Motivational stories – how keeping an open mind can help you improve!
As with everything else in life, we are always learning, adapting and improving (or losing ground or stagnating). Stories have a lot to do with hypnosis and help people see things differently or open their eyes to new possibilities available to them.
By becoming aware of what they want to change or improve, with a subtle shift in belief and some mental rehearsal of their goals or habit change, they can make incredible strides toward a better life.
This often happens with the use of stories – instead of ‘telling’ or ‘commanding’ a person to do something, we simply share some stories – some that relate to them and their goals, and some seemingly ‘random’ stories that it may just confuse them so that they are more open to the lessons beneath the surface.
So no matter what area of ​​my life I want to improve, I always prefer to keep my attitude open so I can learn from ANYONE and EVERYTHING!
This was great for learning martial arts (did you know that often a new “white belt” will be the person to poke the eye of the new black belt because the white belt knows so little and is unpredictable?)
This open attitude has always helped me throughout my life.
Once, when I was a teenager on vacation, I actually scheduled guitar lessons with someone who taught classical guitar. At that time I had been playing for a long time and yet I was still practicing and learning from new people. My friend and his brother had a discussion about it and I didn’t think what I was doing was that weird or cool. It was just my attitude of always wanting to improve in any way possible (or learn to accept myself more deeply – that’s key, but not that easy)
Anyway, P said something about “Why is Mike taking the time for lessons when he’s already a great guitar player! We only have a few weeks and he’s spending the few hours he can spend with us.”
M (older brother) “Have you ever thought that THIS is why he is such a great player.”
Anyway, one day a teenager from our high school that everyone made fun of had an answer to something and helped me out. I thanked him and did my best to MAKE others treat him with more respect because he actually knew some useful stuff (it was about how to change a guitar string with a fancy tremolo bridge that was all the rage back then because Eddie Van Halen and other players—that ticking bomb effect. Another lesson is to never play a new guitar or use a new amp for a live performance. You have to test your equipment and know it inside out, to to ensure your best performance)
Anyway, during sound check, I broke a string on my treble, and it wasn’t until then that I realized how complicated it was to change a string on this guitar I had borrowed for the show. He helped me and we were right on schedule and put on a great show.
The same thing happened in martial arts class a few years later, where this quiet misfit always seemed to stare at people when they were sparring, yet he rarely sparred and wasn’t much of a “natural” athlete. (actually I’m not either and I’ve always had to work TWICE as hard as others to be good, let alone very good)
So one day this awkward younger teenager at our martial arts school helped me out because I had always just nodded to him to say hello without making fun of him like most others do.
He had a very good eye for fighters’ weaknesses and so he continued to watch and with his training I improved a lot when sparring with these other fighters. The fact that I was a fairly high rank and he was “just” a white belt meant nothing to me – the improvement meant a LOT and still does!
So lately I’ve been practicing some different aspects of communication.
Learning something new or a new twist on something you already do very well can help you stay motivated and add to your skill set.
I really enjoy improving myself and knowing that I can demonstrate and explain almost anything that will help someone. They trust that I only share what I know will help them.
Mutual respect is key!
This “awkward” martial arts teenager felt judged by other fighters. Instead, I did my best to remain open and polite.
This “weird” kid in orchestra class is actually something new, and he was proud to show it off and share it with me because I hadn’t joined the masses to make fun of him.
So when someone is training to change a habit or improve their social confidence, they can feel that I’m motivated to help them AND that I’m also doing my homework because I always want to improve.
Even if I’m on a different “level” than someone else, they feel I’m in a similar situation. I have faced similar challenges, setbacks, and so they can have more confidence that I will handle my own “homework” and guide them in theirs as well.
Consider finding a friend (someone you trust) who can help you stay honest and accountable. So after 3 months you will achieve excellent results towards some goal or habit change. Keep a journal and have this trusted friend call you once a week to keep you on track (so you don’t slack off or get distracted)
Stay focused and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel 🙂
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