Practice does NOT make permanent

We've been misled Reader,

I'm working on something that I can't tell you about yet (I know... how conceited of me to think you care!). It is something that fits the following criteria:

• It's been an ambition of mine since forever
• When offered the chance, I jumped in two feet first
• I am 100% capable of delivering on it (above and beyond, in fact)
• Since saying yes, I've become more and more terrified

Any of that feel familiar?

A big opportunity comes your way and even your Mind Monkeys can't stop you from initially responding "Hell yeah!".

The euphoria passes and then they get their moment in the spotlight:

• "Ooh, was that a bit hasty?"
• "Hmm... what if we haven't got time to do this justice?"
• "It's a big ask, what if we're not good enough for this?"
• "What if we mess up? What WILL they think of us?
• "What if we politely back out now? Is it too late to change our minds?"
• "We'd best put in a LOT of practice I guess..."

Practice becomes the life preserver

If you put the work in, you will greatly reduce the possibility of failure.

Sounds fair. Makes sense.

Don't forget though (and this as much a message to myself and the 'secret something' I can't tell you about yet), you have decades of evidence proving your existing proficiency.

You are ALREADY good enough.

Of course you'll still put the hours in. Because you care. Because, when you're doing the thing, you want the muscle memory to kick in and leave your mind free to relish every second of the moment.

And that's where danger lurks

Aah... the voices in your head

Practice gets us so far. But no amount of practice can outpace a mindset full of "what ifs". Which is why I am switching out the old adage of 'Practice Makes Permanent' (as catchy as it was) and changing it to:

I concede it's not as catchy, but bear with dear reader...

What we believe we become. What we tell ourselves, becomes our truth. I'm sure there's a version of this email that contains a reference to the men's England football team and penalty shootouts but let's not do that today.

Mindset is everything... EVERYTHING

In terms of my secret something, I've two months: not to work on the opportunity, but to work on my mental picture of the opportunity. I'll keep you posted.

What about YOUR mental picture?

What are you working towards that (deep down) you know you already OWN (and yet those monkeys are starting to chitter)?

Here's a couple of options to help you pick that conversation up with yourself:

• Listen to the livestream – The next episode of Mind Monkeys Welcome... (with the amazing Ian Farrington) streams live on LinkedIn this Friday (10th April) – 10am UK (BTW you can watch back previous episodes on YouTube)
• Take the quiz – 4mins to uncover exactly how you are getting in your own way and receive a personalised plan of attack to break down those barriers
• Read the book – Build both proficiency and permanence from the comfort of your own sofa

Plus I'm on the other side of the reply button if you want to share.

Practising the conversation you have with yourself... okay, that kind of practice makes permanent. Let's practise THAT conversation.

Mark Franklin, The Four Fears® Guy
​www.markfranklin.co.uk

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405 Thorney Leys, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 5NR
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