Moving Hope to Reality
Coaching Tip #46
Hope requires action. And although hope is a necessary component of dreams, a vision does not become an actuality without measurable focused actions.
The application of this core principle is universal. It can be applied to the smallest of mundane tasks, to deeply personal goals or change the world ideas. To move the needle, we must do more than hope. We cannot hope the dishes or laundry will get done. If you value clean dishes or clothes you need to get off the couch and do the work.
As I write this week’s coaching tip, I am sitting in my office looking out the window. There is an old man walking down the street, moving slowly, using a cane. Is he doing it because it is a goal for him, despite the pain? I wonder whether he contemplated going for a walk or not? Does he berate his body for not moving fast? Or has he created such an ingrained habit that when the clock strikes a certain hour, he heads out the door regardless of the weather or how he is feeling.
My eyes glance over to my husband who finds great joy in the game of golf. This past year he improved his golf index from a – 2 to a life-time low of + 1. (for those that don’t understand golf, that is really good) To accomplish this at his age, in his 6th decade of life, he set out a specific plan with his golf coach Andrew Lovell. And then he kept following up and following through on that plan. He knew the minutest of actions can make a significant difference as he edged his way toward his goals.
Here’s one he got me to try, as he practices the critical skills of visualization. Standing with his feet shoulder width apart he focuses his eyes on a particular object. He embeds that object in his mind’s eye. He then lifts one foot off the ground and closes his eyes. When he first started this exercise, he could maintain balance for 10 to 15 seconds. He is now up to 30 to 40 seconds. It is easy with your eyes open and exceptionally challenging with the eyes closed - try it to see how you do. For him though, this is not about balance, it is about seeing in his mind’s eye the object he is visualizing. For to be successful in golf, he would argue you need to visualize what you want your golf ball to do and where you want your it to go. You can practice building that visualization technique with this simple drill – It only requires a couple of minutes a day.
And then I think about and get inspired by those who have a “change the world” vision and put an action toward that vision every day regardless of setbacks and successes. Their foundations of hope come from deeply embedded, personalized experiences. The deeper the experience, the stronger the motivation.
We can look around our world today and see example after example of this. Daily, barely noticeable small actions that are making big differences. As a whole, we do not notice what is under the surface of these action, until the combined results of many of them collide into a goal or dream actualized.
How does this apply to you? Use others to inspire your daily actions. If you have a vision, pick someone you admire and study how their daily, barely noticeable small actions turned a vision into a reality. It might be a family member, a neighbor, a mentor, someone in your community, or someone well known to others. It matters not who you choose but rather why you chose them. Write yourself a letter in how this inspires you. And in those moments of setbacks, pull that letter out and read to yourself. And after the inspiration go do something – a small barely noticeable small action.
Which is why I am now going to go stand on one foot with my eyes closed.
Melinda