The Mind Over Body Matter Letter

In this issue…

1.  Why Motivation Might Kill You

2.  The Ferocious Eye of the Tiger (Tom Venuto)

3.  Today’s Cartoon - The Top Of The Mountain

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Motivation Might Not Be What You Need

By Brad Howard

I help people all of the time with different problems when it comes to their workouts (and even life sometimes). Many of those times, these distinct problems are attributed to a much larger situation. I am a HUGE believer of getting to the source of a problem and NOT just treating symptoms.

Treating symptoms never lets the person understand what is actually going on and can be very self defeating. Imagine for a minute that you are allergic to peanut butter. Now, you love peanut butter so you get a medicine to let you eat peanut butter to your heart’s content.

Of course, the medicine costs money and carries all sorts of side effects. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just give up peanut butter? After all, it’s the peanut butter that is the source of your problems. Taking the medicine is just an unnecessary step.

So, the best thing to do in most instances revolves around the source of a problem. But, for people trying to get in better shape, what are the primary problem sources? What exercise tips prove to really pay off?

Honestly, most of the underlying problems involve psychology and the way people perceive things. The leftover problems stem from either overflowing or faulty information.

Today, I want to go over motivation and why it might not necessarily be the 1st thing to focus on when beginning a new program.

Follow me here. (I’ll get to the correlation at the end)

I think most people can relate to this.

You have an underperforming employee. Generally speaking, underperforming employees tend to fall into two categories — those that need more training and those that have significant training but need to be motivated (I usually let these people go by the way as they tend to be a drain on the team).

Most of the time, an underperforming person gets lumped into the “I need motivation” category prematurely. However, looking further, we can see that our employee really just needs more training to ensure more confidence.

But, what do we do?

We say, “Oh, you just need to be more motivated” or “come on, just think about how much money you can make.”

Then, our “motivated” individual goes out, does a crappy job, gets discouraged, and then falls back into the same trap as before. It’s a vicious cycle. (By the way, if you have an employee like this, chances are they need more training. It’s a clear sign that you haven’t been doing YOUR job, instead of them not doing theirs).

Think about it this way, if you have an idiot and you motivate them you don’t get a lean, mean, employee: you’ve got yourself a motivated idiot! Imagine what kind of destructive power that can have.

I’ve digressed a little. What does this have to do with working out?

A LOT!

If you are doing all of the wrong things and you get more motivated (i.e. work harder, more weight, reps, intensity), you are just going to trash your body, period.

Think about the motivated idiot.

Now, I’m not saying to get into information overload by any means. The easiest thing to do would be to grab a magazine or two from the grocery store and start with a few of the workouts inside. That way, you don’t have to worry about your plan and can actually GET MOTIVATED with the right information.

This is very important.

Now, if this does not sound appealing, put something together yourself and get it critiqued by a qualified individual before you start. You might have a great majority of it right and realize drastic improvements with a few small tweaks.

Search out reputable sources (don’t “diet” Google) and follow their advice.

**IMPORTANT**

Do not pick 15 people to follow and mash all of their teachings together. Pick one and follow him/her only. When you try to put more than one system together, you not only diffuse the power of the system, you put yourself into potential information overload from all of the different “exercise tips”.

Again, do some research and find one person to focus on. You’ll see quicker results from your simple approach.

REMEMBER! Information overload = no results.

Moral of the story, get equipped with the right information from a singular source…

..and don’t be a motivated idiot.

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The 9 Attitudes & Mental States Of Ferocious Eye of the Tiger Motivation

By Tom Venuto, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Master Practitioner of NLP

http://www.burnthefat.com

So how’s your motivation been lately?  Have you been fired up with so much energy and enthusiasm that you can’t wait to hit the gym at 5 a.m every morning? When you know there’s a grueling, gut-wrenching, sweat-pouring workout ahead of you, do you look forward to it and shout, “BRING IT ON!” Are you so mentally “jacked up” that missing a workout isn’t even a possibility in your world? Do you attack the barbells and dumbbells with a ferocious animal attitude?  Is quitting an option that could never even enter your brain?

If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations - you’ve got “Ferocious, eye of the tiger motivation.” If you answered no to any of these questions, then read on because you’re about to get a sneak peak inside the brains of mega-motivated super-achievers. Even better, you’ll discover how to “turn on” your own motivational forces by learning and copying the mental states of mega-motivation.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a branch of psychology and counseling that is based on identifying patterns of human excellence (such as high motivation) and then duplicating them, a process known as “modeling.” According to NLP trainer Robert Dilts, “modeling involves observing and mapping the successful processes which underlie an exceptional performance and breaking it into small enough chunks so that it can be recapitulated and reproduced by anyone.”

Modeling has been used to identify the genius strategies of Albert Einstein, The creativity strategies of Walt Disney, the persuasion strategies of star salespeople, the leadership strategies of winning coaches and the peak performance strategies of medal winning athletes.

Modeling the behaviors and thought patterns of highly successful people does not guarantee 100% identical results as the person or persons modeled. However, it does allow you to reach the highest levels of achievement and proficiency possible, as fast as possible, within the genetic limits of your own physical and mental abilities.

Motivation is not a special quality that certain people inherit and others don’t, it’s a skill that can be learned and duplicated. People who are motivated use their brains in a certain way. Since all human beings are “wired” the same way neurologically, then by using your brain the same way, you will become motivated too, it’s that simple. 

Of course, in order to duplicate motivation, you must first know what’s going on inside the heads of highly motivated people.  That could be a time consuming and difficult task if you had to figure it out on your own. Fortunately, motivation has already been studied by psychologists and NLP “mind scientists” and the causes of motivation have been identified.

Motivation is not achieved by using a single “technique”; motivation is a complete set of attitudes and mental frames of reference from which you approach everything in your life. In just a moment, you’ll learn each one of them.

Collectively, these states and attitudes create a “propulsion system” that drives you towards your goals with “Ferocious eye of the tiger motivation.”   According to NLP co-founder Richard Bandler, a propulsion system must have two directions to be maximally effective: An aversion away from something you don’t want and compulsion towards something you do want.

“Compulsive” behavior is usually associated with something negative such as drinking, drugs, smoking, nail biting, gambling, or spending money. However, if you can use your brain to compel you towards something negative, you can use your brain to compel you towards something positive.

Most people let their brains run randomly on autopilot, leaving their feelings and behaviors to the mercy of circumstance, environment and the influence of other people. According to NLP trainer and psychotherapist Michael Hall, PhD, Mental Mastery is the opposite of the chaotic way most people let their minds run amok. “It’s the ability to control our mind – how we think, what we think about, how we interpret things, and the meanings we give to events.” 

Mental mastery is realizing that you are in charge of your brain, and you are the only person who can choose your thoughts and attitudes. By choosing the right ones, you can control your feelings, behaviors, motivation level and therefore, your results and your entire life.

Here are the 9 attitudes and mental states in mega-motivated achievers:

1. ACCEPT EVERYTHING AS A CHALLENGE.

There’s something extremely motivating about a challenge. When someone says, “You have a big problem”, it’s a totally different feeling than when you hear, “I have a big challenge for you.”  A problem is negative and de-motivating. A challenge is positive and motivating.

So the first key to ferocious motivation is to reframe everything in life as a challenge – even adversity and difficulty. It’s been said that within every problem or adversity is the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. You just have to look for it and ask what it is.

How you decide to look at things is your choice. It’s called “perspective.” Two people can look at the same event and see two different things. Instead of viewing a tough job or workout as a chore that you dread, you can call it a challenge. When you’re confronted by an unexpected problem, roadblock or difficulty, you can call it a challenge and say, “BRING IT ON!”

Life usually throws plenty of “challenges” our way, but challenges are so important, that if they aren’t imposed on you externally, you must impose them on yourself!  Intentionally put yourself in challenging situations and environments. Set big goals. Impose deadlines. Enter competitive situations. Step up to the plate. Get in the game. If you don’t have a “game” to play, then you’d better find one or invent one… quickly.

Challenges give you the opportunity to learn and to grow. The bigger the challenge, the more you will learn, the more you will grow and the stronger you will become. NO challenges = no learning and no growth. Don’t shrink from challenges… look for them and sign up for them!

2. AN INTENSELY CURIOUS STATE OF CHILD-LIKE FASCINATION

Motivation grows out of a curious and fascinated mind. I like to call FASCINATION “The Mr. Spock attitude.” An attitude of fascination can make any experience an interesting and beneficial learning opportunity, even one that most people would view as negative. For example:

“Hmmmm… my diet is darn near perfection, I’ve been bustin my ass in the gym for months, I’m not seeing any fat loss at all and I’m actually losing muscle… fascinating! What could I learn from this?”

Curiosity is a questioning attitude. It’s an “I wonder” attitude. Questions can be one of the most powerful motivational strategies of all, capable of inducing a complete shift in perspective, mental state and attitude in an instant.

Be inquisitive. Always ask questions; New questions, weird questions, hard questions, wild questions, discovery questions:

• What could I learn from this?
• How can I make this mine?
• What can this person teach me?
• If I knew I couldn’t fail, what goals would I set?
• What am I doing right?
• What could I be doing better?

Contrast those “power questions” with these typical “loser questions”

• Why can’t I do it?
• Why is it always so hard for me?
• Why is my metabolism so slow?
• Why can’t I lose this weight?
• What Am I doing wrong?
• Why me?

What kind of answers do you think your brain will come up with when you ask “loser” questions?  What kind of mental state will you put yourself in?

Young children are intensely curious. They are like sponges for information; constantly exploring their environment, asking questions and learning. That’s why young children are naturally energetic and motivated.

Stay intensely fascinated, curious and inquisitive like a child, ask the right questions and you’ll always stay motivated and resourceful.

3. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE.

Excellence is the continuous process of striving to become the best you can be and to fulfill as much of your potential as you can. One of the keys to becoming excellent is repeatedly asking yourself, “Am I settling for less than I can be?… how can I do and be MORE?” 

Excellence is an attitude of exploring your potential. With a curious and inquisitive attitude, ask yourself, “There’s always more, what lies out there? How much more potential do I have?… Let’s find out… I’ve GOT to know what I’m really capable of!” 

You must continually raise the bar and raise your standards if you want to become excellent. “I must be what I can be” must be your constant affirmation, incantation and declaration.

Excellence is not perfectionism. Excellence is not necessarily winning or being number one either, although winning is often a by-product of excellence. Excellence simply means that you make the commitment to be the best YOU can possibly be and work towards it every day. 

4. AVERSION TO MEDIOCRITY.

Aversion to mediocrity is an example of moving “away from” an undesirable outcome. Although people have different motivation strategies, negative (“away from”) motivation can often be the most powerful.

Many highly motivated achievers despise mediocrity to the point where it literally becomes a “phobia.” Just as someone with acrophobia will go out of their way to avoid heights, a mediocrity-phobic person will go to great lengths to avoid being average or living below their potential.

How much distaste do you have for living at an average, ordinary level? How much do you despise mediocrity? Is it disgusting and repulsive to you? If you know you’re living below your potential, does it torment you? Does it make you sick? Is it terrifying? If not, you’re not as motivated as you could be.

5. A FIRED UP, TURNED ON, “GO FOR IT” ATTITUDE.

The fifth master state is a “fired up”, “turned on”, “go for it attitude.” This state is an aggressive, ferocious, highly energized state of determination. It’s the polar opposite of uncertainty, indecision, backing down, backing up or staying in your comfort zone.

Whenever you have a goal you want to achieve or an outcome you want to occur, put yourself into an “I’m going for it” mental state.  Just saying those words with emotion – “IM GOING FOR IT” - can instantly get you motivated. “I’m going for it” must become a daily mantra and affirmation. Eventually it can be more than words, it becomes a way of life and a state of mind you live in daily.

If you ever feel hesitation, withdrawal, indecision, or fear, immediately change focus and think about what you want to achieve, then get fired up and repeat the mantra, “I’M GOING FOR IT.” Then, to be congruent with your words, immediately take some type of action step towards your goal, no matter how small.When you repeat this pattern with enough emotion, eventually negative states like fear and hesitation will become neurologically linked to a “GO FOR IT” attitude.

There may be times when you continue to experience fear, indecision or hesitation, but you won’t be able to stay there; you’ll feel fear, but rather than causing you to back down, the fear will be a trigger to get you fired up.

6. AN UNSTOPPABLE, “BULLDOZER” ATTITUDE

Have you ever seen one of those great plays in a football game where a powerhouse running back plows right through the defensive line, knocking linebackers right on their asses, literally bulldozing his way down the field? Maybe the defense eventually stops him, but not until four or five 250 + pound men pile on top of him and slowly drag him down. He just keeps on running right through it all.

If you hit a problem or obstacle, imagine yourself as that running back. Never back down or back off. Plow right through it. Keep driving forward. Be unstoppable. Visualize yourself sitting up in the driver’s seat on a giant bulldozer, looking down at your little problems or obstacles in front of you, and saying to yourself, “nothing is stopping me” as you bulldoze right through anything that gets in your way.

7. COMPULSION TOWARDS LIFELONG LEARNING WITH AN OPEN MIND

An easy way to generate motivation quickly is to become a great student. Become an expert in your chosen field, but never think that you know it all. Highly motivated super achievers are compelled towards lifelong learning. A open minded learning state spurs you onward to continue moving and developing.  Learning keeps you engaged to constantly invent, discover and create new strategies, methods, models, patterns and processes. Lose the intense interest in your craft or your mission, and you will always lose your motivation. Immerse yourself in information about the field you want to master and you always build your motivation.

8. COMPULSION TOWARDS CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT.

In studies of highly motivated achievers, one thing they all have in common is compulsion towards constant and never ending improvement. They are never satisfied or complacent. The improvements don’t necessarily have to be big steps – they can be tiny, incremental improvements, but they add up to huge improvements over a long period of time.

Improvement is motivating, even small improvements. With each little step forward in the right direction, you get a little “buzz” of satisfaction like an endorphin rush, that generates more motivation to improve further, and you set up a self reinforcing positive cycle.

If you’re not motivated and you’ve been stuck in a rut, you will have to use your will in the beginning to overcome inertia. An object at rest tends to stay at rest. By the same law however, an object in motion tends to stay in motion. Once you’re moving and improving, strive for constant and never-ending incremental improvement and never, ever stop seeking more. 

9. INFINITE PERSISTENCE WITH A ‘NO QUIT’ CLAUSE.

One of the basic presuppositions of NLP is that there is no such thing as failure, there is only feedback; only results. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal. It doesn’t matter if you’re not getting the outcome you want yet; as long as you keep taking action and pursuing your goal, you are a success. There’s only one way you can really fail, and that is if you quit.

The classic example of infinite persistence is Thomas Edison. Edison conducted 10,000 experiments before finally finding a filament that would burn in the electric light bulb. When asked how he felt about all his failures, Edison replied, “I didn’t fail, I learned 9,999 ways that didn’t work.”

So you screwed up? Excellent! You learned something, you know what not to do next time and you’re one step closer to finding out what does work. Keep after it.When you begin pursuing something you really want, you must make a contract with yourself that  you won’t be denied. You will stubbornly persist until you succeed, no matter what happens and no matter how long it takes.

This attitude will infuse you with energy and motivation that you’d never experience if you began the endeavor with an “I’ll try it and see if it works out” attitude.

Who’s Driving the bus???

The next time you feel unmotivated, ask yourself, “Who’s in charge of how I feel?” “Who’s in charge of my brain?” “Who’s driving the bus?” The answer of course, is you. Lack of motivation is not something that happens TO you – it’s something you do to yourself. The ability to achieve a highly motivated state is a matter of grabbing the wheel and driving your own brain for a change. By studying these mental states and attitudes, consciously practicing them in your life every day, literally “installing” them into your own brain, you’ll become so charged up with motivation and fierce resolve that it would take an army to stop you from getting what you want. 

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Today’s Cartoon: