So what are the benefits of being able to think quickly? Well, if you’re a Formula One driver, the main benefit is staying alive! However, for the rest of us, the main benefit of learning how to think quickly is really learning how to think clearly when the pressure is on. In sport, clear thinking is focused thinking. Learning how to focus is essentially  learning how to concentrate but crucially, focus equates to learning how to concentrate only on what matters.

 Action v Distraction

Only a few years ago, reigning world champion Jenson Button was as famous for his playboy lifestyle as he was for his Formula One success. Things have now changed. In a recent interview he said, “I thought that driving skill would be enough in Formula One, but it wasn’t…I realised that skill was not enough because everyone in Formula One is skilled – that’s why they’re here…I realised that everything else had to be on hold for as long as I was in F1.” Jenson Button has learned that physical skill alone is not enough. Staying at the top of your game takes mental skill. It takes focus: and Button’s focus is now only on winning, although he admits to not being a “saint.”

 “Your mind management has to be spot on and you must always have maximum concentration to maintain complete consistency” - Chris Buncombe

 When Lewis Hamilton was only nine-years old, he boldly introduced himself to Ron Dennis, McLaren team boss at the time, by saying, “Hi, I’m Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championships and one day I want to be racing your cars.” The rest, as they say, is history! Unlike Button, Hamilton has not come to “realise” that success in motor racing requires focus, his focus has always been on Formula One success.

“Lewis is exceptional. He has the mind for it, the attitude, the God-given skill, but he is already recognising that he needs something else. And he is doing it with humility and style” – Jackie Stewart

Clear the Clutter

Racing drivers have only nano seconds in which to make decisions. They are under extreme physical and mental pressure when racing and the difference between a podium finish and an ‘also ran’ finish is often only the tiniest fraction of a second. There is absolutely no downtime in the cockpit of a racing car, total concentration is needed at all times. With focus and with clear thinking, decisions can be made at lightening speed. Doubts or negative thoughts of any kind are clutter, and clutter can’t be allowed to enter a racing driver’s mind. Hamilton is described as having, “an acute tactical mind, strong race-craft, and brilliant opportunism.” Button, on the other hand, is described as, “laidback but seriously competitive.” Both drivers have mental skill. Both have the ability to “see” what they have to do, and both know that their focus must always remain on what can be achieved and what can be controlled or influenced by their thoughts and actions at any given moment of time. They have no room in their mind for negative thoughts.

 Sir Stirling Moss once said of Lewis Hamilton, “It isn’t just that he is a driver, he obviously can drive – he is a racer, he can see a gap and he’s in it.” That’s NLP mental skill; that’s real quick thinking in high-speed action. Jenson Button has also demonstrated his ability to remain focused only on the elements of the race within his control by saying of less than favourable weather conditions before a race, “It’s disappointing, but we can’t stop it raining here.” So, next time you feel under pressure to make a “quick” decision, clear your mind of unnecessary clutter, learn to focus only on what matters, think like a racing driver.

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Quite often in western societies, young people will set off on their gap year to travel the world and, in doing so, hope to learn more about who they really are and what makes them tick. In fact, there are plenty of people of all ages who do this once or many times throughout their life. I can remember my first trip away from Scotland, to a kibbutz in Israel! Between me buying the ticket and getting on the plane a war started. I still went, learnt a lot about myself and other cultures. I also discovered that people are not that different across the world.

Sure, a holiday or gap year can give us the opportunity to experience new things and meet new people…but as far as finding oneself goes, that can be done anywhere!

This is because finding oneself and discovering who one really is, is something that life alone will reveal to us.

It doesn’t matter where in the world we are, what our circumstances are…the desire to discover who we really are will bring about the experiences, the people and the opportunities which will help us to discover who we are.

We can learn about who we are through good and bad experiences at work, in relationships, with our health, good and with our finances.

If we truly want to discover who we are, we want to accept good and bad experiences for what they are Experiences! We take what we take from them through our judgements and perceptions. We need contrasting experiences to reveal different parts of our personalities.  The hidden crevices that otherwise would remain undiscovered, the sand in the oyster that creates the pearl.

George Moore summed it all up beautifully when he said “A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”

Who we are truly is already in us, sometimes it just needs something or someone to bring it out.

Self discovery…it’ll happen anywhere at any time.  That’s what life’s all about!

P.S. I will be taking on 4 new coaching clients early in 2010 for an intensive 1 year coaching programme. Contact me directly at Donald@zonedinperformance.com if you are interested. A place on the programme is not guaranteed and I will be working with people totally committed to creating the “WOW LIFE” they desire and acting fearlessly to make their vision a reality.

For many people the meaning of life is a question that prompts them to turn to religion and faith.  After all, religion and faith often provides people with a context which they exist within.  And it’s this context that gives situations and circumstances meaning.

For myself personally, I believe life for us is a platform of self-discovery.  Life is all about experiences.  Human beings choose what they want to do – or experience – with their lives. They create the life they want for themselves.

And in the process, we discover who we really are.

Life has this innate ability to teach us so many lessons – and it’s far more effective than the learning we’re likely to experience in a classroom.

That’s because life is all about the practical, rather than the theory.  It’s all about the doing and experiencing, rather than simply passively reading about it.

We learn so much more from our own experiences, rather than the experiences we read or hear about, as lived by other people.

We’ve all heard the saying, “He will have learn the hard way” or “She will have to learn the hard way.”  This saying itself reflects the fact that our own life lessons are so much more powerful and effective than those we hear about.

As James Gardner once said, “Life is an endless process of self-discovery.”  I couldn’t agree with him on that point anymore than I do myself.

We’re here on earth to experience whatever it is in life that we WANT to experience – and we’re here to learn along the way.  And in this process, we learn about who we really are. Take a look back at your life to date and in no time, you’ll be able to identify the lessons in life that have helped you become who you are today.  Life really is our greatest classroom!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

Self-Confidence! It’s one of those things that even the best of us struggle with at times. We can often get down on ourselves and literally tear strips off ourselves.
But that’s never the way to go!
During times like this, we often feel as we did back when we were growing up. As teenagers in particular, we were more concerned about fitting in with the crowd, rather than going out and really doing what we want.
But now that we’re mature adults…(well sometimes )
…it’s time to have  confidence to do what we want in life!
Now whether you’re sixteen or sixty, this can be hard. We often fall into two traps:
1. That of not believing in ourselves; and
2. That of worrying about what other people think.
So! How do you get around these two traps and avoid getting stuck altogether?
Easy! We need to tackle each one and look each of those two traps fair and square in the eye.
You ARE brilliant!

Each human being has their own brilliance – the ability to go and create the life they want. The ability to CREATE all of those really great things they want out of life.
Life is favourable to us and ready to help us once we decide what we want, focus on the outcome as though it has already happened – and go for it!
We are brilliant because we have the ability to create our own reality and our outcomes.
Remember the quote I shared the other day with you by W. Clement Stone: “Whatever the mind…can conceive it can achieve.”
So replace those words of, “I can’t do it! It’s too hard!” to, “I can do this, I will get there”
And as for what other people think of you…
…WHO CARES! All that matters is what YOU think of YOU!
It’s YOUR thinking – YOUR thoughts – that create your reality. What other people think about you has no power whatsoever.
So do not feel limited by what other people say and think.
Remember that you are BRILLIANT – and believe it at all times!
Just recently I read a superb quote by Dr. Daniel Amen, as published in Jack Canfield’s book, “The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”
The quote is actually called the 18/40/60 Rule and it goes like this:
“When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”
So there you go!
One of life’s greatest mysteries unraveled right before your eyes, right here!
Your thoughts and your thoughts alone are the ONLY ones that have power of you. So remember your brilliance. Believe it at all times…and go for whatever you want in life with REAL confidence!

Action Project:

1. Remind yourself of at least 3 times you allowed yourself to shine and write these times down
2. From how you feel when you “shine” write down 3 goals, dreams or projects you would love to achieve
3. Choose to start and make one inspired action today to start your journey

Further Reading:

• “Instant Confidence”  Paul McKenna
• “You Can Have What You Want” Michael Neill

When you feel GREAT about your goal, you go a long way to materializing it!
There’s a great quote that was in that famous film and book, “The Secret” that was spoken by W. Clement Stone when he was alive. He said – and it is quoted in “The Secret” that,
“Whatever the mind…can conceive it can achieve.”
Now what an amazing, amazing quote that is!
If we can actually see an outcome – no matter how great or out of this world it is – in our minds, then we can actually achieve that in REAL LIFE!
That’s because we are emitting if you like – energy – that attract to us the circumstances and the people that help us bring that wonderful visualization to life but more importantly we notice opportunities to provide great service to others !
The more amazing and passionate we feel, the stronger that magnetic energy…
Now that’s got to give you something to get really, really excited about!
Feeling great about a goal isn’t just nice warm and fuzzy feelings. It’s actually a very powerful and real force that brings everything we need into our lives, to turn our goals into realities!
So pay close attention to all those wonderful goals you have…and feel great about them, and most importantly take action on them now! Because when you do that, an amazing journey unfolds!

Further reading: I can make you rich by Paul McKenna
How to make one hell of a profit and still go to Heaven Dr John F Demartini

Please watch this great clip from Byron Katie

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s78jm5PIUDI]

Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it. People come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just. By doing self controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled, and by doing brave acts we become brave.” Aristotle

How can you be brave today ?

Sometimes modern life with its pace, demands and the expectations we place on ourselves can lead you to seek in the future something that is available in the present. And I dont know which “state” you would like more of now, love, happiness, freedom but what I do know is that they are all there within you as you read this blog.

Coaching question: What do I love to do that brings me alive ?

Further Reading: “Suffering is Optional” Cheri Huber

Every human being who has walked the earth and will ever walk the earth has the infinite ability within them to create the life they want.
And success really is the achievement of that. It’s the reality of living your ideal life and being happy.
When we are happy, we are healthy and rich. So we were made to be happy – to be successful ! This is our default position which we sometime forget .
So when you do something – with the full intention of achieving the happiness you aspire to – believe that you CAN achieve it!
Know that you CAN do it!
And when that voice of negativity comes into your mind, you can tell it to “Take a hike! “Or just notice it for what it is..” a passing thought” and let it go…
You can respond to the negativity with a positive affirmation of “I CAN” and “I WILL” or a “I WANT TO”. And feel the feelings of being able to do just that.
When you affirm that you can and you will, you are actually giving yourself strength both mentally and physically.
And that puts you in a really good position to go out there and grab success with both hands or let success be a natural outcome of your happiness.
Try it today, remember you have a choice!

Start believing that you are made for success and claim it today for yourself!
A little self-confidence really does go a long, long way – as you will see when you start implementing this valuable lesson in your own life.

Re-create the life you really want!