I like to watch Formula 1 when I can, even more so in recent years as Lewis Hamilton continues his winning ways. Whilst watching a recent Grand Prix it struck me that he is someone who has certainly developed some success habits! On a bigger scale, I couldn’t help thinking of motor racing as a metaphor for life.
How often do we find ourselves going faster and faster, without getting anywhere; just a sense of going round and round in circles (sometimes of the ever-decreasing variety!)
In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) we talk a lot about the TOTE model (Trigger, Operate, Test, Exit). We are basically outcome-orientated organisms and a TOTE is the means by which we organise our behaviour in order to achieve the outcome. First there is a trigger that gets us into action, usually a need or desire to move towards something, or avoid something. Then we perform some sort of operation (we do something). As we operate, we are continually testing whether we are getting closer to our outcome, making course adjustments as necessary. When the outcome is achieved we exit the TOTE.
A TOTE with no exit is an endless loop
We get the “going round in circles” feeling when we haven’t clearly defined the exit for ourselves. We aren’t sure precisely where it is we are heading. Just as important, we don’t know HOW we will know when we’ve got there.
So if you have any goals where you feel as though you are putting in a lot of effort, but not seeing real progress, take a moment to really define what it is you want. Ask yourself what the evidence of success will be – how will you know you have crossed the finishing line? Ask what you will be seeing, hearing and feeling when you have succeeded. You could always check out my earlier blog on goal setting for more assistance).
When we take time to really programme ourselves with the end destination, the actions we take become more purposeful – and we know when it is time to stop!
What is your Chequered Flag?
We can all take a lesson from motor racing drivers – they know the race is over when they see the chequered flag. This is their cue to stop racing (time to exit the racing TOTE) – the outcome has been achieved and it is time to celebrate success (maybe even crack open a bottle of champagne!), reflect on the race, learn from it and prepare for the next one.
