Network Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 55

The 30-second article
• Repeatedly reinforcing unhelpful thinking will strengthen the brain ’ s neural pathways , making it harder to change
• It ’ s hard to clear out old thinking to gain mobility because most of those thoughts have been entrenched since around age six
• If we want to perform at our best , we have to improve our mental mobility and be open to accepting when we are wrong and to adopting new ways of thinking
• Gaining greater mind mobility moves us along a critical path , outlined by the ‘ 4 L ' s ’ – Legends , Lenders , Likers and Losers .
horrible things to ourselves that we would never say to anyone else . It ’ s debilitating and gets us caught in a downward thinking spiral that ’ s difficult to get out of . We spend so much time arguing with ourselves and convincing ourselves why we can ’ t do things , that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy . We allow it to happen because we think nobody can hear us , which may be true , but they hear the other things we say , see the things we do and they feel how they feel when they ’ re around us .
Your thinking is like a computer – unhelpful thinking is the virus that corrupts your software , slows down the operating system and interferes with installing new apps . When we have less mobility , we turn up in everyday life as versions of ourselves that are letdowns . Whether it ’ s a physical thing in that we ’ re not looking after our health , or a psychological thing and our mindsets aren ’ t right , we pretend to get the job done , but in truth , reek of underperformance . If we want to perform at our best , we have to improve our mobility to get there . If you don ’ t , you ’ re the very definition of immobile , which renders you motionless or paralysed . If you can ’ t escape that cycle , your problems will multiply . Did you know :
• depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental disorders experienced by Australians

Nobody wants to hear the truth : we ’ re scared we ’ ll find out we were wrong all along , so we hold onto our unhelpful thoughts for dear life .

• depression alone is predicted to be one of the world ’ s largest health problems by 2020
• almost half the total Australian population will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime .
Sounds a bit bleak , but I want you to imagine a spectrum from ‘ depression ’ sitting at one end , to ‘ Oprah ’ sitting at the other . Most of us sit somewhere in the middle – we ’ re not ‘ depressed ’, but we ’ re not ‘ ecstatic ’ either , and the aim is to gain enough mobility to be able to close this performance gap . We have to be able to adapt and move better with the flow of opportunity to better play the game of life because the bridge between failure and performance success isn ’ t as wide as we think .
The 4 L ’ s
Gaining greater mind mobility moves us along a critical path . This is outlined by the ‘ 4 L ' s ’ – Legends , Lenders , Likers and Losers .
Losers
Losers underperform and are immobilised by using phrases such as ‘ I can ’ t ’ or ‘ It ’ s not possible ’. A mindset shift needs to take place by finding value in what you do , embracing challenges and finding inspiration in others . When you can adopt a growth mindset , you will have made a commitment to want change .
Likers
Likers are happy to think small , or not at all ; sit on the fence to keep the peace ; are generally immobile and admire from the sidelines . Likers need motivation and the resulting action to gain mobility . We have motivation and action the wrong way around – people wait to be motivated before acting , whereas you should act first and the motivation will follow . Just get started .
Lenders
Lenders are inclined to be in action mode , but can fall off the wagon ; experience ‘ success ’ in peaks and troughs ; and form judgements on self and others , but they ’ re less frequent and less harsh . Consistency is required around actions to level out the win / loss cycles . If you think of your unhelpful thinking as a freeway , by being consistent , we ’ re creating new thinking ‘ off-ramps ’ to exit the freeway , directing future thoughts and behaviours . New productive habits equals increased mobility .
Legends
Legends recognise thoughts as just that – thoughts ; know what they think isn ’ t reality , but only what they feel in that given moment ; and are aware enough to snap out of irrational thinking , gain mobility and get back on track fast . Legends know that they will always be a work in progress , but are moving towards the point where their mind is free from unhelpful thinking and completely mobile . In his ‘ The End of History Illusion ’ TED Talk , Dan Gilbert points out that people mistakenly tend to think that who they are now is who they will be forever . Legends have mobile minds because they are always exposing themselves to new things , new learning and new ways to live .
Which one are you ?
Greg Sellar is a performance coach and serial ‘ life hacker ’, challenging people to change the way they think and act . With a degree in Sports Science and a Diploma in Coaching , Mentoring and Leadership , he has worked with some of the biggest names in global fitness . gregsellar . com
28-30 APRIL 2017 / ICC SYDNEY
Greg is presenting at FILEX 2017 – find his sessions at filex . com . au or in the brochure accompanying this magazine
NETWORK SUMMER 2016 | 55