Wednesday 22 March 2017

Day 21. The review day and bonus solution

Using the secrets of advertising to create an unshakable belief in yourself and your dreams

TEN

GUESS WHAT......THE COUNTDOWN IS ON TO DAY 30.

Today I am at another review day, the second last one and i am feeling pretty excited. To think about where i was around 21 days ago and what has happened since then is kinda blowing my freaken alcohol free mind.  Even though i am 21 days in to this journey, this is 19 days of being alcohol free - the first day was reading the commitment to the journey, and the second was a set up day, not a dry run, so to speak, but you had to choose a day in the first week to not have any alcohol.

Here's a little update on my vision board that i had to begin on Day 16 and i will continue to add to it and complete it before i've finished this journey.  Now that is fun homework and i can't wait to put it up and keep it in my mind and sight as i go forward.
So I am at Day 21 another review day where i get to consolidate my journey so far.  We only have to watch the review day video and of course continue to reprogam our brain towards a pleasure state.

Even though the aim is to learn to cut back or quit drinking, the book i am reading has been such a powerful change management tool for all aspects of life.  I have worked in the Organisational/Learning and Development space for over 10 years and many of the concepts are things we could use as part of self-leadership or self-development skills, but i guess one of the co-authors is responsible for one of the biggest selling books in history, Chicken Soup for the Soul, so he knows his stuff.  He managed to get into an unhealthy place and get back out of it again. And this book is so fucking smart.

Over the past week, we have been focussing on some great tools which have been around freeing our brain to operate at peak condition.  They can rebuild her.
There wasn't an action item in the book today and i was like - what, no homework, but there was a review video on the website, so i plugged in and had a listen.  It was about Cliff Young, the Victorian potato farmer, who won a 1983 ultra-marathon at the age of 61, and was famous for wearing gumboots to run in and inspiring other runners to adopt the Young Shuffle, where they would use less energy.

Following the video (which i have linked below) i wrote the following in my journal......

We have been doing the same thing in Phase III as advertisers do to get us to buy products. We are bombarding our brain with REPETITION and replacing old patterns with new ones and creating new habits.

Visualisation has been the focus. we learnt to overcome negative thinking traps, are using affirmations, the law of attraction and gratitude to lead us to success.

Wow. Synchronicity is in play. when I first decided to try running, it was so hard, even using a couch to 5k app. I was so slow and felt that i would never achieve it.  My fabulous coach and boss talked to me about Cliff Young and told me to be like Cliff. Go slow. It wasn't about speed.  I took this advice and set out on my journey of learning to run.

Today's message on the companion website was about Cliff Young and his marathon win. He used a number of the same things to win that marathon as we have been using in the book to run our marathon.
He was 100% committed
believed it was possible
his outcome was clear
he visualised what he wanted to do
he was optomistic
he had true gratitude and service - he gave away his prize money to more needy competitors

not only did he use these solutions, but he took ACTION.  he didn't think, he just did.  He went READY FIRE AIM - he took a shot and worked it out along the way.  Amazing and inspirational.

And then we were given an action item to do, I knew they would sneak one in.











Action 1. Do 1 thing, right now you have been putting off doing. easy fucking peasy - clean up the table next to me that has been overflowing with notes and stuff - less than 5 mins and the difference is very very pleasing and no, it's not all shoved in a drawer....
    
So after hearing the story on the sobriety solution website, i went back to find the post i did about learning to run and here was my conversation from February 2013, in Brisbane.

....well, realising that i had this barrier to overcome i went to my trusty boss, Luke - friend, great boss, psychologist and now running coach and runner himself. i had to have a heart to heart about it. As usual, his great advice was forthcoming. evo, take it slow. remember cliff young- yes Luke. well what was he famous for - marathons Luke. and what did he do - he shuffled Luke. well there you go, don't go fast, go real slow and remember, it's not the distance, it's the time you are doing.
I felt a real sense of excitement when i heard the Cliff Young video from the book.  I had a running goal. i took it slow, was committed, took action, had an outcome and got across my finish line. And the same applies to this journey i am undertaking now and this finish line is just up ahead.
How do i feel as i am running this marathon today
I had an amazing day and feel incredible
I feel clearer and more alive
went to dinner and enjoyed mineral water
I had a strange sensation of feeling like i had been drinking (which I haven't), so I guess the mind is playing funny tricks on me.
haven't thought once about wanting wine, even when i was out.

I'm ready for the next 10 days and hope that if you ever feel that you can't achieve something, then know that you probably can, you just have to start. I'm gonna go and shuffle off to bed and dream of counting sheep, not chasing them, like Cliff Young imagined he was doing.  zzzzzzz

No comments:

Post a Comment