NLP visualisation: How to keep count of your lengths!

I was in the swimming pool the other day, nothing unusual really, I go regularly. But this time, I managed to stumble upon a visualisation technique that helped me keep count of the laps. Yes, really!

Want to know what it was?

A triathlete’s life: the amazing Chrissie Wellington

I met the amazing Chrissie Wellington the other day at the Triathlon show – the second time I have had the privilege actually. This time though, she was signing her book ‘Life without limits’. Meet Chrissie and get one of the most talked about books in recent triathlon history all at once? Oh yes!

New Year’s resolutions: Setting goals that will WORK

Following on from the blog I wrote last year on New Year’s resolutions, we are once again at that time of year.

This time, as a NLP practitioner, I am able to help you set even more realistic, specific goals that WILL work.

Biggleswade Cross Country; not just about going faster!

Today was a true NLP challenge for me. There was only one reason I actually decided to complete this race, well, actually 2.

1)    I am the cross country secretary and have all the race numbers and paperwork!

2)    I wanted a true mental toughness challenge!

A strange thing happened... NLP Practitioners course

I KNOW NLP works. I have tried it myself. I was keen to learn more, and find out how it all worked. The course at Mind Training Systems came recommended by a NLP master practitioner friend Kim Ingleby, so I thought I would go ahead and take a look.  

NLP Revisited: Preparation for the Season Ahead

I was looking forward to this consultation for quite a while. Kim Ingleby had been so great the last time I met with her that I couldn’t wait to see what else she could teach me! I was asked to fill ‘a few questions’ before the consultation. A few questions!?? I was travelling down from visiting family up north and it took me the entire duration of that car journey to fill in those ‘few questions’!

What am I expecting?

I don’t deal well with unexpected change, so I am looking forward to getting help with that, which I am sure will happen, the consultation before the world championships in Budapest was so awesome I can’t wait! I am a data person, maybe too much so some times. I prefer to chase targets rather than real people. If I train with others I end up worrying too much about everyone else and not myself, and I give up too quickly. I have a busy and sometimes stressful life. Work takes up a lot of my time mentally (I am a teacher), and training takes up a lot of my time physically. I find training is often a stress release from a hard day at work.

What are the limiting thoughts that hold me back?

• I am a glass half empty person
• I struggle to acknowledge and recognise progression, and only see the problems.
• Self belief
• Dealing with unexpected change / things out of my control
• indecisive
• a bit too inflexible at times

My Goals:

• Change my mental attitude towards change, in training and training planning and develop a more flexible approach.
• Learn to recognise and acknowledge the positive as well as the negative elements in training sessions and results.
• Manage stress better and not allow different elements of my busy life to impact on each other.

The session with Kim took almost 90 minutes. In that time she asked me all sorts of crazy questions that made my head hurt!! I am not sure I could reconstruct that conversation if my life depended on it!! However, here was the conclusion of it all:

How will I manage / achieve my goals:

• I will recognise when I feel anxious, recognise the trigger, and STOP.
• I will think about the reasons and limitations in my thinking, and acknowledge the feelings at the time.
• I will then re-frame my thinking into a positive belief, recognise all the elements in play at the time and tell myself that I AM OK, I have a choice, I will make a good choice, I CAN DO THIS.
• I will take a deep breath, feel calmer, more relaxed, and back in control.

All sounds so straight forward! Half the battle here seems to be self awareness. I am committed to this, I have a diary at the ready, and here’s to my success!