A quick prompt before we get started…
“You presumed to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine”
Robin Wiliams’ “Your Move, Chief” is a brilliantly moving monologue on the consequences of others judging us by our outputs. Whilst we can make our own conclusions based on what an outcome might indicate, Williams reminds us that so much more contributes to an experience and we should understand the intricacies of our individual part.
Take a look, consider what is being said through your performance lens, and let us know your thoughts.
Now for the less Oscar winning stuff...
How To Win, Every Time.
We like to write this newsletter organically, that is, triggered by live happenings. That means when you see it, it is straight from the horse’s mouth. (A horse walks into a bar. Bartender says “Hay”)
The reality was, both Shane and I raced last Friday night and instead of writing, went to watch Peter Kay live in London.
You might think, two very different performances. Yet, are they?
Just how a comedian is more than the laugh they create, people are more than a result on paper.
It is easy to think in a binary way when we take on a challenge - that we either win or lose, succeed or fail. However, winning constitutes many different things and we should give ourselves credit where credit is due.
Comedians are masters at performance. They set up their jokes and the ‘win’ is in the suspense they create. You might say, comedians are attuned to the ‘winning behaviours’ that get them laughs. They work on the whole process just as much as the outcome. They commit to the facial expressions, they hold the pauses, they knee slide along the stage. Why is ‘garlic bread’ funny? … because of the way Peter Kay delivered that joke.
For ourselves, the objective outcomes will differ. We might not have the level of fitness or strength we once did. The weather might be doing its best to hold us back. Our jobs and lives may have piled on extra stress. In these moments (and every other moment) it is critical to focus on our own ‘winning behaviours’ so we can evaluate our performance on the way we delivered it. The process that led to those results.
Shifting the review process on to our performance, rather than the outcome can help to: identify the things we did well, recognise the uncontrollables, and spot the lessons to be learned. By judging ourselves by our performance rather than our outcome, we develop self-compassion, self-awareness and self-belief.
We begin to notice what our winning behaviours are. For me, I now focus on letting things go and exploring the challenge fully, relaxing and focusing on enjoying the event, and preparing my state of mind to make quick decisions and take appropriate risks. The outcome looks after itself.
So when you cross that line, finish that rep or deliver that joke - reflect on what you did during the event, not what came out after.
Cheers then,
Ron
PS - If you are enjoying these newsletters, we’d really appreciate you sharing them with your networks. We are committed to helping as many people as we can perform to their potential.