Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, either way you are right.” And I believe him!
Examples abound. Take a look at this video of Roger Bannister, the first person to break the 4 minute mile on May 6, 1954. Up until this time, it was common knowledge that it was impossible for a man to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Scientists who studied anatomy concurred. Medical professionals were in full agreement. And athletes, believing it so, ran accordingly.
As you watch the video, Roger Bannister narrates, giving us a unique perspective into what his mind was thinking as his body was performing. Quite interesting to note that he was experiencing the feeling of ease, of effortlessness, and at the same time: peak performance. American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Mee-high CHICK-sent-me-high-ee), calls this “flow.” In a nutshell, Mihaly studied the mind, happiness, creativity and coined this state called “flow”. Flow is a time when you are completely absorbed in the task, fully present, when time slows down and performance peaks. You might also hear folks call this “being in the zone” or “in the groove”. To see Csikszentmihalyi’s TED talk on flow, click here.
The mind is a powerful influencer on the results we experience. And I am not talking about “intellect” but the mental state that accompanies us as we take on a challenge. What do we believe about our ability? What does our inner voice tell us? Can we relax into higher performance, totally focus and dismiss the voice in our mind that creates doubt and insecurity?
There is no greater time that our inner beliefs shape our outcomes than in times of change and transition. We are in new territory – and often the voice in our mind turns the volume up and begins to play tracks that might sound like these:
- “Who are you to think you can do this?”
- “You are not smart enough to do this.” (Or substitute strong, young, old, connected, ready, rich, networked, credible, or many others.)
- “People will see through you – you are a fraud.”
- “How many times have you failed? This will be another one.”
In other words, we self sabotage, often before we even get started! Entire books have been written on how to create an inner mental state (I highly recommend Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience). Let me provide you with a few actions that work for me:
- Begin to notice your thoughts. It is easier to do this when you find some quiet time and just observe. As you do this more and more, you’ll begin to become more conscious about those unconscious thoughts flying through your head.
- Without judging, release the thoughts that don’t serve you well.
- Replace these thoughts with a thought that serves you better. Craft a few statements or affirmations in advance – and immediately swap them out. You notice your thought telling you “This is hard and I’m not capable.” You release this thought and replace it with “This is challenging and I am up to that challenge.”
With time, practice and repetition – you’ll find that your inner voice begins to change its tune. And when it does – you are much more likely to accomplish what you’ve set out to do.
“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.” By Mahatma Gandhi
