I spent the past week in an intensive coaching certification training event.
I’m going for – yet another – coaching certification. It’s crucial to continuously sharpen my skill set.
Before I get into the 3 unbelievable truths I learned, this is a PSA for investing in yourself and sharper skills. Consider what specific skills would help you be more effective in your craft based on what you, your team or your customers need right now. Figure that out – regardless if it’s mental or physical skills – and seek it out now as we prepare for a new year.
In the pursuit of sharpening my skills, here’s 3 unbelievable truths I learned this week.
Truth #1: Life is a series of patterns. We can change those patterns.
Pretty much everything we do is predicated from a pattern that we run. How we get ready in the morning is a pattern. Every morning I drink a bottle of water when I wake up. It’s a habit, a pattern. The pattern starts with me seeing the bottle in the bathroom, which triggers me to drink it. One morning this week I forgot to bring the bottle up to the bathroom the night before. Therefore, I didn’t remember to drink any water until I noticed the bottle on the kitchen counter nearly an hour after I woke up.
My pattern didn’t run; therefore, I didn’t perform the habit that I’ve literally done every day for more than a year.
Drinking water in the morning is a wanted pattern. We have patterns – whether it’s procrastination, losing focus, losing our cool with a colleague – that don’t help us.
Just like how I missed my morning pattern by changing the bottle not being in the bathroom, we can change any pattern that we have by simply interrupting something in the pattern.
Truth #2: How we filter creates our reality
Want to know why you’re happy, sad, grateful, angry, excited – and then take action based on those feelings? It’s a result of how your mind filters your environment. We are always deleting, distorting & generalizing what is happening. How we filter creates our individual perception of a situation, thus our personal reality.
Too often, we take our thoughts, what we feel and our actions at face value. We see it as just what is real in that moment. The reality, though, is that our filters have shaped those thoughts, feelings, actions. If you want to change them, tap into how you’re filtering – distorting, deleting, generalizing – to notice the flaws.
If you say “I’m upset,” uncover the filtering that is causing you to think or feel upset. Check how you’re distorting: How do you know you’re upset? Check how you’re generalizing: Are you always upset? Check out how you’re deleting: Upset about what?
Those questions will help you loosen your grip on the idea that “I’m upset.”
Truth #3 Aligning your goals and values is like rocket fuel
Values are our deepest level of programming. Similar to the patterns we run, our values drive our motivations and actions.
We all have goals that we want to achieve. Hopefully those goals are meaningful to us. We have motivation to hit those goals.
At the same time, we have values. Values – unless they are made conscious – live unconsciously in our mind. We are driven to realize those values.
So, when we have goals that we want to achieve and we align those goals with our values, we have double the motivation and desire to achieve it.
These truths are at the center of having a positive result, fulfilled & joyous life. Take time this week to notice your patterns, filters and if your values and goals are aligned. You might uncover or discover your own rocket fuel.