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How do you confront fear?
We all experience fear at some point in our lives. It’s a natural emotion that helps us stay safe and avoid dangerous situations. But when fear starts to hold us back from reaching our goals and achieving our dreams, it’s time to confront it head-on.
Friends, welcome back to The School of Greatness. My special guest today is a friend of mine, George Mumford — who I had such a pleasure sitting down with.
George has been a globally recognized speaker, teacher, and coach since 1989. In this episode, we discuss what separates the top 1% of high performers from the rest. We also dive into the five superpowers we can all focus on to be the best versions of ourselves, the practical steps we can take to stop living in fear, and so much more.
It’s an exciting episode, so get ready with your notes, and let the class begin!
George Mumford has an inspiring life story. He was an aspiring basketball player at the University of Massachusetts. However, injuries forced him out of the game, and the pain from his injuries led him to emptiness and depression.
To help him out of depression, he resorted to meditation. He enrolled in Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program, where he was instrumental in the creation of the stress reduction clinic back in the early nineties.
When Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls, Coach Phil Jackson approached Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn to teach mindfulness techniques to the struggling NBA team, and George Mumford helped the team get back on its feet. In fact, he was instrumental in leading the team to 6 NBA championships.
Aside from the Chicago Bulls, George has worked with several famous personalities and professional athletes — the likes of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant.
He is also an author of the book, The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance, where he shares his revolutionary mindfulness-based program for elevating your game and even getting to the top 1% of high performers.
We all want to be high performers. We dream of being in the top 1% who stand out from the rest. They’re the ones who are always one step ahead, and they seem to be able to do the impossible.
But what separates these extraordinary individuals from everyone else? Is it something innate, is it luck, or is it talent? Actually, it’s none of those things. The difference between the 1% and everyone else is simple: They work harder, and they have the willingness to succeed. That’s it. There’s no magic formula and no secret sauce.
“[They have] the willingness to succeed, … and they ask coaches and experts. … You might call it the pursuit of excellence. … So it’s the hunger and the thirst, [and] you have to go for it. It is not something that’s gonna come to you. It’s something that you have to pursue.” – George Mumford
The willingness to succeed is often something that people take for granted. They think that because they have the desire to achieve their goals, they will automatically be successful. However, this isn’t always the case. The reality is that pursuing success requires hard work, dedication, and determination.
It’s not something that you can half-heartedly pursue and expect to see results. If you’re truly committed to succeeding, you have to be willing to put in the effort and go after your goals with everything you’ve got. This means making sacrifices, staying focused, and never giving up — even when things get tough. It is this hunger that drives us to do whatever it takes to achieve our dreams.
“You can create a sense of urgency by creating a possibility, a vision … that you want to live in or you want to serve more people or something. … So it’s about helping people understand they have a masterpiece and that their job is to express it and share it with the rest of us, but it’s an inside job, and only they can do it. … So that’s the 1% that says, ‘I am responsible and I have a massive piece inside of me,’ or, ‘I have greatness inside of me, and it’s my job to develop it and express it.’” – George Mumford
The hunger for success is something that we all experience at some point or another in our lives. It’s the feeling of wanting to achieve something great, whether it’s a personal goal or something professional. And while the thirst for success can oftentimes be overwhelming, it’s important to remember that it’s always worth pursuing. After all, if you don’t aim high, you’ll never know what you’re truly capable of achieving, and when it comes to achieving your dreams, it should start by just being the best version of yourself every day.
We all have moments in our lives when we feel like we could be doing more or being better. Maybe we compare ourselves to others and fall short, or set our sights too high and end up feeling disappointed. It’s important to remember that we are each on our own journey and that there is no single formula for success. However, there are inner powers we can tap into to become the best versions of ourselves. George outlines them like this:
“So I talked about mindfulness, there’s effort or diligence, there’s focus — concentration. There’s insight or wisdom, and faith. So they’re all connected.” – George Mumford
It’s hard to be mindful all of the time. We’re human, after all. But when we can make an effort to be more mindful, it really pays off.
Mindfulness can help us live in the present moment and connect with our surroundings and emotions in a way that allows us to cultivate greater self-awareness. Diligence allows us to put in the effort day in and day out, no matter what. It means being relentless in the pursuit of our goals.
“So for me, to be mindful … is having a mirror mind of being able to see things as they are like they’re in the mirror — just interpreting them or letting them speak to you in their own language instead of us interpreting them. … So, you have to have faith to make an effort to be mindful. … Then you have to have the focus here and now — being able to be locked in so that you could be mindful. And then you also need the wisdom or understanding on, ‘What am I being mindful of and what are the essentials?’” – George Mumford
When we’re mindful of our thoughts and actions, we’re more likely to put forth the effort required to achieve our goals. By staying focused on what’s important, we can develop the wisdom needed to make sound decisions. Moreover, by practicing faith in ourselves and in the world around us, we can open our hearts and minds to limitless possibilities.
So, whatever your goal may be, remember that these five inner powers will help you along the way. By harnessing these superpowers, you can become a better version of yourself, and even overcome fear.
We all know that fear is a natural emotion that protects us from danger. However, when fear begins to control our lives, it becomes a problem. Excessive fear can keep us from living our lives to the fullest and achieving our goals. If you’re struggling with fear, don’t worry – there are practical steps you can take to stop living in fear, and you can start by recognizing your fear.
“By recognizing they’re in fear and understanding how it’s not helpful, [they can learn] how to get out of fear. [When] you’re in fear, once you notice that you’re reacting to things instead of responding to things, … then … how do I not react? By just stepping back … [and] just let it speak to you, but you have to be vulnerable. That’s where faith comes in.” – George Mumford
In order to overcome our fears, we must first have to recognize that we are in fear. Once we understand how fear is not helpful, we can begin to work through it in a survival mode and come out on the other side.
“So you [have to] understand how … not [to] be in fear by noticing you’re in fear and realiz[ing] that you’re in survival mode. And if you can just breathe and focus on one thing, get your nervous system into rest and digest or focus, generating what I call a ‘hall of fame’ or HOF — hope, optimism, and faith.” – George Mumford
No matter what life throws your way, you can always choose to face it with hope, optimism, and faith. These positive outlooks will give you the strength you need to overcome any fear standing in your way. So, don’t be afraid to take on whatever comes your way because, with hope, optimism, and faith by your side, you can achieve anything!
Guys, you will love this interview because it is full of so many words of wisdom from our special guest, George Mumford. Listen to the full episode for more, and make sure to share it with someone who needs to hear it.
Follow George on social media. He’s on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out his YouTube channel, as well, for access to more of his videos. If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, perhaps George Mumford can help them deal with it through his masterclass on Dealing With Anxiety As The World Re-opens. Check it out through his website here. Also, if you want to thrive in an uncertain and ever-changing world, you need to practice for life, and you can learn how by joining his other masterclass on The Mindful Athlete Course.
To conclude this episode, I asked George for his definition of greatness, and his answer was epic:
“My definition of greatness is getting better today, expressing yourself as much as you can, … being real, [and] being the best version of yourself in whatever you do. So it’s not about what you do. It’s what you bring to it and who you are. So greatness is somebody who’s going to show up and beat themselves consistently and in a way where they’re progressing. So they’re getting better each day — that’s greatness.” – George Mumford
Being the best version of yourself means living up to your full potential and being the absolute best that you can be. It means putting 110% into everything you do, whether it’s your relationships, your career, or your hobbies. It means making a conscious effort to continuously improve upon yourself and never settling for mediocrity. Greatness doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a result of consistent hard work and dedication. So, if you’re wondering how you can become great, remember that it starts with becoming the best version of yourself.
Friends, I want to remind you all — if no one’s told you lately, you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter! Now, go out there and do something great.
To Greatness,
MUSIC CREDIT
Kaibu by Killercats
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