What can an Australian farmer teach me about my ability to present or win business?

The “nature/ nurture” debate has raged for well over 25 years since the birth of modern-day psychology to help explain the way people act, behave and perform. This month we would like to look at beliefs and how they impact our performance. The tale of Cliff Young is a great example of where someone’s personal belief differed from the rest and the results were little short of spectacular.

Cliff was a farmer who in 1983 at the age of 61, dressed in dungarees and wellingtons entered the Sydney to Melbourne ultra-marathon – a distance of over 500 miles. He had never run a competitive race before and was unfamiliar with the strategies and tactics of ultra-long distance running.

Yet on this first race he not only won the race but he did so by 10 hours!

The other ” more sophisticated” runners had been conditioned to believe you run for 16 hours and you sleep for 8. Cliff did not know this “truth” and just carried on running.

Ironically on day one, he was mocked by the media for going so slowly and dismissed as a ” no hoper”. At the finish line, the same media had to eat their words!

The right belief will liberate you. The wrong ones will imprison you.

When it comes to presenting and pitching for business how have you been conditioned?

What are some of the beliefs and false “truths” you have about what you can do and what you can’t do?

What would your career or life look like if you had different beliefs?

This month I encourage you to set aside that train journey home tonight to capture some of your beliefs about what’s possible and in the next month try a different approach.

See the previous weekly tip.