Thursday 8 May 2014

Outcome Thinking


What is Outcome Thinking?

The basics of successful Outcome thinking is essentially the stating of what we want in a certain situation that is positively stated and compelling.


Why is it useful?

How useful would it be to be able to get what you really want from your training, sport, life?  Outcome thinking enables this by getting us to be clear, precise and motivated about what we want from these things.


What makes for successful Outcome thinking?

We’re often great at telling ourselves what we don’t want….. ‘I don’t want to stop on that hill, I don't want this session to hurt, I don' want, I don't want (you can fill in your own blanks!)  The problem with these messages is that in order to ‘not do’ something our minds have to come up with a representation of doing them.  For example, don’t think of a flying pig.  OK try another, don’t think about what you last ate...  Tricky…  so, you’ve given your subconscious a representation of the very thing you don’t want… and so it cleverly goes off and finds this for you….. and that is all you see or do.

Similarly, if you think about what you do want your subconscious makes a representation of it and starts to look for it and recognise it.  So, if you want to achieve an outcome it needs to be stated in a ‘what I want is…..’ way.  This is called ‘Towards’ thinking whilst the ‘I don’t want…’ is called ‘Away from’ thinking.

Away from can be very useful when you need to get out of a situation that is causing you harm/discomfort.  The problem is that if you stay with away from thinking you will probably end up moving to something similar, or if you’re lucky it will be better than the situation you were in.  However, it will rarely represent what you really want.

Toward thinking gives you a sense of direction or travel.  And, the more detailed and compelling you make your representation of it the more likely you are to achieve it.  Really step in and visualise what you can see, hear and feel when you have achieved your outcome.

Energy flows where attention goes.

Attention follows intention

Annie
Live, Laugh, Enjoy

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