October 13, 2006

Six steps to peak recovery

The following six characteristics are based on US research carried out on athletes who made spectacular recoveries from injuries to not alone recover fully, but to move onto even greater athletic achievements.

Motivation both ways
Most people are either motivated away from pain or towards pleasure. The athletes created a compelling vision of both scenarios that spurred them on to great success.

High standards
They had a high inner standard to be in even better shape than before their injuries.

Break down your goals into actionable first steps.
For many people, the thought of walking up the metaphorical mountain is overwhelming. However when they take their first few steps, the impossible becomes possible.
The athletes in this study broke down their big goal down into very small steps. One athlete had to survive before he could stand, stand before he could walk, and walk again before he could run. Of course, Success breeds success.

Looking Ahead and Living Now
A cocktail of focusing on the steps and been inspired by the overall goal was the route to success for the athletes.

Personal involvement
"If its to be, its up to me."
The more athletes actively participated in their own rehabilitation plan, the more they helped themselves, and this, in turn, greatly improved the possibilities of their full recovery.

Self-to-self comparisons
Compare yourself to ...yourself. Though more and more people have decided to take the path to unlimited stress by basing their happiness on their relative position to others, these athletes looked in the mirror.
They made a self-to-self comparison. How far have I come since yesterday, last week, last month was the type of analysis undertaken.

Thanks Con for sharing!

Posted by Kevin Kelly at October 13, 2006 10:27 AM