Yoga Pants and Half-assery!

 
   Are you holding back or going all in? And do you want to?



Recently I decided that I wanted to change some habits, change some outcomes and in general get it in gear! I know from my NLP training that one great way to do this is to Model the behavior of people who are achieving the results that I want. It's also one thing to KNOW  and another to actually DO!

     I decided that rather than jump into major changes, like I usually do only to give up at the first sign of aggravation, that I would simply "notice". Notice what I do and then ask my self the Dr. Phil question, "How's that working for you?!" Yes it's true, the little voice in my head can be quite sarcastic! Right away I liked this practice, because I wasn't instantly wrong, I get to think about whether  what I am doing, thinking or being is something that is "working" for me or not. Then gently, I get to ask myself what might work better, or what does a person do who gets amazing results in this area. Or even consistent results. Here is where the yoga pants come in....

     YOGA.......well that is a whole subject unto it's self.  I had been thinking it was a good  idea  for years. It sounds all Zen and peaceful, but for those of us who have an inherent fear of  yoga pants the idea can be daunting."So what does a person do who wants to have more strength, flexibility and a yoga butt?", I ask myself. They slap on some yoga pants, find a studio and go!

      So I did! With the help of a friend I found a lovely studio with an even more lovely instructor. The type of yoga works for me too, slow, gentle and very informative. I discovered right away, well after the struggle of the first three classes, that I could use some deep breathing during class and get a sort of meditation out of the class too. Score! I decided that this IS in alignment with what I want to create for myself. (Internal High Five!)

     Good so far. Meanwhile.......my normal behavior in any exercise class is to watch the clock for, "How much longer do I have to do this?" As well as, "How much can I do so I look as though I'm working hard, but not actually go all in?" Thus the Half- Assery.... Now, even I can see that this isn't the behavior of a dedicated Yogi or anyone who achieves the highly sought after yoga butt!

     OH NO! As a side note, this opened up the question, "Am I a Half- Asser in other areas?" Hmm... maybe I'll watch out for that from now on.......

     Back in the yoga studio,  I asked myself the "question" and decided that I could focus a little more and maybe hold the poses thru the "burn". Maybe I could deepen my breath and move through the poses as though I meant it! Now this wasn't a great discovery in a deep meditation. I didn't go to therapy to figure it out. I didn't even phone a friend. I simply asked myself what can I do in this moment to be more true to what I want and who I intend to be. It was a split second question and answer, then a decision in the moment to make a different choice. Hmm... interesting. Are there other areas that I could do this same thing?

     It didn't change the world, at least I haven't seen evidence of this yet, but it did change my inner landscape. After giving the pose that I was in my full attention and effort, I felt an instant sense of accomplishment and I wanted more! Who knew it felt great to go all in?  And in yoga pants no less! I no longer even have the desire to Half-Ass it in yoga class! I  kind of enjoy actually doing it like I mean it! Oh and don't tell anyone, but I even look forward to yoga class! I want to see what else I can do!

     If you have experienced wanting to make changes only to want to make those same changes for 20 years, you might like this simple exercise too!

     It's quite easy since you don't have to plan anything in advance. You don't have to read any book. There is no new methodology or church to join. You simply ask  yourself the question in the moment. Am I giving this my all? Or Is this what a successful person would do in this moment? Or  Is there a different choice I could make right now? Then wait for the immediate answer that WILL come. Then choose to do it differently. right now, this time. Just try it on, if it works you have a new pattern. If it doesn't choose again!

You might be surprised what happens and quickly....I truly am!

Liz Larson
transformoneidea@gmail.com

Life Design Strategist
NLP Master Practitioner

Are you Super Human? Can You Be? ----What's Possible for you?

Today I was watching, Stan Lee's Super Humans. The show is not so much comic book as it is science oriented. The host of the show Daniel Browning Smith travels around the world investigating people that have a natural "Super- human" ability. On the show, Daniel was investigating a man who's body never seemed to fatigue. He once ran 50 Marathons in 50 days. His muscles don't build up lactic acid like normal humans. His lungs and heart don't seem to get tired. In fact where even the most elite athletes have muscle fatigue and breakdown during extreme exercise, this man seems to get stronger and faster!The host of the show states, "It goes against everything we know about human biology". His lactic levels seem to go down while normal humans increase during exercise. The doctors and scientists that examined him declared him truly Super Human!

It made me think about what Super Human means. Essentially it just means outside what we think is normal. Stan Lee's investigation into people who have outside of the normal ability highlights this idea. There are people all over the world that can do things we deem amazing! But what if we shifted this idea. What if we looked at these people for what they really are. They are an example of what is possible! Currently we look at them as outside the norm and disregard the fact that they are in fact human and therefore what they can do and what they are is then possible for humans.

Remember when the 4 minute mile was considered impossible? As soon as Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile in 1954 many athletes quickly followed and beat this barrier. Roger Bannister wasn't Super Human he simply allowed other athletes to know what was possible.

Another example is our understanding of the brain. Science used to believe that the brain could not regenerate. That once brain cells were dead or damaged that the brain would permanently remain impaired. Thanks to the research being done at the University of California, San Diego, we are breaking these and many other myths about the brain's ability to heal and regenerate. "The brain that changes itself", by Norman Doidge demonstrates study after study of people recovering their brain function after devastating injury and illness. What's the switch? Simply that we know it's possible, and if it's possible we can take it to higher and higher levels.

So how can we "average" humans use this information? What if we just started challenging what we believe. I was recently on a coaching call when I was describing a limitation I have with my health. As the words exited my mouth I realized that this particular limitation might be not a real limitation  but a belief. My first thought was "OH CRAP"! Then I wondered, what if I could change my belief about this limitation? Could I  also change this aspect of my health? If that were true, in what other ways could I be limiting myself ?I decided that I would do an experiment and challenge the excuses that I make to myself about why I can or can't do things. About what is possible and what is not. So far it's been amazing and honestly a little aggravating....... Could it be that I just simply didn't know what was actually possible and what was not?

So I put this challenge to you. Can you challenge your excuses this week? Here's how. As soon as you hear yourself give a reason for why you can't accomplish something, stop. First change the language of the excuse. Begin with, "I have a belief that I can't"..... Instead of "I can't because". Next ask yourself this question, "What if I could change that belief".  Next change it one more time to, " What could I replace that belief with."  Then ask this, "What else would change if I changed that one belief".

Be aware that you might find this Super irritating at first :) I did! I didn't like the idea that I was limiting myself. I really wanted my problems to be someone or something else's fault! Realizing that I have the Super Human ability to un-limit myself is both irritating and freeing. Now I find it really fun to experiment with the idea. I'm not sure that I can change every perceived limitation, but I am excited to investigate.

Try this for a week and then post your findings here. I can't wait to hear what your experience is!


Liz Larson
transformoneidea@gmail.com

Life Design Strategist
NLP Master Practitioner

Should You Toot Your Own Horn?

Today I was talking to a good friend about the process I posted a few days ago , "Take Your Mind On A Treasure Hunt". I was explaining how fun it is to  look back on your own past and find the little gems that supported you, built you, and made you so powerful today. We each have skills, things we excel at and things that are going right. I gave her the example that I shared in the video of the same name, all the little experiences that gave me the willingness and ability to speak and teach publicly.

Then she asked an intriguing question, "Isn't that kind of like Tooting Your Own Horn?" As we chatted she understood quickly that , "tooting your own horn" isn't what this fun little process is about at all, but the question lingered in my mind for the rest of the day.

Two things struck me as I considered the idea. The first is that it is not generally socially acceptable to acknowledge positive aspects about ourselves,"tooting or own horn", but it is perfectly acceptable to share traumatic or problematic stories about ourselves. That's not considered "tooting our own horns" however I have heard people "one up" each other with trauma stories.

The second is that it may not even be socially acceptable to "toot your own horn" in the privacy of your own mind! This my friends must stop now!

The question now is how? How do we begin? The first step is to simply begin shifting our ideas about sharing what's going right with each other and with ourselves. Begin by asking your group of friends, "what are the experiences you had that make you so good at what you do". Encourage each other to share little, yet powerful, stories about how they learned to be successful, kind, caring, loving, or awesome! This is a new muscle that needs to be flexed and worked. If you have kids, you can practice with them. Kids will always share why they are so awesome, and then model their attitudes. It's not about bragging or boasting, but acknowledging that some great things have to have happened to build you into the person you are now. Gathering them together and bringing them forward into the futures we are creating, helps us know for sure that we have a solid foundation and that we are already on the way to having the life we want. It's like packing a suitcase full of all of the things we will need on the journey to come. It's also just a great way to feel good NOW!

Appreciating ourselves and our experiences has an amazing way of spurring new ideas and new ways of using the things that have served us in the past. It helps us recognize tools we forgot we had. It truly is a treasure hunt in our own minds, but it can also create a wealth of fun, uplifting conversations!

It's time to delete the idea that we can't ,"toot our own horns" just a little! It's an out dated idea and we my friends are far too progressive to perpetuate old outdated ideas!
So I say start Tootin'! First in your own mind, then out loud, and while you're at it toot someone else's horn too!

Liz Larson
transformoneidea@gmail.com

Life Design Strategist
NLP Master Practitioner