Unexpected results, experience, getting good at stuff and arguing with cats

sent by Nick Grantham | 20th April 2021


"Sometimes it ends up different and it is better that way."

Unknown

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I like plans; I like schedules; I want to have a good idea of what's going on. I struggle with spontaneity. I'm not a massive fan of change! I like to have a good idea of how stuff is going to turn out. It's probably a result of all those books I read on planning and periodisation! But, I've learnt to relax a little. Sometimes (just sometimes, mind!) it's OK for plans to change or for things to end up a little different to what you had mapped out. There's one thing that the past 18 months have shown us...we can all benefit from being a little bit more flexible and adaptable. We've had to cope with a considerable amount of disruption recently, and it's very different to what we probably had planned.  We've adjusted the way we learn, adapted how we work and socialise. Granted, not all of it is good, but there will definitely be stuff that's different and arguably better.

Source: Unknown


"Do not confuse exposure with experience."

Brett Bartholomew

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I remember speaking to Vern Gambetta during a coffee break at a weekend workshop, and I was having a good moan about internet gurus and coaches with really clever marketing tactics. I said to Vern, 'I need to get better at marketing' Vern replied, 'you just need to keep getting better as a coach'. What he was driving at was that I could spend time and effort on a slick marketing campaign to attract new clients, or I could work on being a better coach, do an excellent job with the athletes I was working with and let the referrals grow organically. So get good at your job and stop worrying about the number of followers you have!

Source: Brett Bartholomew


"You might still be in the 'being shit' phase of getting good at it."

Notes To Strangers

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The Notes To Strangers project kicked off around 2015 and was the brainchild of artist Andy Leek. Andy creates notes and posts them around London to help strangers who may have a tough time (I got far too excited when I spotted one on my way to deliver a keynote session for Red Bull in London). This particular note is worth keeping in mind whilst you're working on something new. You may be learning a new language, trying to perfect a lifting technique, getting to grips with parenthood or keeping your head above water in a new job. When it all seems too much, and you start to think that you're really shit, remember that you're just in the 'shit phase' of becoming brilliant!

Source: Notes To Strangers


"People wish that arguments are all about facts and logic."

Jay Heinrichs

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How to Argue with a Cat by Jay Heinrichs is such a good book and well worth reading if you need to persuade and influence others. When I first started coaching, I thought that if I presented facts and figures, athletes and coaches would listen and do what I wanted! I had no concept that trying to influence with logic alone wasn't going to work. Here's why my approach was doomed from the outset, "A choice is not a fact. And the main elements affecting a choice usually have to do with what the audience believes or expects." If you want to bring about change, you have to understand the beliefs and perceptions of the people you're trying to win over. Forget about blinding people with science, get inside their heads, and you've got a chance of creating change.

Source: How to Argue with a Cat: A Human's Guide to the Art of Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs



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