Am I a body? Is that the definition of my identity? Am I a linkage of memories to my last known previous self or selves? Therefore creating this long chain or perceptually linked events. I heard something quite profound today (1st of March 2017) from former UFC Bantamweight world champion Dominick Cruz. He unfortunately underwent 3 ACL reconstructions which took away essentially 2 years of his professional career, all after becoming world champion. What he said was the biggest difference enduring his 3rd reconstruction was the time spent growing out of “a” identity, at which point he thought “is” his identity. As soon as he let go of that and stopped trying to argue the point with himself, he was able to adopt processes much more and know how he could impact outside of who he “thought” he was. The sense of identity ultimately just ties back into personal beliefs. Change your beliefs, values, standards, habits….change you? The moment you let go of who you think you are is the moment at which you can overcome anything. I’m not talking about becoming some millionaire magnate overnight with this process. I’m talking about letting go of the notion that you are in total control. That some things are out of your hands. However, you’ll be acutely aware of the thoughts you begin to have. What triggers cascade into the resulting identity required to get you the result you desire. There is a model constructed by Steven Kotler, author of “Rise of Superman” based on the scientific evidence of flow amongst extreme sport athletes and the influence it’s having on fortune 500 companies and international military training alike. It describes 4 components of flow.
- Struggle
- Release
- Flow (itself)
- Recovery
What I’ve noticed in applying this model to rugby league players in my sphere, is that the above cycle occurs on micro AND macro scales. To say that a professional footballer hasn’t experienced flow at some point during their career would be absurd. The struggle in defending your teams line before getting a reprieve with the ball (release) before travelling the length of the field to score (flow) is something that happens quire regularly in league (the recovery would be whilst the shot at goal is being taken). This scenario ticks all of those boxes on a certain scale. But what I notice is that there may be cause to believe in multiple flow cycles occurring simultaneously (ie. Micro and macro scales). The above example is that of group flow. So an individual is experiencing an individual state of flow from a group flow cycle. If the individual isn’t recovering effectively from that group flow experience, they can get trapped between recovery and struggle because so many athletes won’t release one thing…IDENTITY. I believe that the next stage of elite athletic execution will come through the athlete releasing the sense that they are an athlete at all. What are you learning within that craft that is applicable to any other identity you choose to adopt? The ultimate magician is that whom can wear the most hats. The real fight for an aspiring athlete or aspiring anyone isn’t about the struggle to achieve what you want to achieve. It’s the struggle of knowing what to achieve next!
That struggle for “next” may well lie in the lack of big picture thinking and the naivety of being too present with the current identity (in this case a professional athlete). They are happy to act without a care for consequence. They have subjected themselves to a cultural bubble in which social norms are skewed. If more athletes could strip themselves back to who the fuck they really are without their guise, some truly amazing things would be achieved not only as an athlete, but as a human. Which leads me to practice what I preach. Who the fuck am I? I’ve gone through a massive identity shift recently and let go of what I thought was a dream of mine. That was, becoming an NRL Strength & Conditioning Coach. I’d developed this sharp reactive confidence that enabled me to truly believe it wasn’t even a matter of how it was when. All of my colleagues who’d mentored me had reached the professional stage and once becoming the Melbourne Storm NYC S&C Coach I knew it was the final step before my dreams became reality. But then it all hit me in the face…more on that later. But for now, who do I think I really am? I’m someone who definitely cares about what those close to me, think of me. I try to make that as positive as I can for me, by giving. I know that as long as I can put someone else’s well-being above my own, then I’ll be okay. Over the course of time I’ll be justly rewarded. I’m emotional, in the sense that I project my mood onto those around me, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. With that ability though, I derive leadership. I can alter people’s state through my language. This is how I love to give. Posing questions people won’t ask themselves. Challenging them to grow and not settle for comfort. That there is purpose in struggle. 90% of the time, the advice I have for someone is my subconscious mind raising a point to my conscious mind about changes or things I need to address. Like my previous statement “there is purpose in struggle”. It has dawned on me at this very moment that I’m, going through a struggle. On more of a macro scale, not “I’m just having a shitty day”. That my ego got the better of me. I’m not as witty as I thought. Things weren’t just going to grow themselves. That I need to fight and will no doubt have to again. But it’s about being able to recognise the process so you can move through the cycles of flow more readily.
I highly recommend adhering to your own version of thought splashing as I’m doing here. There’s something cathartic about conversing with an audience that is really yourself. Seeing the nooks and crannies that have been left untouched, waiting to douse you with your own insight that you were longing to hear from someone you expected to be far more worthy than yourself.
Life as Benny 