Four tricks to getting out of your own way

“The only thing that stands between you and what you want, is you…” Gina Mollicone-Long.

I had the privilege of listening to Gina speak for the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Sydney last night. It was two-and-a-half hours of fast-paced goal getting rather than goal setting. And, out of context, it is difficult to share the three points she covered:

• How the mind works
• The process of getting a ‘breakthrough’ and fast achieving results
• Tips and techniques to take control of your outcomes

To understand these concepts it is probably worth reading one of her books that are available from the Canadian Greatness Group.

There were four ideas that Gina presented which could neurologically assist and manage ‘thoughts and feelings’ – and help take control of the unproductive emotions. Of course these ‘tips’ have to be remembered and used in the moment that you experience these emotions. Gina stressed that the ability to manage these emotions will impact our ‘happiness’ and ability to achieve our goals quickly.

1. Anxiety could be defined as a warning sign from the unconscious mind that something may not happen or turn out how you want it to.

An antidote for this is to deeply imagine how you will feel or experience life: the colour, sounds and smell 15 minutes after you achieve the result; effectively imagining yourself living a successful outcome. Your experience of life will shift – anxiety can disappear.

2. Stress is a physical reaction to a situation.

Do as your grandmother might have suggested – breathe.

Taking six deep breaths in one minute will halt the physical response. Taking six deep breaths for 10 minutes and the stress will disappear and be replaced with a feeling of wellbeing.

3. Fear – False Evidence Appearing Real.

To calm your neurology, get your mind working on two things at once. Focus on a small point way in front of you with all your energy and at the same time use your peripheral vision to see out of both left and right sides of your eyes at the same time. You are so busy doing this exercise the fear disappears because your poor little brain is too busy to entertain fear as well.

4. Negativity – Have you ever had the kids fight in the back seat of the car and you react by feeling lousy? Ask your children to look up to the ceiling and smile. Neurologically you are helping them reset their negative thoughts. It is really hard to maintain an angry feeling when you are smiling – try it.

I found this insightful and useful. Clearly there is more work to be done here and these tips and tricks are not useful unless they are practised in the moment. But given my passion for happiness, having these tools available may help you focus on the great things and less on the negative experiences that ‘come at you’ every day.

Naomi Simson is considered to be one of Australia’s Best Bosses. An employee engagement advocate, she practises what she preaches in her own fast growth business. RedBalloon was named as one of only 13 BRW Best Employers in Australia in 2012 for four years in a row with an engagement scorecard of over 90% in each of those years – the average in Australian businesses is 54%.

One of Australia’s outstanding entrepreneurs, Naomi regularly entertains as a passionate speaker, a blogger and a published author, most recently publishing Five Thanks a Day. She has received many accolades and awards for the business she founded, RedBalloon.com.au including the 2011 Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year – Industry.