Creating a Positive Mindset
The reality is that this year has been a massive setback; I feel like I’ve gained nothing – yet come away with everything. I write this post without any specific objective other than to share the importance of creating a positive mindset & how it can help other people going through tough times.
Growth & self-development are things I’ve really had to focus on this year. I lived my life throughout 2021 & 2022 obsessing about riding bikes, in the pursuit of ultra-distance training. Loosing that ability to train for the better part of this year was tough to take – especially after all the gains I’d made in 2022 & goals I had in mid this year.
But as one door closes, another opens. I think its heathy to have a goal in your head; something to continually work towards. Without it, progress can seem impossible; how do you know you’re ever getting closer to where you want to be, if you don’t know where you want to be?
Self-development & growth is tough to measure. There’s no ‘test’ on a defined day at the end of specific period you have to prepare for, from which a result is given. It’s a continual journey of constant improvement, with ‘life tests’ along the way. Progress made through physical training is measured by way of races & results. Progress made through mental training is more about mindset, attitude & approach to, well, everything. Hence I wanted to wite about the importance of creating a positive mindset
Whilst an end goal is something I can visualise; I realise it’s a constant work in progress to get to it. Whilst I haven’t achieved it this year, I can say that I’ve built the foundations for continuous self-development; creating & establishing the habits that, when repeated continuously, will eventually compound. For me, that’s just a couple of simple things; reinforcement & reminder of goals. The brain has a funny way of working, when told something & consistently manifested, it will work out a way to get there by way of actions taken. The key to that is changing the thought process, which allows a change in habits – in turn yielding a favourable outcome.
Like any journey, it begins at the start. This realisation that something must change helps us set some clarity in our heads; from there the end goal becomes more obvious & our mindsets shift towards creating a positive mindset & understanding how can we achieve this end goal.
I write this post having just returned from a business trip in the US & Canada – where, I feel like I’ve put some demons to bed. For 18 months I’ve lived under this illusion I’d be moving to the US, to work on secondment in Texas for a few years. Its consumed me & influenced pretty much every decision I’ve made; financially, personally, socially etc.
Last time I went on a business trip back in December 2022, I had an innocent & unintentional accident. I fractured my skull and suffered a brain haemorrhage – regaining consciousness 4 days later without a clue where I was or how I’d got there. The following 6 months of rehab & recovery were horrible. I couldn’t ride, I couldn’t run, I could barely walk or even think without it causing painful migraines. I lived like a vegetable.
The accident messed my year up big time – it also cost me the opportunity to go work out in the US on secondment. I’ve lived the first few months of the year not knowing if or when I’d make a full recovery without brain surgery & the following few months, not knowing if I’d be staying in the UK or moving to this US.
Fast forward to October, having gradually got fitter; both physically & mentally, I was back out in the US & Canada working. The notes taken from my journal ‘Here I am this week, discharged from the neurology department as fully fit, back to doing my normal daily activities & out on business, living my normal work/adventure/travel life balance. I’ve been accepted into an ultra-distance race next year & yeah, I can finally say I’m a happy & optimistic man again, with loads to look forward to & living a fulfilling life once again.’
I wrote these words sat in a car, parked next to the Sea to Sky Highway, about 60km north of Vancouver. I’d just been hiking up Brunswick Mountain & seen some of the most majestic views right across British Colombia. As a grown man I can admit to a release of emotion here; I finally felt content again. Like a release of pent-up frustration, realising a weight had been taken off my shoulders.
The key message I’m trying to get across here is that there’s been so much for me to worry about this year, yet so little I can control. The circle of concern & circle of influence diagram springs to mind. It became that apparent this recovery journey would be a long, unquantifiable journey. I could spend potentially 12months worrying about things I can’t control, or I can spend each day doing things & taking positive actions towards the end goal I had in my head, thus creating the positive mindset I needed to enable development.
I could watch TV as a distraction from the fact I can’t ride my bike, or I can read a book, which’ll better inform my training & nutrition choices – allowing me to ride better once I’m able to. It was these subtle & small changes which now, as I get back to normal living, feel like they’re reaping rewards.
Maybe this is just my ultra-distance racer mentality coming through, but I think perspective is everything when going through challenging times. Sure, you can look at the ‘right here right now’ lens, where it all looks immediately terrible. But look at any share price graph. Improvement is rarely immediate or linear. There will always be ups & down – and the downs always look worse when you zoom in! But when you zoom out, and see that the small set back is miniscule in the bigger picture – as long as the overall trend is going up, that’s all that matters. Finding positive outcomes at the most difficult times. Oh, and make sure you have something to look forward to. Something, anything, just get it in the calendar – If you can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, put a light there yourself.
