In 1954 Roger Bannister achieved the impossible and broke the four-minute mile. This was seen as a miracle as it was believed that the four-minute mile was an impossible physical feat. Indeed this was a truly amazing feat, but this was not the only miracle. Another happened four weeks later when Australian John Landy also broke the four-minute mile, setting off a string of events leading to no fewer than seventeen runners breaking the four-minute mile in three years.

 

So what was that all about? As soon as one person accomplishes an impossible task it is not so impossible.  This is about mindset. The miracle that Bannister provided was the belief that this feat was achievable which changed the perceptual landscape of middle-distance running, forever! 

 

How many times do we tell ourselves that the task we are facing is impossible? How many times do we tell ourselves that we are tired (last 100 metres? Last 3 reps? Final length?). The unconscious mind is a literal beast and will comply with any thought, whether it is believed or fantasised. We spend a lot of time working on our physical attributes, getting bigger, stronger and faster. But if the mindset is that “I will lose” or “I’m not strong enough”, the physical element may not be used to its best. Sometimes these negative messages are subtle foes and need to be identified and dealt with. These beliefs may have been with us for some time, affecting many areas of our lives.

 

NLP offers an elegant, practical and effective way of managing your mindset. We can look at these limiting beliefs and re-wire them so that you are far more effective in your training, exercise and sport. We often use the expertise of a personal trainer to improve our physical condition, and rightly so! Why not consider the use of a mind-set personal trainer to improve your emotional capabilities of achieving your dreams.

 

After all, you don’t want to be sat in a Formula One Ferrari if you are telling yourself you can’t drive!