Why are people lazy?
Again, we must go back to motivation. The root word in motivation is motive. To understand any behavior or attitude, you must first consider the two basic human motives.
When you boil it all down the two human motives are (1) Avoid Pain (2) Gain Pleasure. Your mind links pleasure and/or pain to all life events- persons, places, and things (due to past experience and information from others).
The trick is to discover the links in your mind through honest self-contemplation. If you are honest with yourself and take a little time to think, you will be surprised the positive results and the relatively little time it took for you to discover this information.
You must destroy all unproductive links in your mind and develop new and empowering links. Use pain and pleasure to your advantage.
If a person is lazy, then they do not have pleasure and pain working for them in this area of their life.
Think a little bit harder about why you may be lazy in a given area of your life. What is pleasurable about the activity that you are putting off. (make a list) What is painful about the event you are putting off (another list).
I would wager that the pain exceeds the pleasure at this point in your life.
You must reverse this process. Change begins in your mind. If you transform your mind, you can transform your body.
Start with your mind. Use pain and pleasure to your advantage. This is the root to changing your laziness.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Mindset Mastery 6/6/11- Perfection
Perfection is the enemy of good. When you were young, the adults taught you how to detect and delete mistakes. This makes sense. I order to achieve at a high level, mistakes must be reduced. The key thing to remember is that mistakes are never eliminated.
We have all heard that practice makes perfect. Then as we got older, we heard, perfect practice makes perfect. But the truth is, perfection is non-existent, so the best we can shoot for is mastery. The analysis of error and intense practice of new behavior makes for mastery. But yeah, practice makes perfect sounds a lot easier for you to remember and say in front of your friends.
It is easy to agree with the statement, no one is perfect. We all have an understanding of our all too fallible human nature. But when we make a mistake, we tend to heap coals of fire on ourselves.
We forget that making mistakes is part of the learning process. People who are not making mistakes, are usually not making very much of anything. We should strive to eliminate mistakes, but we should not assume that we will stop making them.
It is usually the start that stops most people. People tend to procrastinate indefinitely until, “the time is right.” Successful people know that the time is never right, but time is always RIGHT NOW.
If you love to write, don’t begin once you have written the great American novel. Begin right now. Your odds of writing the great American novel go up exponentially once you finally start writing on a consistent basis.
Get it started, then get it just right. If you wait until all lights are green and until all mistakes, shortcomings, and obstacles are non-existent, you will miss the boat.
Get started today.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143
We have all heard that practice makes perfect. Then as we got older, we heard, perfect practice makes perfect. But the truth is, perfection is non-existent, so the best we can shoot for is mastery. The analysis of error and intense practice of new behavior makes for mastery. But yeah, practice makes perfect sounds a lot easier for you to remember and say in front of your friends.
It is easy to agree with the statement, no one is perfect. We all have an understanding of our all too fallible human nature. But when we make a mistake, we tend to heap coals of fire on ourselves.
We forget that making mistakes is part of the learning process. People who are not making mistakes, are usually not making very much of anything. We should strive to eliminate mistakes, but we should not assume that we will stop making them.
It is usually the start that stops most people. People tend to procrastinate indefinitely until, “the time is right.” Successful people know that the time is never right, but time is always RIGHT NOW.
If you love to write, don’t begin once you have written the great American novel. Begin right now. Your odds of writing the great American novel go up exponentially once you finally start writing on a consistent basis.
Get it started, then get it just right. If you wait until all lights are green and until all mistakes, shortcomings, and obstacles are non-existent, you will miss the boat.
Get started today.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
genezannetti@gmail.com
908-337-6143
Monday, May 30, 2011
Mindset Monday 5/30/11- Why All Diets & Workout Programs Fail
Exercise programs, routines, and diets all fail for the same reason. They are too one dimensional. They focus on things you need to physically do. This is easy to understand, in theory, because it sounds so simple- do this, get that.
True change occurs in a different manner. If you transform your mind, you can transform your body, or anything else you would like. Consistency creates change. Lifestyle changes lives.
A diet, routine, or program implies that you will be doing some thing for a little while. You go off and on. A lifestyle implies something quite differently-consistency. Consistency is what makes a program or diet successful. A program or diet alone is nothing.
To succeed, you must focus on the person you want to BE, not the things you want to have. Exercising is not a verb, but a way of life. The same thing goes for healthy eating.
In goal setting sessions, I teach people the word BEHAVE. BE always comes before HAVE. Most people make the fatal mistake on focusing on what they want to have. Focusing on the things you have to DO is a little bit better, because your focus in now on actions instead of outcomes. But the best result comes from the focusing on focusing on the person you want to BE.
To succeed in anything you must BE the person who is consistent, intense, and intelligent. Work on seeing yourself as this person.
Create a list of the way you would like to be. Read this list daily until you have it memorized. Then switch to reviewing the list several times a week. Remember, you need mental reps for success. Train your brain.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
True change occurs in a different manner. If you transform your mind, you can transform your body, or anything else you would like. Consistency creates change. Lifestyle changes lives.
A diet, routine, or program implies that you will be doing some thing for a little while. You go off and on. A lifestyle implies something quite differently-consistency. Consistency is what makes a program or diet successful. A program or diet alone is nothing.
To succeed, you must focus on the person you want to BE, not the things you want to have. Exercising is not a verb, but a way of life. The same thing goes for healthy eating.
In goal setting sessions, I teach people the word BEHAVE. BE always comes before HAVE. Most people make the fatal mistake on focusing on what they want to have. Focusing on the things you have to DO is a little bit better, because your focus in now on actions instead of outcomes. But the best result comes from the focusing on focusing on the person you want to BE.
To succeed in anything you must BE the person who is consistent, intense, and intelligent. Work on seeing yourself as this person.
Create a list of the way you would like to be. Read this list daily until you have it memorized. Then switch to reviewing the list several times a week. Remember, you need mental reps for success. Train your brain.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, May 23, 2011
Mindset Monday 5/23/11- Jump Levels
My college wrestling coach at the University of Pennsylvania was a world champion. He had an insight on success. He won the silver medal and was voted the most technical wrestler in the world. The one thing I remember him telling us, as we struggled endlessly in practice, was, "we need to jump levels." You jump levels by elevating your intensity and improving your mindset.
You are at some level right now. So is everyone else. The reason people buy gym memberships is because they are trying to get to the next level. This is a bold statement now: Very few people are truly satisfied staying exactly as they are right now. Deep down we all feel like we can have more, achieve more.
We become annoyed when we hit a plateau. We want to jump levels. Being human is jumping levels. So the question is: How do you jump levels? As I said before, elevate your intensity and MASTER YOUR MINDSET.
If you can make your mind work for you and not against you, you will release the emergency brake and fire on all cylinders. You will get more out of yourself when you are in full throttle.
You will not jump levels if your mind and body are working against each other. It is like two horses pulling a cart in different directions. It just wont move, or it will barely move at best. Master your mind and have both horses, mind and body, pull your cart toward your goals.
The mind is my specialty and I will help you master it. You will learn exactly how to jump levels. Stay with me...
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
908-337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
You are at some level right now. So is everyone else. The reason people buy gym memberships is because they are trying to get to the next level. This is a bold statement now: Very few people are truly satisfied staying exactly as they are right now. Deep down we all feel like we can have more, achieve more.
We become annoyed when we hit a plateau. We want to jump levels. Being human is jumping levels. So the question is: How do you jump levels? As I said before, elevate your intensity and MASTER YOUR MINDSET.
If you can make your mind work for you and not against you, you will release the emergency brake and fire on all cylinders. You will get more out of yourself when you are in full throttle.
You will not jump levels if your mind and body are working against each other. It is like two horses pulling a cart in different directions. It just wont move, or it will barely move at best. Master your mind and have both horses, mind and body, pull your cart toward your goals.
The mind is my specialty and I will help you master it. You will learn exactly how to jump levels. Stay with me...
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
908-337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Mindset Monday 4/25/11- Mental Reps for Success
Mental Reps for Success
David DeNotaris, a well renowned motivational speaker, always spoke of the importance of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are short utterances we repeat to ourselves on a regular basis. They are like mental reps to build mental muscle. Some of his favorites were:
“I’m alert, I’m alive, I feel great!”
“I’m happy, I’m healthy, I feel terrific!”
“I’m getting better and better every day in every way!”
“I like myself, I like myself, I like myself, I like myself!”
It sounds ridiculously hilarious (or maybe hilariously ridiculous) at first, but the truth is that positive affirmations are a great way to train your brain.
You may never in your life use the above positive affirmations. The secret is to come up with positive affirmations that are suitable to YOU and YOUR particular goals.
The best example is Muhammad Ali- does the phrase, “I am the greatest” ring a bell?
Advertisements, movies, and songs implant ideas into your head all the time. Think about it…
“Frosted Flakes- theyre grrrrreat”
“Pokemon- gotta catch em all”
“Run Forest Run”
The more times you implant a phrase into your head, the more your unconscious mind will accept it as fact. Have you ever heard someone say, “He believes his own BS?” Are there any childhood stories that you tell where you deep down thin, “did this even happen?” When you tell a story over and over, you start to believe it is true. This is the same thing that happens with positive affirmations.
If you want to build confidence, tell yourself- “On a good day no one can beat me, on a bad day no one can beat me.”
If you want to stop worrying about other people’s judgments, tell yourself- “I compete for myself, I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me.”
Whatever thought you would like to have more regularly, write a quick sentence that you can personally relate to, then repeat it all the time.
As any weightlifter will tell you, you cannot begin training the day before a competition. You cannot expect to do bicep curls once and have arms like Arnold. Likewise, do not expect to repeat an affirmation to yourself once and feel any result. You must literally train your brain. You must not just repeat your affirmations to yourself, you must hammer them into your head. Beat the saying into your mind (figuratively, of course). Make the affirmation your own personal mantra. Repeat your affirmations many times throughout the day. Do this regularly and you will find that what you repeatedly tell yourself, you become.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
David DeNotaris, a well renowned motivational speaker, always spoke of the importance of positive affirmations. Positive affirmations are short utterances we repeat to ourselves on a regular basis. They are like mental reps to build mental muscle. Some of his favorites were:
“I’m alert, I’m alive, I feel great!”
“I’m happy, I’m healthy, I feel terrific!”
“I’m getting better and better every day in every way!”
“I like myself, I like myself, I like myself, I like myself!”
It sounds ridiculously hilarious (or maybe hilariously ridiculous) at first, but the truth is that positive affirmations are a great way to train your brain.
You may never in your life use the above positive affirmations. The secret is to come up with positive affirmations that are suitable to YOU and YOUR particular goals.
The best example is Muhammad Ali- does the phrase, “I am the greatest” ring a bell?
Advertisements, movies, and songs implant ideas into your head all the time. Think about it…
“Frosted Flakes- theyre grrrrreat”
“Pokemon- gotta catch em all”
“Run Forest Run”
The more times you implant a phrase into your head, the more your unconscious mind will accept it as fact. Have you ever heard someone say, “He believes his own BS?” Are there any childhood stories that you tell where you deep down thin, “did this even happen?” When you tell a story over and over, you start to believe it is true. This is the same thing that happens with positive affirmations.
If you want to build confidence, tell yourself- “On a good day no one can beat me, on a bad day no one can beat me.”
If you want to stop worrying about other people’s judgments, tell yourself- “I compete for myself, I don’t care what anyone else thinks of me.”
Whatever thought you would like to have more regularly, write a quick sentence that you can personally relate to, then repeat it all the time.
As any weightlifter will tell you, you cannot begin training the day before a competition. You cannot expect to do bicep curls once and have arms like Arnold. Likewise, do not expect to repeat an affirmation to yourself once and feel any result. You must literally train your brain. You must not just repeat your affirmations to yourself, you must hammer them into your head. Beat the saying into your mind (figuratively, of course). Make the affirmation your own personal mantra. Repeat your affirmations many times throughout the day. Do this regularly and you will find that what you repeatedly tell yourself, you become.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 18, 2011
Mindset Monday 4/18/11- How to Regain Control of your Energy
Think back to the moments leading up to a big competition or performance. Think about the atmosphere in the locker room. Think about how people moved around. Before a competition or performance you tend to see a lot of nervous energy.
People fidget and pace. They develop idiosyncratic quirks and twitches. They develop a tunnel vision and their mind becomes very literal. Think back. It was very difficult to joke around with someone about to take center stage. As the focus of the mind narrows, movement becomes stiff and mechanical. This is why you often see simple mistakes in the very beginning of a competition. The athlete is tense and tight.
In essence, the performer loses control of their energy OR they did not control their energy from the beginning. As the competition continues, the athlete often settles in and energy is regained (hence, the reason athletes often leave wishing they performed in the beginning as they did at the end). Has this ever happened to you?
I am sure this has happened to every athlete and performer at one time or another. Luckily, there is hope to regain control of you energy. The answer is Deep Breathing.
Deep breathing is a practice of taking deep breaths in the abdomen; in though your nose, out through your mouth. Many studies show the effectiveness of deep breathing in reducing anxiety in many different settings. The idea of deep breathing is not a new one. It has been learned and modified from Eastern cultures and meditation.
Once you regain control of your breath, you begin to regain control of your body. You feel in control of your own energy. You become centered. Your movement becomes more fluid and decisive.
As a college wrestler, I began deep breathing and have seen immediate results. The athletes that I work with have been taught deep breathing and they have seen immediate results. And if you learn how to deep breathe, I can guarantee that you will see immediate results.
How to do it:
Find a quiet place and begin taking deep breaths (in through your nose, out through your mouth) through your stomach. In the beginning, place a hand on your abdomen to make sure you feel only your stomach moving in and out. Think of nothing but breathing. At this point in time, there is nothing else in the world that exists but your breath.
How to do it even better:
Follow the above directions and add a cue or anchor to deep breathing. In other words, physically perform a certain behavior while you begin deep breathing. Ie. I would place my hands on my thighs throughout my deep breaths.
How to do this best: Follow the above directions and add a symbol of serenity associated with your cue or anchor. Ie. Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid (In the Karate Kid, Miyagi places his hands on his thighs before he meditates-> this was an image that my imagination could relate with). Find your symbols
Finally, you must pair your anchor and symbol to your cue regularly. You must practice deep breathing many times before a competition before an actual competition. Practice deep breathing at least twice a week. You will see results. You will relax and regain control of your energy.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
People fidget and pace. They develop idiosyncratic quirks and twitches. They develop a tunnel vision and their mind becomes very literal. Think back. It was very difficult to joke around with someone about to take center stage. As the focus of the mind narrows, movement becomes stiff and mechanical. This is why you often see simple mistakes in the very beginning of a competition. The athlete is tense and tight.
In essence, the performer loses control of their energy OR they did not control their energy from the beginning. As the competition continues, the athlete often settles in and energy is regained (hence, the reason athletes often leave wishing they performed in the beginning as they did at the end). Has this ever happened to you?
I am sure this has happened to every athlete and performer at one time or another. Luckily, there is hope to regain control of you energy. The answer is Deep Breathing.
Deep breathing is a practice of taking deep breaths in the abdomen; in though your nose, out through your mouth. Many studies show the effectiveness of deep breathing in reducing anxiety in many different settings. The idea of deep breathing is not a new one. It has been learned and modified from Eastern cultures and meditation.
Once you regain control of your breath, you begin to regain control of your body. You feel in control of your own energy. You become centered. Your movement becomes more fluid and decisive.
As a college wrestler, I began deep breathing and have seen immediate results. The athletes that I work with have been taught deep breathing and they have seen immediate results. And if you learn how to deep breathe, I can guarantee that you will see immediate results.
How to do it:
Find a quiet place and begin taking deep breaths (in through your nose, out through your mouth) through your stomach. In the beginning, place a hand on your abdomen to make sure you feel only your stomach moving in and out. Think of nothing but breathing. At this point in time, there is nothing else in the world that exists but your breath.
How to do it even better:
Follow the above directions and add a cue or anchor to deep breathing. In other words, physically perform a certain behavior while you begin deep breathing. Ie. I would place my hands on my thighs throughout my deep breaths.
How to do this best: Follow the above directions and add a symbol of serenity associated with your cue or anchor. Ie. Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid (In the Karate Kid, Miyagi places his hands on his thighs before he meditates-> this was an image that my imagination could relate with). Find your symbols
Finally, you must pair your anchor and symbol to your cue regularly. You must practice deep breathing many times before a competition before an actual competition. Practice deep breathing at least twice a week. You will see results. You will relax and regain control of your energy.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
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