Vol 1 # 5 – Unchain Yourself

Today, I am going to continue the theme of book review on our quest to become Better Than Good and Improving™.  A few blogs back I spoke of Dr. Shad Helmstetter and how he spoke of children being programmed and programmed incorrectly.  Today let’s take a took at UNCHAIN THE ELEPHNAT by Erik Wahl (Sourcebooks, Inc.).  In it is the oft told story of how elephants are tamed.  In short when they are young they are chained to trees or pegs pounded deep into the ground.  Try as they might the baby elephant is no match for the chain.  After a few weeks they succumb to the programming.  Helmstetter spoke of and concluded they cannot break free.  For the rest of their lives these tamed elephants can be controled by the smallest of chain or ropes despite the fact they could break practically any chain one may attempt to use.

What does this have to do with Better Than Good and Improving™?  Quite simply, as Wahl titled the book to be Better Than Good and Improving™ we must break the chains, rewrite the code / reprogram (forgive the IT analogy) our thoughts and beliefs.  I previously mentioned my own beliefs regarding my academic abilities.  What might I have accomplished if I had been programmed from kindergarten to believe I was an A student in all things?  Is it possible that I never succeeded as a flautist because of my incorrect academic beliefs?  Digressing, to this day I love the flute.  My favorites being Asian yoga music and on the other extreme the dancing, haunting, challenging flute of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.

So, my prayer for you today is that you will challenge yourself.  In this case, do not merely challenge yourself to be the best you possible.  Until you unchain yourself like Wahl unchains the elephant, there is no way to know what your best self can be.  So, reprogram yourself, break those limiting belief and then you truly can move to Better Than Good and Improving™. 

Thanks for stopping by on your way to Better Than Good and Improving™.

Yours Aye,