your brain cannot tell the difference between what is the pictures you create in your mind and what is real, and it will help you to achieve success. And sometimes when you find yourself in those situations,  or define what your life will look like. So, for example, let's say you see yourself as a successful speaker or a successful loss.

They giving a talk on their latest novel. Your brain because you've mentally re it so many times or regarded as a scenario that you've done over and over again. And you probably find it. You feel very familiar with it. You don't feel so nervous and I've done this a thousand times. Yes. You might have mentally re it a thousand times, but this is the first time you've done it for real.

But you will have the same reaction. Think about something that you many years ago you did. For the very first time and a new skill or a new performance or something you did the very first time and found it very nervewracking. And it's something you've done a hundred times since it's, maybe it's part of your day to day job, et cetera.

Think about how you felt the first time you did it and think about now how you feel about it. Probably now you've done it loads of times. You've very matter of fact about it. Compared to that very first time where you would bag of nerves that familiar familiarity. I can't even say it today. Basically reduces the nerves.

It's, you know, it's common practice for you now, and that's the beauty of mental rehearsal. Mental rehearsal basically allows you to become familiar with the task and make it seem. Ordinary as well as getting your brain ready for that success. Three to five minutes spent every day sitting quietly breathing in through your nose, gradually out through your mouth and visualizing your success will have a profound impact on the outcome of your life.

Simple practice, number four, feel the fear and do it anyway. During the course of our lives, there are times when. Opportunities will arise that we will put off or delay or not even do, because we are scared. And it happens to everybody. I think Susan Jeffers that wrote the, wrote the book, feel the fear and do it anyway.

And again, I'll put a link in the show description, uh, to that particular book, a book, but there are times when you've just got to feel that fear and go ahead and do it, whether it's that presentation. Application for the job pouring in for your first off marathon, marathon, ultra, and actually getting there and line up on the start line.

You've got to feel that fear and do it anyway. And sometimes it's good to have some practices that allow you to calm your nerves in those situations. But.  first of all, feeling that fear is a good sign. That to me is an indication that you are stepping out of your comfort zone. And that fear is that little bit of discomfort that you need to know that yeah, I'm outta my comfort zone.

I am growing. This is helping me to develop as an individual. And that should be the sign to say, yes, this is gotta be, this is something I have got to. The other thing is a couple of tactics. I often share with people to allow them to overcome those nerves in that fear. First one for me is always breathing.

The, the connection between breathing and our nervous system is quite profound. And it's a simple practice, seven 11 breathing. It's breathing for the counter seven through your nose.  and out through your mouth for a count of 11, a long out breath. I often say to people, I coach don't worry too much about the count if it puts you off.

Cause it does with me as long as the in breath, sorry. The out breath through your mouth is longer than the in breath. You will find that it calms you down. And a few cycles of that seven 11 breathing is.  as literally for calming nerves. It there's nothing better. The other one for me around, um, calming nerves is if you think about when you feel that fear, you'll find it somewhere in your body, generally fear manifests somewhere.

It could be in your stomach. It could be in your chest, et cetera. If you just pay attention to that fear or that feeling, you'll notice that it moves in a direction. No, I'm. I find. That it has a spin. It could be a clockwise spin. It could be a counter clockwise spin. Now this is the tip. Get the sense of direction and then very gradually slow it down from the direction it's going and very gradually reverse the direction of that feeling.

And once you get it moving, it's a little bit like the old steam train's getting those wheels turning, but then very gradually speed up the direct counter direction of that spin. As you get it going and get it going faster and faster. And as you do that, you'll find that the sensation will disappear.

Those nerves, that fear will disappear. And then. You can do, if you want, some people find this works. Some people don't personally, I like just to keep it spinning in the operating direction, but some people actually, they don't like to fire that sensation out the body and actually just release it out the body.

So you've done the counter spin. You've SP it up and then you just shoot it out your body, it just calms you down completely. And that is just two very quick tips for calming the nerve. And just relaxing yourself in those fearful situations where you've got to step outta your comfort zone. But what I would say is with this simple practice, again, you can inoculate yourself around feeling that fear, do something every day that makes you feel uncomfortable.

That is stepping outta your comfort zone. It can be. Buying your regular coffee from a different coffee shop in a different neighborhood. It could be trying a hobby you've never tried before. If you've always wanted to try martial arts or TA Chi turn up to a TA Chi class, feel that nerves of being somewhere different with different people.

If you do simple different practices every day that make you feel uncomfortable, you will innocuous knock in. Try it again, inoculate yourself when it comes to those big fearful moments, such as, you know, those life changing moments, running the ultra, doing the presentation, taking part in the interview, doing the pitch for that business idea, become comfortable with the uncomfortable it's one of the simplest practices to gain success in your life.

So those were the four simple practices that you could try today that will make massive change in your life. That was the winning edge coach podcast. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode of the winning edge coach podcast, and you'd like to help support the podcast, please hit the subscribe one.

And if possible, leave a rating or a review also, please feel free to share the podcast with others and post about it on your favorite social media platform. To catch all the ladies from me, you can follow me on Twitter at winning edge pod. Thanks again. I'll see you next time.