This blog has been inspired by two things:-
– Yet again another mediocre golf performance from me at the weekend!
– An outstanding article from Shane Parrish/ Sebastian Bailey on the ‘Four States of Mind’
Firstly the golf: of course I’m better than my handicap suggests… I’m just so unlucky!!
I’ve got most of the shots required, a decent swing and can hit the ball a reasonable way but for some reason I’m not scoring as I should. So why am I not improving? Why am I not fulfilling my potential?
I’ve come to the conclusion that ‘I’m going through the motions’ and not thinking enough about what I’m doing. I’m being reactive to situations and as a result, make poor decisions. Worst still, this behaviour is repeated time and time again!
Now, what does this remind you of?
It reminds me of many new clients we see when it comes to how they live their lives. Being on the treadmill. Just letting things happen.
Secondly, Shane Parrish: he states that we’re busier than ever. We’re often on autopilot.
We ‘go through the motions’ without really paying attention to the decisions we’re making or the implications. This is often where we go in the wrong direction and our view becomes narrow – we miss the bigger opportunity.
He refers to Sebastian Bailey’s book; The Mind Gym: Achieve more by thinking differently.
He identifies both external and internal focuses as shaping our behaviour:-
External focus is an awareness of the things outside your own head. When you focus in this way, you aren’t aware of what you’re thinking. Your attention is on what is going on, not on what you think about it, how to interpret it, or whether it could have an impact on your future… Certainly sounds like my golf!!
Internal focus is when you are conscious of the fact that you are thinking; you can hear and pay attention to the running commentary in your head.
It is so easy to have your life (or your golf game) on auto pilot. When you allow what was once exciting and challenging to become boring or mundane. You stop thinking about the situation and, instead, respond in pre-programmed ways.
Clearly, our main emphasis at Blue Sky is on improving well-being through financial planning and empowering our clients to live better lives.
Sebastian Bailey comments, “The Truth is, you have control of your thoughts, reactions and responses. Once you consider how powerful this choice can be, you’ll be able to change more aspects of your life than you can imagine”.
