Are You Open to Learning

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. Ronald E. Osborn

Do you know of an athlete who “knows it all?” For each suggestion there is a response. Primarily to position them, in their eyes, as “been there, done that.” Those are the uncoachable athletes. The need to look good is interfering with their potential to be excellent.

Removing the mask of “knowing it all” opens you to learning opportunities. Masters don’t need to remind everyone of their greatness. Their confident presence speaks for itself.

Who is your teacher? As I have grown older, I now realize that I learn from everyone. In fact the people I think are most unlikely to be my teachers turn out to be some of my best teachers.

I am not talking about traditional classroom learning. What I am talking about is expanding your awareness. By creating an open mind, you accept the possibility that more than one approach exists. Letting go of being in control allows others to show you a new perspective.

By the way, I am talking from personal experience. I used to be a control freak. Since that approach no longer works for me I continue to get better over time. By the way, finding my own coach has helped me make significant changes in a fraction of the time than if I had taken this on myself without the right support.

One of my biggest lessons, however, was given to me by my son, Jarrett, once he turned 16. He taught me about control, letting go and allowing people to choose their own path. I am sure you get the gist of it. Either I could continue to insist things be done my way and risk losing our relationship in order to prove I was right or stepping back, changing the dynamics of my relationship with Jarrett.
The decision was obvious although not the easiest. I chose to step back. Encouraging personal responsibility and the right to choose became my focus. This approach applies to all aspects of my life, personally, professionally and physically.
Of course we both made mistakes along the way, but experience is the greatest teacher of all. Over time my role transitioned to guidance, continuing to love him “no matter what” and focusing on the long term goal that the relationship was more important than me being right all the time.
Well, recently Jarrett became my teacher once again of what is possible. We were working out in the gym together and he was telling me about his treadmill workout, particularly his sprint speed. (The competitive side of me was listening attentively and taking notes.)
After our conversation I began to wonder if I could run at a faster rate than I thought possible. Well, I deeply contemplated what was possible. I knew there had to be a way to run faster. Suddenly I wasn’t okay with remaining in my comfort zone any longer. Now was the time to put it to the test. Choosing to use Burst Training helped me become faster.
Well, the results have been impressive. I now know that I am capable of a running speed I never realized I could reach. The Burst Training Method has been a lot of fun, exceeding what I believed was possible.
The added benefit is creating a new challenge, reaching a new milestone and fully believing it is possible. A benefit I never would have imagined was the boost to my confidence for taking on a challenge and finding the way to achieve success.
The opportunities to excel, reaching your goals, are available to you. Be open to doing things differently than you originally thought possible. Teachers come in many forms, and it might be someone you never expected.
Activity: Are you an athlete who likes being in control? Be honest with yourself. If you’re not sure, ask someone you trust. More often than not we get in our own way. Fears, ego or limiting beliefs stop us from performing at our full potential. Where do you stop yourself? Identify one aspect of your training where you remain in your comfort zone. Write down the reason why haven’t you pushed yourself further in that area. If you were to set a new goal in that one area what would you like it to be? Set a start date as well as an end date for reaching that new goal. Now identify who you need to have on your team to reach your new goal and two to three action steps you are ready to commit to for successfully training to reach your goal.