Listening
is a good thing, I've even run courses to help people understand how to really
listen to themselves and others, not just to words, but to tone, to meaning, to
what the body is telling us, in order to ensure full understanding of what
someone is saying, or not saying.
In
sport we need to listen to our body and the voices in our head, those parts of
us that help us train, harder, faster, smarter in order to deliver on the
pitch, in a race, on the field, wherever we are competing. Every voice we have in our head (you can
admit to having a few and believe me there's more than you think...) is a part
of us that has its own understanding of how the world works and their part in
it. We've all had those moments when
part of us wants to do one thing and another part wants to do something else
and we have to put up with the ensuing argument going on in our head...
However
as with everything there are times when not listening is really useful. Those times when a part of us says, 'we can't',
'this might hurt', 'are you sure you really want this enough', I'm sure you
have your own examples. What we need to
do is understand what this particular voice / part of us is trying to achieve. For although the way it gets us to behave may seem to be against want we want, it has a purpose that is positive for us - just doesn't understand how to deliver it. By understanding what it believes to be true
we can then get it to work with us and not feel as though part of us is working
against what we want to achieve. This
means we can then call on that part when we need it, rather than it appearing
at an inopportune moment, we are then in control and make choices quickly and easily to
do what we need to do in the moment.
This is
what mental strategies and mindset development is all about - understanding
when we get in our own way, why it's happening and what we can do about it,
before it interferes with our performance.
And
sometimes we will just stick our fingers in our ears and sing la, la, la until we've
proved that particular doubting voice wrong!
The frogs and the tower
There once was a bunch of tiny frogs...
... who arranged a running
competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd
had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...
The race began...
Honestly, no-one in crowd really
believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard
statements such as:
"Oh, WAY too
difficult!!"
"They will NEVER make it to
the top".
"Not a chance that they will
succeed. The tower is too high!"
The tiny frogs began collapsing.
One by one...
... Except for those who in a
fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...
The crowd continued to yell
"It is too difficult!!! No
one will make it!"
More tiny frogs got tired and
gave up...
...But ONE continued higher and
higher and higher...
This one wouldn't give up!
At the end, everyone else had
given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big
effort, was the only one who reached the top!
THEN all of the other tiny frogs
naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?
A contestant asked the tiny frog
how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?
It turned out...
That the winner was deaf.