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Motion creates emotion
Friday, 24 July 2009
I was reminded about one of my favourite films today. I was driving back from a successful meeting across a beautiful quiet, single track moorland road, with some great music on the stereo and really positive feelings and thoughts in my mind and body. The film is Boiler Room (see here) and the phrase “motion creates emotion” (at least in my memory) comes from there.
In the film, it’s wrapped up in an essentially aggressive training pitch to potential new brokers in a dodgy ‘boiler room” investment company, which is passionately delivered by Ben Affleck. But even something used in such a negative application as this has incredibly useful, positive benefits for us all.
I’ve come to the end of a rather hectic week this week - loads has been going on, loads has been done, and it’s been highly successful. One of the reasons why is that I’ve been moving around, a lot. I’ve had meetings to drive to, I’ve made and taken every phone call whilst standing up and walking around, waving my arms, and I’ve even run a client event that I had to cycle to as my car was in for service. The positive benefits of not being static are incredible - the exponential surge of energy created by using energy is incredible.
Again, this is something else that I came across on my recent NLP course. Cold sales calls are one of the least favourite parts of my job, but unfortunately are necessary from time to time. As part of the course, we modelled some of the times when I’m energetic and fired-up, and then translated those across to the times when I’m making the sales calls. The biggest differences were about movement.
In front of clients on a management training course, I’m on my feet, moving around, active and energetic. When using experiential training techniques, I’m in the great outdoors, being physically challenged. When I’m on my bike, I’m pushing myself to ride harder, faster, longer. When I’m climbing, it’s about stretching myself mentally (I’m scared of heights!) and physically to do tougher routes and longer climbs. And, funnily enough, I feel great at all of those times!
Knowing, understanding, and (most importantly) believing that is the key to making other parts of my job better as well. If I feel good when I’m active, why would I spend any longer than is absolutely essential sitting still? If I get energy from movement, why would I make any phone call whilst seated?
Often, it’s the really simple stuff that gets missed, but can make the biggest difference. Try it. Next time you’re on a phone call, get off your seat, walk around, wave your arms about, and really engage in the conversation as if the person you’re talking to was right in front of you. Even if you get funny looks from your colleagues, you won’t care, because the results you get will be so positive, everyone around you will end up asking you how you do it!
Future blogs will cover more about the links between success and physiology, but, for now, just get moving!
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note: The full text of the Ben Affleck monologue from Boiler Room can be seen here but please be aware that there is some strong language!
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