What Does 8 Seconds Mean To you?

Life is often about perspective and especially so in performance coaching. Some people find they look at defeats as magnificent learning opportunities that will only improve them in the 'bigger picture', others can't get out of bed for days afterwards replaying the painful experience over and over in their minds. After Lauren Fignon lost the 1989 Tour de France by only 8 seconds he would continually recount the lost 8 seconds over and over in his head. Over time this counting ritual consumed him and he would replay the pain almost daily and at times hourly. Although I acknowledge a huge event in his career he had nonetheless lost perspective on this experience.

Often it is how you look at a situation that defines the meaning you take from it. We coach with the presupposition that you can look at everything from the perspective of a curious child learning. Regardless of your wins or losses the important question is, how much did you learn from the experience? This works for two reasons, the first being when things don't go well it allows you engage your rational and logical thought process and thus attach less emotion to the experience enabling you to be pragmatic; secondly when things go well it keeps you grounded and rational avoiding the potential for arrogance or situational focus loss, once again enabling pragmatism when needed. Which ever race your winning or losing there is always someone winning or losing a bigger race - it's all about the perspective you adopt to view the experience through your frame of reference.

Let me demonstrate....

Read the following extract from top to bottom, as naturally as possible. Once you have done this take an audit of how you feel and also your perspective of this experience.

Today was the absolute worst day ever
And don't try to convince me that
There's something good in every day
Because, when you take a closer look,
This world is a pretty evil place.
Even if
Some goodness does shine through once in a while
Satisfaction and happiness don't last.
And it's not true that
It's all in the mind and heart
Because
True happiness can be obtained
Only if one's surroundings are good
It's not true that good exists
I'm sure you can agree that
The reality
Creates
My attitude
It's all beyond my control
And you'll never in a million years hear me say that
Today was a good day!

Now do the same but read from bottom to the top and rethink your mindset when finished.

Often it is the way we see the world that defines the meaning we attach to an experience, is your glass half empty or half full?