It’s free, almost everyone has one, and you carry it around with you all the time
It sounded like a very bad idea, but something in me wanted to do it.
I was coaching in Austria with my friends Phil and Lutz. We decided to cycle from Kitzbühel all the way up the Kitzbüler horn, an Alpine peak that involves an additional 1,000m of elevation above Kitzbühel, gained in just 7km of road. Phil and Lutz were cycling nuts; I was a definite amateur. And to make the whole thing even more challenging, we agreed to meet at 5.30am so that we could be back at the hotel in time for breakfast!
The hill was steeper than I had ever encountered. Worse, the excruciating, grueling climb lasted more than an hour. I am not the most determined of sportsmen, so putting myself through the pain barrier constantly for an hour was not something I was used to, or thought I could do. But I did it. I don’t know how – it probably had something to do with Phil encouraging me on from the front, and the prospect of multiple servings of fried breakfast awaiting me. I was elated!
This inspired me to take up cycling properly, and I recently bought a decent road bike. Now, every time I face a cycling challenge, I cast my mind back to that day at the Kitzbüler horn and I know that I will face down the challenge.
What does this have to do with supercharging your personal performance? The truth is that you can have the best performance plan, the best intention, the best personal transformation commitment in the world . . . and still not make lasting progress if you don’t have one important piece of the puzzle.
That piece is using relevant parts of your memory positively.
I celebrated conquering that peak in Austria. So much so, I had this picture (a quotation engraved on the hired bike I rode to the summit) as my mobile phone lock screen for over a year, and it has inspired me countless times since.
What is the thing that you are not yet doing, will make the biggest difference to your personal performance? The forgotten factor is finding and drawing on relevant positive memories to reinforce our change effort. This is a simple process, but few give it the dedicated effort and attention it requires.
What next?
Sign up below for my tried and tested five-step process you can use to harness the positive power of your memory in service of any commitment you have. Yes, that’s right, any commitment! I guarantee it: if you follow this process you will dramatically increase your chances of keeping any commitment.
Remember: Almost all of us have memories, they are free and we don’t have to remember to pack them before we go about our day.
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