029: What can us ‘mere mortals’ learn from the world of elite sports? with Martin Robert Hall

With perhaps more clarity than any other major world event in recent memory, our collective experience of COVID-19 in the past 18 months has demonstrated that the future is never predictable. Certain curveball events will inevitably manifest, and completely sweep aside our plans and aspirations, forcing us to reorient ourselves and our focuses. How do you respond to the unsettling sense of uncertainty that accompanies this revelation? What practical tools can you implement in your daily life to ensure that you are not completely destabilised when the uncertain strikes again?

We’re very pleased to be speaking with Martin Robert Hall, a mindset and leadership coach with a keen interest in the driving factors behind success and high performance, the problem of uncertainty and how we can deal with it. In conversation with Coffee, Calm & Connection’s Sarah Myerscough, he highlights the profound value of establishing clear goals with which to visualise our future success, and around which we can orient our focus. Listen to how, in setting such goals, you can undertake tasks in your daily life with a sense unyielding drive, all in pursuit of an achievement either in your own personal development, in your work, or in your mental and/or physical health.

 

Quote of the Episode

‘One of the things which business [leaders] can learn from sport is that within sport, you've often got very clear goals and deadlines.’

Martin suggests that we can learn from sport in many facets of our lives, namely in business and in the personal aspirations we set for ourselves. He explains that athletes have clear goals and definitive deadlines to adhere to. He offers the example of Carly Tait, a woman born with cerebral palsy who, after being inspired by the 2012 Paralympic Games, dedicated herself to reaching the wheelchair race final at the 2016 Games, and she succeeded. Martin attributes this to the fact that she had a fixed moment in time to aspire towards, and she could easily visualise that event. She had a clear, tangible goal, and this gave her a sense of certainty which negated the innumerable uncertainties of the world. Thus, developing clear goals and sticking to them can create feelings of confidence and control, consequently producing motivation and drive.

 

Key Takeaways

In conjunction with setting clear, tangible goals, it is also important to visualise exactly what it is you wish to achieve. In doing so, you will begin to think about your goals not as hypothetical possibilities, but achievable certainties. Whether these goals are actually achieved or not is somewhat irrelevant; merely conceptualising them will give you the motivational tools necessary for manifesting success and becoming a better version of yourself.

However, how do we retain that sense of focus, when there are so many things occurring in our lives simultaneously. We might have such goals in mind, but how do we ensure that they don’t become lost in the quagmire of all our other activities and responsibilities?

Martin argues that you should take a step back to assess yourself and your goals. Consider whether they truly align with your personal values, and if you are giving yourself enough time to actualise them. Sometimes, you may discover that a goal no longer aligns with your values, or perhaps it never did, but you have only just understood why you were unable to truly manifest it. It’s okay to let these things go; you will only hold yourself back by juggling multiple different ideal versions of yourself simultaneously, some of which may contradict one another.

A significant contributing factor to our success revolves around how we explain events to ourselves. Martin suggests that we should endeavour to become our own inner coach. Occasionally, external events or circumstances may curtail our progress or success. We should attribute these things not to a failure in our performance, but to the uncertainties of the wider world, which we are not responsible for and have no control over. Yet, even with the most positive attitude and an immense amount of self-belief, you can still fail, or perform underwhelmingly. However, this does not define you; what matters is how you respond to such setbacks.

 

Best Moments/Key Quotes

‘As the last 18 months has taught us, there's a lot of uncertainty in the world. But uncertainty has always been present.’

“Without that clarity, we can get lost in the challenges or the uncertainties or the things that go wrong, especially when events happen. global events like the pandemic over the last 18 months, you know, and those things we can't account for, we can't predict, they can come out of nowhere. But the people I've worked with during that period, the ones that have coped the best with it, have within the confinements of what's in their control during that time, they have created clear goals and a clear pathway for what they're going to do.”

“Our body gives us signs. My coaching philosophy is very much that people have all the answers that they need within themselves. And people's potential is about tapping into that, understanding ourselves more, and learning to listen to our intuition.”

“I like to give the analogy often that the brain is like a muscle. And if you want to train your muscles to be stronger, to be more resilient, you go to the gym. And what you do essentially is you break them down, you put a huge resistance against them. It's the same with our mind. Without challenges, we cannot build that resilience.”

“Everyone has that inner critic, but we can develop and turn the volume up on our inner coach, it takes a bit of practice, but everything does. But when once we do that, we're laying the foundations then to build resilience; to be more resilient; to handle setbacks; to handle uncertainty.”

Resources

Coffee, Calm & Connection, Episode 3: You are not a computer – with Azi Berzengi https://coffeecalmconnection.podbean.com/e/ccc-azi-berzengi/

University of Glasgow – Flexible Optimism: https://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/courses/archive/Pos09-10-safari-archive/Optimism/webarchive-index.html

Martin Seligman, The New Era of Positive Psychology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBxfd7DL3E&ab_channel=TED

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman

https://www.martinroberthall.co.uk/

Optimise Yourself: ‘To Be the Best You Can Be’ by Martin Robert Hall

 

About the Guest

After gaining a degree in Sport Science, Martin Robert Hall became interested in why some people fulfil their talent and others squander it. After working in sales for a few years, he started his own coaching company, working with business leaders and with elite athletes and coaches, helping them to perform at their best and to understand the psychology of what drives high performance.

 

About the Host

Sarah Myerscough is the Sales and Marketing Director of Boston Tullis Group and the M.D and creator of Coffee, Calm and Connection.

 

Connect with Sarah

https://www.instagram.com/coffeecalmconnection/ 

https://www.facebook.com/coffeecalmconnection 

Coffee Calm & Connection: Overview | LinkedIn

Sarah Myerscough | LinkedIn

 

Hosted by Sarah Myerscough

DISCLAIMER 

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence. 

 

Website: Coffee Calm & Connection (coffeecalmconnection.org)