‘It’s all in the mind!’ Really?

This morning at about halfway into my 4 mile run, my legs were starting to really complain. They had every reason to, they were just tired and wanted the run to be over! My mind told me it wouldn’t matter if I walked for a bit, or even called it a day and called for a lift. I hadn’t realised until after my run, that I had already run over 17 miles this week and that’s not including the miles I ran around the squash court yesterday trying to beat Chris – another story as he is a much better squash player than me but his knee injury means I have the chance to win, for now.

At that moment on my run, I thought to myself that I could either focus on what my legs were telling me or I could get on with it and put more effort in. I wasn’t beating any personal records on this run but changing my focus and ‘leaning in’ to my run helped me get through the barrier and pushed me on. The joy I experienced at the end of my run was all the greater!

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

In his recent podcast #82 (see link below) Dr Rangan Chatterjee interviews Peter Crone a.k.a. The Mind Architect. It’s a long listen but absolutely packed with valuable insight into how our subconscious thinking can trip us up if we are not careful. If by listening to him, it convinces you of the power of seeking to understand the way your thoughts create limits in how you interact and experience life, then that could be a good thing. Now I don’t go along with everything Peter advocates when talking about the dilemma of right & wrong but that’s a minor point. The discussion from around 25min in around the link between subconscious wellbeing linked to physiological health. If you watched Dr Chatterjees TV series on personalised healthcare, then it will be all the more poignant.

“Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” Ezra Taft Benson

Most important is that we make sure that we are actively in charge of our thoughts and the way we process our thinking. So how do we improve our thinking processes? What if we have learned bad behaviour/habits that are buried in our subconscious? The first step is to acknowledge to yourself you can improve and be motivated to change. Believe that life is an opportunity to continue to grow and learn. That’s what makes it so interesting! Read, listen to podcasts and grow.

You then set out on a journey of self-discovery and personal learning. You seek the answer to questions like the one Peter Crone asks in the podcast “What are the deep-seated programs that are self-critical, where I feel that I am not loved, or that I am not enough or I feel that I am not worth anything. These are insidious pieces of program that people will adapt to. Somebody who thinks they are not valuable could become a people pleaser…”

I shared this coaching outline at the beginning of 2018 which contains further references and videos on changing life scripts. It is hard to follow without commentary but can be a reference or start for deciding where you want to go for reading.

Whilst the saying ‘It’s all in the mind” may be a little too oversimplistic, it is important to our happiness and wellbeing that we actively manage the great tool that our mind is. I am personally grateful for the insight I have gained that helps me work at my own thought processes. Pushing me on to keep trying to learn more and do better.

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself, the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us, that’s where it’s at.” Jesse Owens”