Change your Mind - The Horrors

'Mindset' is a concept that's been around since the early 1900's, according to Wiki. It's a word that's become part of my daily vocabulary when speaking with clients and I thought I'd investigate the philosophy behind the terms 'Fixed' and 'Growth' Mindsets, as I try and evaluate my own 'Mindset' traits.

However, I'm a bit confused to which 'Mindset' set I belong to. You see, I believe I'm in the intersecting part of a 'Venn Diagram of ‘Fixed’ and Growth Mindset' where the two circles intersect, if that makes sense.

To help clarify things, I looked to the expert in the 'Mindset' field - Professor Carol Dweck. Her primary research is in motivation, personality and development and speaks volumes - if I had the right 'Growth' Mindset, I could read all about it in her 2006 book 'Mindset: The New Psychology of Success' but as a ‘Fixed’ Mindset non-reader, I was a bit at a loss but luckily Wiki helped again...

Dweck states that there are two categories (Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset) that can group individuals based on their behaviour, specifically their reaction to failure. Those with a 'Fixed Mindset' believe that abilities are mostly innate and interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, while those with a ‘Growth Mindset’ believe that they can acquire any given ability provided they invest effort or study. Dweck argues that the ‘Growth Mindset’ will allow a person to live a less stressful and more successful life'.

Now, as soon as I see 'Failure', I immediately identify with the ‘Fixed Mindset” character trait as the 'F' word (Failure not ****) is like Kryptonite to my inner soul. Yet my ‘Mindset’ isn’t so myopic that I don’t believe that investing effort and study won’t bring results – well apart from swimming or triathlon as my mindset has been ‘Fixed’ by having the same buoyancy qualities as a house-brick. But then again, I’m pretty much stress-free and have had enjoyed many successes over the years which swings me back into the ‘Growth Mindset’ group.

So you can see why I’m confused. Or perhaps it’s how we like to label people nowadays and maybe I’m just someone that you can’t label. Or group, or even want to group. And maybe you are the same? No-one needs to be anything really – you just need to know who you are, where you are going and what’s needed to get you there.

And that’s all that matters…

1,044 Marathons, 244 Ultras, 9 Guinness World Records & 15 Marathon des Sables

99 Red Balloons - Nena

Nena's world soon went POP...

Lyrics:- 'Panic bells, it's red alert' - McAlea

Song Choice:- Yikes when you go looking it's amazing what you can find out eh? A simple reference for a song with Balloon in the title revealed a different story from the one I remember from 1994 when Nena, and her hairy armpits, graced Top of the Pops with her UK one-hit-wonder (well in Top 40 terms anyway).

Wiki says of the song that drove me a bit potty at the time if I'm being honest says:-

The lyrics of the original German version tell a story: 99 balloons are mistaken for UFOs, causing a general to send pilots to investigate. Finding nothing but child's balloons, the pilots decide to put on a show and shoot them down. The display of force worries the nations along the borders and the war ministers on each side bang the drums of conflict to grab power for themselves. In the end, a 99-year war results from the otherwise harmless flight of balloons, causing devastation on all sides without a victor. At the end, the singer walks through the devastated ruins and lets loose a balloon, watching it fly away.

Who'd have thought that...

Anyway, for the purposes of today's blog it's about what happens when just one of those Balloons goes pop. You see disappointment is such a corrosive thing. You see even the slightest blemish can send folks world into a complete tail-spin and can undo months and months of hard work in just a split second.

In my experience, people are always the biggest disappointment. The biggest bang of any Balloon that's ever been blown up is usually from someone not doing the right thing - Yet the person we get most disappointed with is OURSELVES.

I had a real setback recently, a real kick in the pants and yep, it would have been far too easy to give in and become a recluse into 'Climbing back on the Bicycle after a fall'. Trying to make sense and gather strength and resolve from the negativity that surrounded the experience took time.

I've always said it's not how you get knocked down, it's how you get up that counts. Time-after-time-after-time it's proved to be right. Yes it's a shame that we mess up, don't perform as we'd wished and things didn't pan out like we thought they would BUT there's always time to regroup, rethink and re-energise ourselves. Not necessarily to try harder but to make sure when things go POP the next time, we keep going and miss out the deflated stage that stops any forward progress.

Has your World gone POP or are you still trying hard to single handedly BLOW it up? Or is someone trying to BLOW it up for you?

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,596 Days' Alcohol Free - 444 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir

Location: Cardydd, Cymru

Push it - Salt N Pepa

Lyrics:- 'How to become number one in a hot party show' - Azor, Brito, Davies, Giles, Green, James, Jones & Thomas. 

Song Choice:- 'I've always loved this 1987 classic which incidentally was co-written by Sir Ray Davies of 'The Kinks' - Yikes, he really 'Got me' with that one.

Anyway, if like me you were at a parkrun this morning, I wonder how competitively you 'Pushed it'? For the 'Family Coleman' it was there as an intended gentle Saturday jog-round with us starting absolutely last out of a field of 675 people armed with a double-buggy, loaded up with our two small boys. I'll hasten to add here that I wasn't the one pushing...

Anyway, it started out as a light-hearted affair as it took well over a minute to cross the start line and well over 10 minutes to slowly dodge through the running-traffic until we hit the open fields where Lady C said the 'Red-Rag-To-A-Bull' comment, 'You are not going for a sub-30 today then?'

Hmm... and you know, I did try to resist but after a slow start, which made for a good warm up, it didn't feel right just to chug around as this time last year, I couldn't even walk. Not 'Pushing-it' would therefore have been a crime, well that's what I told myself as I lurched past at least 10 people as I went into my normal parkrun running speed.

Our miles went 10:17, 9:00 & 8:26 with the last 0.11 of a mile at 7:51 pace - it felt bloody brilliant! - Oh we did 29:38 if you are interested and overtook 269 people.

That sub-25 with a flying start is now well on the cards or even quicker if I train hard. My 'Run hard or go home' will now be my parkrun mantra, even when we are out jogging as a family, as Jenny can do 24 minutes with the buggy on a hilly course. She's the one to really beat (With the Pushchair of course)!

How hard did you 'Push it' today?

Amen.

Rory Coleman - 995 Marathons - 244 Ultras - 14 Marathon des Sables

9 Guinness World Records - 8,591 Days' Alcohol Free - 437 Days' post GBS

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir

Location: Caerdydd, Cymru

Ordinary World - Duran Duran

Listen to the song here...

Lyrics:- 'But I won't cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world somehow I have to find. And as I try to make my way to the ordinary world, I will learn to survive' - Le Bon, Taylor, Bates & Cuccurullo

Song Choice:- I always thought the Duran Duran boys were awesome. Right from Planet Earth onwards their songs were always really so well produced and very underrated as in the case of the brilliant 'Ordinary World'. To be honest, they were always more of a 'girl's band' and your Metallica - Guns'n'Roses - AC/DC fan would never have owned up at the time to liking them. If I'm honest, they've always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and I'm glad that they made some great ballads as well as the 'Rio' type pop songs as this track has always got me thinking, especially when you consider some of the lyrics.

I mean, what is an 'Ordinary World'? - because I haven't got a clue what one looks like or feels like from my own 'life experience'. However I've been speaking today with existing and potential clients about 'Ambition' v 'Ability'. I mean it's great to have a burning desire to achieve a personal goal or achievement but without the ability to do so, it's a complete waste of time, energy and money. And yes, I know it's great to have dreams and not good to pee on someone else's chips but REALLY sometimes I'm left gasping - Actually it's more of a 'REALITY' as in check that has to be a big part of any intentions that folk might have, please take note if that's you.

Running across deserts, climbing mountains or rowing the Atlantic ain't too easy and you have to do the apprenticeship in any discipline needed to conquer any of these quests for sure. Tipping up last minute hoping to 'wing it' - only leads to failure and that's never an option in my book.

The reverse view though is that folk who have the 'Ability' for greatness and totally waste the opportunity; or even worse do a 'Best' or 'Gascoigne' and self-destruct like a 27 year old rock star are even worse - and if that's you, please come and see me as I'll wring the greatness out of you.

You see folk want greatness but also to lead an extraordinarily, ordinary world - it's nuts isn't it, searching abnormally to normal.

And then try and survive...

Have an 'ordinary day' if you can folks in your 'ordinary world'...

Rory Coleman - 983 Marathons - 241 Ultras - 13 Marathon des Sables
9 Guinness World Records - 8,455 Days' Alcohol Free

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Cardiff, Wales

Red Hill Mining Town - U2

Lyrics:- 'We're wounded by fear, Injured in doubt' - Hewson

Song Choice:- As I hurtle on through 'The Joshua Tree', U2's classic 1987 album and arguably best offering, we hit on Red Hill Mining Town. Written with the Mining Strikes of 1984 in mind again it paints a bleak picture of angst and fighting between embittered people and political parties.

The only mines I've ever been through are the disused precious metal working ones we go through on the Marathon des Sables, which I expect to be experiencing again in less than nine weeks.

The purple sand looks very toxic and no doubt is - It makes me think every time I run through it how many hours of toil it took to create as it has all been dug out by hand using pure sweat, hand tools and hard labour.

It underlines just how safe our existence is in the UK where red tape and pure stupidity rule our lives and where folks inner souls are wounded by fear and injured by doubt.

I had a great day speaking with some of my clients who have experienced life, well past death's door, not just to it, and survived to tell the tale. They totally get the running like I do and they'll totally get the 'Purple Hill Mining Town' in Morocco which is really rewarding as nearly everyone else won't.

FYI - I write these blogs the night before I publish and on reading them the next morning, I often think WTF was I on about - With this one however it was pretty clear to me as I was totally enthused by my clients enthusiasm for life and desire for the mind-expanding desert experience the MdS offers, that you don't have to go digging too far to find.

Rory Coleman - 981 Marathons - 241 Ultras - 13 Marathon des Sables 

9 Guinness World Records - 8,436 Days' Alcohol Free.

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cardiff

I still haven't found what I'm looking for - U2

Bono Searching...

Lyric:- 'I have run, I have crawled' - Hewson

Song Choice:- This is a real Gospel classic and one that underlines U2 as a proper 'Christian Band' and one where Bono sings, 'I believe in the Kingdom Come. Then all the colours will bleed into one, bleed into one but yes, I'm still running'. My word, a local 'Sunday Sermon' couldn't give that much hope with such few words and the whole track is extremely uplifting.

I do prefer 'The Joshua Tree' original over that of the 'Rattle and Hum' live version and it's well worth a listen even thirty years' on, it still stands the test of time and I believe it's the band at their very best.

Anyway, I spent 5hrs 43mins searching my soul today on the eve of my 55th Birthday. Fuck me, I'm nearer 60 that 50 now... How frightening is that? Like anyone else that likes to analyse what they are doing and where they are going, my path has been fruitful I would say, yet it still needs 'Agent X' that magic ingredient that will take it to a higher plane and give it the edge that I'm looking to excite me for the next five years' of my life's next chapter.

It's funny but I feel most certain that I'll see out my 50's yet have no data to base that on apart from the extreme confidence I have on things always turning out alright, especially given my brush with GBS death. If I can conquer that, I might just have what it takes to get to old age. That and parents already in their 80's and in great health gives me a shining light to follow.

The danger lies in the 'looking' perhaps and I'll admit that I am still searching especially as I'm now only 19 marathons from a 23 year-life-goal and I'll need something else to spur me on perhaps when I get there -  before starting to tackle the next 1000, if I can pluck up the courage to do so...

I do recognise that I have time on my side to consider all of the above but tonight I'm celebrating 26.2 miles of non-stop running that brought me some enlightenment on where to go next earlier today

And when I know where that is - I'll let you know - As I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

Rory Coleman - 981 Marathons - 241 Ultras - 13 Marathon des Sables 

9 Guinness World Records - 8,432 Days' Alcohol Free.

& 1 Inspirational Running Memoir - Get your copy here.

Location: Caerdydd, Cardiff