My Review of “Conversations With Richard Bandler” by Owen Fitzpatrick

Posted: August 10th, 2009 | Filed under: Book Reviews, Growth and Development | Tags: , , , |

BOOK OVERVIEW

In the book, “Conversations With Richard Bandler”, Owen Fitzpatrick outlines a plan for successful living by weaving together tales gathered, organized, and co-written with Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) co-creator Richard Bandler.

True to the story-infused NLP teaching style, Fitzpatrick’s “Conversations With Richard Bandler” walks the reader from explorations of what hinders freedom, to an understanding of how we have all the power and resources required to effect the change we seek, all the way to the other side where we are met with freedom, joy, and connection.

After a basic definition of Neuro Linguistic Programming and a history of FItzpatrick’s relationship with Bandler, Fitzpatrick examines “The Art of Personal Freedom”. In this section we look at what holds us stuck in our lives, in our relationships, and what holds us back from the happiness we are meant to have and the achievements we set out to achieve.

The next section, “The Keys To Changing Your Life” provides tips and tools to shift our perspective to one that serves us in a positive way. After all, the “realities” we create are merely maps and representations of the world, not the actual world itself. If this is the case, why not create our worlds to serve us?

Finally, Fitzpatrick carries the conversation to “Breaking The Chains of the Self”, “The Art of Loving Freedom”, and “The Art of Spiritual Freedom” – examining personal freedom from the perspective of the self, to the interpersonal, to the community at large and spiritual realms of connection, respectively.

By the end, we are left with an increased disctinction of freedom and ease, as well as with practical and reuseable tools and exercises for successful living.

OVERALL…..

PROS
- Good for someone looking to improve their overall happiness and sense of freedom in an easy, fun-to-read manner. By the end of this book, expect to enjoy a few good stories, knowing that the lessons of the stories are working on your subconscious effortlessly.

- Fantastic introduction to the world of Richard Bandler and NLP. This book makes it easy for anyone to enjoy NLP’s benefits without having to learn all of NLP’s mechanics

- For those who are already fans of Richard Bandler, expect Bandler’s famously (infamously?) fun, no-nonsense, dry-witted sense of humor

- Inter-woven conversations + practical teaching make this an easy read

- Relevant, practical exercises to apply immediately to help guide decision making and craft a life that is free, creative, and alive

CONS
- This is not an in-depth study of NLP. If you were hoping for rigors and structures behind NLP and how it works, you will not find it here.

- The title does not do the book justice. Yes, Richard Bandler has created a name for himself. But to simply play off his “famousness” by naming the book “Conversations With Richard Bandler” without describing what the reader can enjoy as a result of consuming this book does this book a disservice.
It seems that this book targets someone who is less familiar with NLP concepts and ideas, one who may not necessarily know Richard Bandler.

Shortcut The Process To Winning By Fine-Tuning The Inner Game: Taking a Cue From The Jazz Apple Team Philosophy

Posted: June 18th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Growth and Development | Tags: , , , , , |

In bike racing, as with any competitive endeavor in life, it’s important to experience physically what it takes to win, in order to imprint ”success“ firmly into the mind in order to be able to repeat a successful performance over and over again, at will. Usually, this process of learning what to do, how to do it, and how to time moves perfectly is a long and time consuming learning curve.

But the Jazz Apple Women’s Cycling Team have a different attitude. Jazz Apples’ Directeur Sportif Susy Pryde and Assistant Directeur Dotsie Bausch are pioneering a unique experience-driven development program by playing the role of both racer and directeur, mentoring their squad from within the peloton.

In addition, the Jazz Apples Women’s Development Team offers a holistic approach to training by incorporating mental, physical, and emotional support to develop smart and well-rounded racers, and imbue some semblance of balance to the life of the on-the-go professional racer.

”Learning how to manage oneself away from home, financially, emotionally and athletically is large part of being a successful athlete,“ said Pryde. In addition to managing oneself, Pryde understands the importance and responsibility an athlete plays in representing a sponsor and teaches the girls how to present themselves in a way that is conducive to promoting their team brand.

Here we explore how this innovative team is developing younger riders, while providing practical tips that anyone can apply immediately to improve their results.

MASTER THE INNER GAME OF CYCLING FOR OUTER GAME RESULTS
As in any endeavor, knowledge and information are only one part of the equation – the physical experience of knowledge is what creates understanding and results. There is a reason some racers consistently win, time and time again, while others consistently rank in the top 5 or 10 without win – the winningest racers have a clear image and physical experience of it takes to win, and with this image, are able to produce successful results reality.

Though being the strongest rider in the field never hurts, any rider can better their results and win more titles by also racing smart. Frequently called “chess on wheels”, effective bike racing involves learning which breakaways to follow, what moves to make, when to be patient, and when to be aggressive.

Reading riders is something of an art, versus science. As veteran racer Michael Creed of Team Type 1 said, ”I’m pretty good at reading when the guys are tired, I can sense that stuff and I know how to use it.“

But how does one learn to have this sixth sense? ”Necessity is the mother of invention,“ laughed Creed.

Bausch and Pryde have a different way of approaching this: Through direct, in-race instruction.

”It’s hard to give really effective coaching from the team cars,“ explained Bausch. ”As a [pro women’s] development team, we’re usually sitting too far back in the team cars to be able to see what’s going on, how the race is developing. Sure we have meetings before and after, but it’s just not the same.”

Following Pryde’s lead, Bausch was inspired to parlay her years of race successes, which include 3rd at the 2007 Pan Am Games, 2007 National Pursuit Individual and Team Champion titles and numerous Queen of the Mountains jerseys, to the next generation of racers. At the recent Nature Valley Grand Prix, Bausch was seen racing alongside and leading out the girls, explaining which breaks to follow and how to read the viability of a break, even launching into a breakaway herself as a way to use her talents to bring more attention to the team as a whole.

How well does this technique work?

“We got Ruth [Corset] the Queen of the Mountains Jerseys at [The Liberty Classic In Philadelphia] and at [Tour du Grand, ] Montréal!” beamed Bausch.

Hearing the enthusiasm in her voice, it’s easy to see how rewarding it is for Bausch to step into a mentorship role, a role she describes as “the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done on a bike”.

Though the single-minded focus and discipline it takes to be competitive as a top level racer – or soon to be top level racer – is necessary, “It got tiring to just focus on me me me, and then, oh yeah, me,” laughed Bausch. “I felt fulfilled and slightly bored just focusing on myself. I thought, I’m done. It’s totally invigorating, passing [my race knowledge] on. They give me the reason to fight, to do it for the girls, because otherwise I’d be chillin’ in the back, or maybe not racing at all. At this level you can’t just step in and out of racing.”

Pryde credits Webcor Builder director Laura Charmaeda with teaching her how to race, and enjoys knowing that she can now pay it forward.

“When I was new to racing, we all really looked up to Susy,” explained Bausch. “She was always seeing where she could help, who she could give a push to. She could say one thing, and that one thing can last a lifetime with them.”

“The girls can have such an impact on others, just by a simple word of encouragement. We like to teach the girls not just for themselves, but to be leaders in the peloton and to take what they learn to other teams.”

MATCHING INNER BELIEFS WITH OUTER CAPACITIES TO CREATE RESULTS

The inner game of bike racing includes in-race tactics and on-bike techniques, but it starts with coming from both a physical and mental preparedness. Being a New Zealand-based team, one side-effect advantage of the Jazz Apple squad is their ability spend extended periods of time together between races, rather than instantly jetting off back to home. Pryde and Bausch use this time as an opportunity to teach the mental game of recovery and between-race preparedness.

“Some of them feel that they were fitter earlier, but really it’s that the racing is starting to take its toll on the central nervous system,” said Bausch. “The traveling, the racing, the being away from home, the sleeping on different beds, the different hotels, the different host houses. Your body starts to get used to it the longer you do it. YOU just get more resilient. But the first few years it’s kind of shocking.” This is the kind of experience and encouragement a young rider needs as they emerge through the growing process.

THE INNER DIALOGUE, GIVEN THROUGH OUTER DIALOGUE
Another job of the directeur sportif is to help riders create an inner dialogue congruent with success, and alert riders as to which moves are worthwhile. On the rivet and in the red zone, it’s difficult to think clearly and positively, let alone see opportunities.

For example, at the Stillwater Criterium of the 2009 Nature Valley Grand Prix, racers faced Chilkoot Hill, a 700 meter hill with an average grade of 22%. Shelley Olds (Proman Hit Squad) finished second on the stage, and acknowledged the role her directeur played in encouraging her through each lap, saying, “I had my director in my ear reminding me to chill, keep my own tempo, stick with them on the climb.”

Similarly, the day’s third place finisher Andrea Dvorak (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) remembered, “When Kristin [Armstrong (Cervélo Test Team)] started to go up the road with Shelley and get a little gap, my director said into my ear, ‘Close that gap, close that gap! It’ll be worth your while.’ So I put in an effort, caught them, and off we went.”

FOCUS FIRST ON THE PROCESS AND THE RESULTS WILL FOLLOW
Once a racer has done all they “should” and “can” to prepare for a race, , sometimes it’s simply time to relax and enjoy the ride. In business there is the idea that if you focus on money, none will come. But if you focus on creating value, the money will come as a natural side effect. Similarly, focus on the process, the results will come. But fall into the trap of focusing on results, and you may find yourself in a stressful position.

“We definitely focus on process goals with the team,” explained Bausch. “In the end, you’re going to lose more races than you win, and you have to have the right attitude through it.”

Michael Creed (TT1) shared a similar viewpoint. “When I was younger, I had nothing to lose. No one expected anything from me. When you allow yourself to fail, you just want to get better. Because of that, you’re successful. But when I became afraid of failing, I wouldn’t let myself go all-out. I had an excuse – form, weather, whatever. In cycling, or anything competitive in life, if you don’t go full out you’re going to fail.”

“I had to drop my ego, and allow myself to fail. Drop expectations, and quit wanting for it to get easier. It never does.”

CREATE YOUR OWN CHEERING SQUAD
What if we’re not blessed enough to race with a team like Jazz Apples? What if we don’t have a directeur sportif encouraging us through tough decisions and searing pain?

Dotsie offered some strategy tips to help learn the game of cycling.

“Observe! Really try to observe some of the teams. Try to figure out the team’s mission, try to guess it the night before and then see what happens during the race. Play a game with it! Be present in the race and observe the different teams – don’t just blindly go after everything that’s going up the road and blindly attack.”

“Figure out, ‘Ah, they’re sending that person’, and try to figure out why, and what’s going on, and start to see the combinations that come together and realize what might actually make it up the road. Figure out the different combinations the teams are going to let up the road.”

On a personal level, Bausch encouraged opening a dialogue with team directors after races. Not only will this help you learn, but it will also get you noticed as a thinking rider and start to set you apart from the rest of the peloton.

“It’s okay to go up to some of the directors and ask, ‘I noticed you were doing this, and doing that, what was the thinking behind that? ‘ I think some of the girls are timid, thinking that they’re getting in the way, but you can probably talk to any director. They’re really pretty approachable people, and would love for someone to ask intelligent questions.”

LEARN TO GO ‘ALL OUT’
While it may seem that there is something to lose, practice asking yourself the question, “What if I had nothing to lose, what would I do now, or differently?”

Sometimes the answer will surprise you. And sometimes not. But what asking this simple question does is it cuts through all of the excuses and potential excuses in your mind, and focuses you on the task at hand.

If the mind can only focus on one feeling at a time, might as well squeeze out the negative and make way for the positive.

CRAFT YOUR OWN INNER DIALOGUE BEFOREHAND
Create and implement a mantra. Let’s face it, in moments of pain there can be little brain space left to create something in the moment. Start practicing using a mantra now in your training. Choose one, and run with it.

A few examples to choose from:
”Keep your cool“
”Smooth“
”Relax relax relax“

SEE IT IN YOUR MIND’S EYE, AND THE PHYSICAL WORLD WILL FOLLOW
Visualize it in real time.

Viatcheslav Ekimov, well-decorated and legendary rider with 3 Olympic Medals, 77 pro victories, and over 150 trips to the podium, used visualization to as part of his training. He visualized courses in preparation for races, and he visualized himself training in real time. If a course took an hour to ride, he would visualize it over the course of an hour.

Consider this study:
“Conducted by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago, a study was done where he split people into three groups and tested each group on how many free throws they could make.

After this, he had the first group practice free throws every day for an hour.
The second group just visualized themselves making free throws.
The third group did nothing.
After 30 days, he tested them again.
The first group improved by 24%.
The second group improved by 23% without touching a basketball!!!!
The third group did not improve which was expected.”

Studies show that the neural pathways created from simply visualizing an act are similar to ones create by actually performing the act physically.

To reap the greatest benefits of visualization, it’s important to engage as many senses as possible.

What does it LOOK LIKE to visualize your race?
What are the SOUNDS you hear? What are people saying to you? What are you saying to yourself?
What are you SMELLING during the race?
How does it FEEL, both in your body, and the temperature of the sun and wind on your skin?
What are you TASTING? Are you drinking a sport drink, eating a Gu?

——–
In the end, it’s about preparation. Racers are often heard saying that they were ”granted miracles“ or that ”everything just amazingly came together perfectly on one day“ (Kristin Armstrong, on winning the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics). If opportunity favors a prepared mind, what can you do to bring your best game to the plate?

Align yourself with greatness and experience, and hold tight to your vision of success.

How To Follow Your Dreams: Tips From Pro Cyclist Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO)

Posted: June 17th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Growth and Development | Tags: , , , , |

Joanne Kiesanowski of Team TIBCO, fresh off two trips to the podium at this year’s Nature Valley Grand Prix, one for second place at the St. Paul Downtown Criterium and another for first place in the Team Competition, shared a bit about her experience in Minnesota, along with tips for aspiring Kiwi racers who are looking to race internationally.

Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) Wins At Sea Otter 2009. Photo courtesy Carson Blume.

Joanne Kiesanowski (TIBCO) Wins At Sea Otter 2009. Photo courtesy Carson Blume.


“This is such an awesome race and I’m just so happy to be here,” said Kiesanowski. “We all raced really hard, and Brooke [Miller] did such an awesome job. I love racing here, and I had such an amazing host family here so it just makes it so much fun.”

Tips For Aspiring Pro Cyclists
Kiesanowski has been racing professionally since 2001, after taking a leap of faith in 1999 to follow her dream.

“Just take a chance and go with it. I came over here by myself and gave it a go,” remembered Kiesanowski. “Don’t just wait for opportunities. Just go out there and make them for yourself. If you’re at the level where if you feel you can race internationally just spend the money and go overseas and eventually it will pay off.”

What if you’ve taken the leap – how does an aspiring racer get noticed? Kiesanowski recommends talking to people and making contacts in addition to getting the kinds of results that teams are looking for.

“I did two years of just two or three months, racing the criteriums and on the track. In my third year I signed my first pro contract. [It’s about] getting the results, and getting your name out there.”

Just as focusing the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass can take disparate energy and create a single point of heat powerful enough to create a fire, Joanne advised, “You just have to go for it and don’t look back. Say, ‘Okay, well I’m just going to focus on this,’ and go for it. Don’t do it half-heartedly. Don’t try and to a lot of things at once. Just focus on racing and do it.”

“It’s hard to do it by yourself but, it’s worth it in the end.”

10 Tips To Strengthen Your Business: Lessons Learned From Bike Racing

Posted: April 8th, 2009 | Filed under: Bike Racing and Training, Business and Entrepreneurship, Growth and Development, Productivity | Tags: , , , , , |

  1. Don’t be afraid of the wind and resistance. If you watch the Tour de France, you’ll see whole teams working together to keep their General Classification guy/race leader out of the wind. So, yes, it’s best to stay protected and out of the wind to conserve for the end. But sometimes, it’s takes the guts and strength to attack and ride away from the pack, alone and uncovered, that will ultimately bring in a victory. You don’t know unless you try – in fact, UCI Pro Sergio Hernandez contends that it’s his ‘guts’ to breakaway that had teams notice his performance and open the doors to his success. Not only is he stronger for being out on a solo effort, but he gathers more attention for himself and the team.

    It’s easy to let the illusion of “safety” and “conservation” keep you from taking the steps required to break through to new levels. In business, are you trying to keep yourself safe? Are you shrinking back in this economy, fearful of creating new programs and services, or attached to the comfort of your current product and service offerings, and trying to figure out how to force sales in the new economy? Dare to step out into that arena where you are uncomfortable, maybe even where you “shouldn’t” be, but know you need to be in order to grow. Dare to try something new, even if you don’t know if it’s going to work. Is there a coaching program who’s monetary investment scares you? Are you realizing you are outgrowing some of your friends and colleagues, and it’s time to move on? These can be scary choices to make, but they are also the ones that set you free and allow you to step towards the life you REALLY want.

  2. Taking shortcuts leaves you empty, and maybe even without learning the lessons you were meant to learn. I admit – I am still a Category 4 racer. Ouch! That stings!….breathe…..okay. In cycling, women start at the Category 4 level, and work their way up by earning points to upgrade to Cat 3, then Cat 2, and Cat 1. Many women I started racing with have bounded up the ranks quickly, and yet, through many tears and long training hours, here I am still a Cat 4. But I am finally calm in my Cat 4-ness, and realize that I still have some lessons to learn, much as I want to be a Cat 3, and Cat 2. I feel that once I learn what I need to learn to achieve my first upgrade, my second upgrade will come quickly. Each level will bring new lessons. If I had short-cutted the process, I would miss valuable lessons that make me a more solid rider. In business, I see people trying to take short cuts all the time. Yes, they can work. No, I’m not saying it all has to be long and arduous. The key is to enjoy the process. Relax and have fun, each person and business has their own lessons to learn and own journey to take.
  3. Sometimes you just have to throw your EVERYTHING in, beyond what you think you can do, to make that winning break. In business, are you selling yourself short by not giving it all? Not only does your business suffer, but the people whom your business serves don’t have the privilege of enjoying the support, services, or products you offer. I recently met Adam Stone (http://www.AdamStone.com), a brilliant artist, who shared that it was simply his gift and calling to be creative and be an artist. As a professional artist, it’s not always smooth sailing, but what a disservice to the world if he didn’t share his artwork and give people the opportunity to enjoy it? Similarly, how many people do I keep from being their best when I don’t share about the kinds of online and social media marketing I do? How many businesses could I partner with to grow in this economy if I simply opened my mouth more to share about my consulting programs? Well, I’m starting here. :)
  4. Set goals, be motivated, but don’t forget to enjoy the scenery. It’s a process after all. Enjoy the people you meet, the successes you have along the way, however small or large. Remember that on the other side of a perceived hardship can come your greatest opportunity.
  5. Recovery periods are NECESSARY to grow. I’ve seen many a cyclist burn out from over training. It’s easy to do, because the endorphins can seem addictive, and the thought is, “If this works well, more will work better!” Many of the pro cyclists I know enjoy simple coffee shop rides when they return from tough stage races, much to the surprise of the amateurs who like to throw down the hammer at every group ride, every day. Running a business requires the mental space to be creative, to make clear decisions for the company. If we’re too tired, an insidious mental fog can cloud your productivity and effectiveness, slowly pulling us down. Take at least one full day off a week. Schedule vacations, and take them! (I’m still working on this one :) ) Build in recovery periods throughout the day if you can. A fantastic program for increasing your personal productivity by as much as 10x is Eben Pagan’s Wake Up Productive.
  6. Find a good coach. Or at least throw yourself into the ring with people better than you. You are the average of the closest 5 people around you. Your income is the average of the closest 5 people around you. Throw yourself into the ring with people who’s lifestyles and income are what you are seeking. This is not to say get rid of all of your friends, but just be aware that, as in cycling, you keep riding with slow people you are going to stay slow. Additionally, a good coach and mentor can pull you above the low roar and constant bombardment of ideas, and perfect and fine tune the idea that best works for you. If you are seeking a business coach who can pull the money-making business out of you, contact me at ‘ cynthia at cynthialou.com’.
  7. Try to ride with people better than you. Listen to and learn from the conversations. I can’t tell you how much my world changed after hanging out with pro cyclists. At the amateur level, I heard a lot of complaining and blaming. There was a lot of “his fault”, “their fault”, “my bike fit’s off”, “if only I had one more GU”, the list is endless. I’ve seen pros kick butt with stomach aches, after puking up their last meals from a stomach bug, with the wrong bike fit. They just don’t complain about the petty things. They know they can believe in themselves to create results with their team. Similarly, don’t blame your lack of skills or knowledge for holding you back. You probably have everything you need to succeed, you’re just not allowing yourself to on some level. For me, PSYCH-K released all sorts of subconscious limiting beliefs that kept me scaredy and not winning. Email me at ‘cynthia at cynthialou.com’ for more information about PSYCH-K and how it might help you.
  8. Nutrition is vital. But be sure to have some fun with it too. Good nutrition leads to good mental health. Good mental health makes for clearer decisions and ability to handle stress and the rigors of running a business. Obsessive, anal retentive tracking and monitoring of food makes for crazy. Obsessive, anal retentive, driven work habits also make for crazy. Trying to “force” everything in a business doesn’t allow for the Universe and your intuition to whisper tips to you. Trust me, the Universe is smarter than you.
  9. Vary your training. In cycling, we work on sprinting, tempo/time-trialing, climbing. Each kind plays an important role in racing. In business, remember to engage the entrepreneur, manager, and technician. A concept I learned in Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth, the entrepreneur is the big ideas part. The manager organizes and gets things moving smoothly. The technician does the “work”, such as a web designer doing the design, the cake baker making cakes. Imbalances in any of these areas can cause chaos, and detract from overall business effectiveness. As your business grows, you can grow staff and partners to specialize in each of the areas, i.e. hire project managers, hire designers & bakers, etc. Just like you’ll see members of a cycling team specialize in certain specialties.
  10. Look good in spandex. Yes, the process of training and riding a bike has me more fit and has grown me some great muscles, but it’s also forced me to have integrity throughout my life, to live in a way that strengthens me and has me always looking to shine light on the inner demons that want to hold me back. if you’re trying to hide poor financial management, poor team management, or even a messy desk, ask yourself where your integrity is out. You can only hide it for so long, then it all starts to hang out.

To Risk….Is To Be Free

Posted: April 6th, 2009 | Filed under: Growth and Development | Tags: , , , |

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to others is to risk getting involved
To show your feelings is to risk exposing yourself
To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk….their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return
To hope is to risk pain
To try is to risk failure
But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing!
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, and has nothing!

Only the person who risks, is free
- Author unknown, quoted from Bob Proctor’s “Born Rich”

What have you risked today?
Where are you playing too small?
How can facing a fear, and conquering it, set you free somewhere else in your life?

You never really know until you dare to step out on that ledge.

Frank Shamrock (UFC Champion) Takes No Shortcuts – And Laughs In The Face Of Those Who Do

Posted: March 11th, 2009 | Filed under: Business and Entrepreneurship, Growth and Development, Miscellaneous, Video | Tags: , , , , |

Frank Shamrock was interviewed on KROQ this morning, and he spoke briefly and with-hearty-laugh about the other fighters who do steroids. He said, and I paraphrase, “Yeah, I love the guys who do steroids. They come out all angry and crazy and I love fighting them. Because here’s the thing – they took a shortcut. They know they took a shortcut, they know they’re not training as hard because they recover overnight. They’re not connected to Spirit because there’s just that missing. There’s something missing at the core.” One thing I did not paraphrase from above is that he said, “spirit”. I love that he is connected to and aware of an inner strength, and a universal strength.

It got me thinking about the shortcuts we take and want to take in our lives.

The amateur cyclists who think that one extra bike fit is going to make them Lance Armstrong.
The new internet marketers who think they can buy the next new super program that will instantly turn on the faucet to money.
The thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who audition for American Idol.

Yes, some people make it through the shortcut and find success. But this is the exception and not the rule.

There is something very real about going through the process of development.

In my own business building career, all of the mistakes I’ve made may not have been comfortable, but they make me a stronger business woman now. When I first started my design career, I was terrible! It took me a solid 5 years of consistent, steady practice to be a decent designer, but from that foundation I was able to launch my growth exponentially.

Hope you enjoy this video!

What do you think about taking shortcuts?
When has it worked for you, and when has it NOT worked for you?