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Just over a month ago, the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (RMCF) lifted the fourteenth European Cup. A title preceded by one of the most exciting and unpredictable feats in the history of the competition.

If, like me, you’re a Real Madrid fan and you’ve seen the matches that led to winning the cup in the round of 16, quarters and semi-finals, you probably think that what has happened is only within the reach of one team, the greatest, our dear Real Madrid. Although I would like to agree with you, in my opinion, the main reasons why Real Madrid has emerged victorious in those games could be within the reach of many, and even everyone. It is only necessary to enhance the mentality by doing three things: to work, to imagine and to believe. In this blog, we’ll look at how mindset can influence your chances of success and how we can use our brains, minds, memories, and experiences to achieve it. We will use the case of Madrid’s fourteenth European Cup as an example to understand the possible applications to work teams. Let’s see!

These three qualifying rounds with their comebacks have been talked about, written about and recounted in images from all points of view. As a madridista I have eagerly consumed everything, reliving those wonderful moments and enjoying one of the greatest joys I have had as a fan of this wonderful sport. As an enthusiast of learning, neuroscience and human behavior, I have tried to rescue from this great achievement some concepts that, I believe, could be applied to any work team of any institution, and that derive from trying to answer a question: What has been the determining factor in these victories?

No analyst has managed to find a soccer skill-based explanation or even provide arguments from logic to answer that question. The answers have varied between caste, the weight of history, experience, the shield, luck, the drive of the fans or the famous DNA of Real Madrid. I think that all these factors have undoubtedly contributed to a greater or lesser extent, but, above all, I believe that the differential factor has been to have what I call a collective growth mindset.

A collective growth mindset driven by that union of mind, brain, memory and experience of a group that could only imagine one probable future – triumph. A group whose inner voice pointed to a single and irreplaceable image, that of Captain Marcelo raising the cup in Paris. That unshakeable faith in their possibilities, individually and as a group, although, for most of the time during the games, they were the only ones who believed it. So, how we can we use this example to apply and transfer these learnings to companies and increase the chances of success for their teams?

Let’s start with the first factor – the fusion of mind and brain. Thanks to neuroscience, we are learning more and more about the functioning of the brain and discovering new parts of it to which results, and behaviors directly linked to its activation are attributed. This is the case with the Reticular Activating Ascending System – RAAS. This system, located in the brain stem, is responsible, among other things, for selecting all the thoughts that pass through our mind and keeping the really important ones. In other words, RAAS listens and processes our inner voice to show us what we really want. That is the first step to reach our goal – verbalize what we want and see ourselves in it. In the words of Dr. Marian Rojas, a psychiatrist specialized in neuroscience, RAAS brings us closer to our dreams; so that what one truly desires, the mind ends up showing us.

For Real Madrid, the desire and what was on everyone’s mind, players and fans, was to win every game. That was the way to reach final success, focus only on the present moment, be totally convinced of your possibilities and to imagine the path that would lead you to victory. Have you heard how players who get that goal at the last minute refer to it as having seen it before in their mind? The fans and their faith in the team would serve as an amplifier of that desire and that faith, multiplying it exponentially. Those are the essential ingredients, knowing what you want, what your purpose is, imagining it and convincing yourself that, with the required effort and preparation, it is achievable.

In the business context of work teams, this would be equivalent to having a viable collective goal in the short term, consistent with the individual goals of the team members, and everyone working towards that goal. The group must imagine the objective, want it and visualize that together it is achievable, convinced that it is absolutely possible. It is coherence between setting a goal, working towards it, not letting your mind be confused by occasional relapses and believing all the time that achieving the goal is possible. The mind must follow what is said and done. It is not enough just to act on it, you also need to be convinced that the goal is possible. On the other hand, the leader would amplify that desire, providing unshakable faith in the team, as would a fan who supports unconditionally and above all, believes.

As a second factor, there is memory and its impact on projecting probable futures. For the benefit of Real Madrid and the Madridistas, retroactive memory, that which comes from the past, was on our side. Regarding the European Cup, our memory is full of triumphant images. Being the team that has won this competition the most by far, makes it the one with the most positive memories and experiences stored in relation to it. In other words, our memory became our great asset to give us that plus that often makes the difference between winning and losing. In this context and because of our experiences, prospective memory, the one that recreates future scenarios, could only imagine and therefore evoke one thing: winning. This memory not only makes us project probable futures, but also plan and execute the actions that bring us closer to that future we imagine. In this way, it helps us to choose, of all possible paths, the one that brings us closer to our goal. A football game equates to life in 90 minutes and in football, as in life, we are always choosing between many paths.

In the case of Real Madrid, where else could that enormous collective memory full of triumphant memories and images lead us if not to success? In the business context on the other hand, to promote a growth mentality and not remain in protection mode, we must take risks, and prepare to face them, having the firm belief that we can be successful. The trick is to help us with the resource of our memory and successful experiences to project what we want the future to be. We can start by conjuring up and visualizing success scenarios for our teams. Individually, combat any hint of learned helplessness and make our prospective memory a instrument to find the likely path to achieving results, turning to positive moments and scenarios in our past and working on the conviction that we can replicate those successes in the future. Create a collective memory that projects successes and the ways to achieve it. Work, prepare and, above all, believe in and nurture a mentality of collective growth.

So, is the mentality responsible for achieving results that seemed impossible? Is it possible that experience, memories, and the brain make success possible? Does having positive experiences associated with an event make the possible futures we imagine more likely? Is it possible that this is more influential in the results than competence itself? In my opinion, the answer to all these questions is “yes”. It is said that a growth mindset is possessed, but it is also empowered. Believing that we can create new skills and improve is equivalent to thinking that our mentality can be enhanced and can grow. Neuroscience tells us that collective intelligence is greater than the sum of the individual intelligences of a team. Consequently, the collective growth mindset is too. There for me, lies the difference. That is the differentiating factor. If we are clear about our objectives, we prepare ourselves, we try hard, work according to them as a team, have a leader who amplifies our desire, we are all convinced and believe in our possibilities; then we will be increasing our chances of success. This is how you can beat the odds, defy logic, and even crush the data.

Big Data gave Real Madrid a 1% chance of reaching the final, in those last minutes of the second game against City, and yet, against all that logic, rose the collective memory, the imagined future and the inner voice of a team and fans united in the same purpose and desired: to win. Miracles can be caused!

#mentality #growth #realmadrid #collectivememory #success #team #probablefutures #neuroscience #neuroleadership

There is a lot of talk about leadership these days. Likely because in difficult times is where the figure of the leader is most anticipated and wished for.  Specially in difficult times, we need leaders to lead us and show us the way. Help us feel that we are not alone and that we are part of something. Give us that sense of belonging. That sense and mission within the team. Yes, times are definitely tough in today’s world. We are still trying to process the possible end of a pandemic that has shaken us for more than two years and we are forced to witness the outbreak of a war that has the world in total consternation. We live in times where change is not only a constant, but also manifests itself simultaneously in almost all dimensions of life. And talking about leadership emerges as an inevitable consequence. To reflect on what kind of leader we need to successfully navigate these times of uncertainty.

Something that we can all agree on is that a leader is not a position, a title or a role within a company. A leader is the result of a series of behaviors that define a person as such. Leadership is a concept, a range of values, it is a way of acting. I don’t like to refer to leadership in terms of “styles” because the essence of the behavior and being of a leader encompasses the same values ​​and achieves the same results. That said, styles are present in everything we do as people, and the exercise of leadership is no exception. Our differences as human beings and who we are has a lot to do with what leaders we are in front of others, and above all, for ourselves. Therefore, the resources we use to exercise leadership will define us as leaders and determine our style.

Throughout our lives, we have probably come across countless people in positions of responsibility and in whom we would not recognize leadership behavior. A leader makes a positive impact on others. A leader inspires and gets noticed. A leader influences. We respect leaders and follow them. I don’t like labels, as a rule. More than leadership styles, I like to talk about a type of leader that starts from the coherence of being. I am referring to conscious leadership.

What is conscious leadership?

Decision making is inherent to a leader. At all levels in which the leader exercises leadership: Their own, that of the family nucleus, a group of friends or a business team; the leader, ultimately, is the one responsible for making decisions. These will have an impact on the unit that is led and represent a great commitment. Likewise, this commitment implies the need to take the group into account when making decisions. Even when the decision is only one’s (the leader), the result will affect more people. How to prepare for this commitment and responsibility?

Awareness about oneself and how we are, is what allows us to make more balanced decisions. By increasing our level of consciousness, we become freer people. Being aware consists of choosing what attitude to take at each moment, not letting ourselves be carried away by the emotions that may arise from each circumstance. Being aware means considering the possible consequences of our actions on others, voluntary and involuntary, before taking them. Recognize our successes and our mistakes and learn from them because awareness is that, not being able, nor wanting to close our eyes to what is evident to ourselves – the impact we have on our environment. Consciousness implies responsibility.

A conscious leader is one who, in addition to having a high level of self-awareness, always takes others into account assertively when making decisions. The conscious leader acts consistently in their work environment because their actions represent what he or she thinks and feels. This leader is clear about their strengths and their weaknesses and that allows them to show themselves authentically. The conscious leader knows their influence on others, the impact of their actions and their words, and the responsibility he or she has in achieving, or not, the pursued results. Without conscience there would be no repair because we would not be able to recognize our mistakes or the impact that they may have on others! We cannot correct something of which we are not aware because we do not see it… that is, in our interpretation of reality, it does not exist!

Self-Awareness

The first time I realized that I had a conscientious leader before me, it was not precisely because I felt valued when making an important decision that directly affected me, or because I felt committed and involved in my work team and my role. It happened when I was able to recognize in my boss his internal struggle for having made a decision that had a negative impact on me and that, at the time he made it, he was not aware of it. The emotions I felt at that moment turned 180 degrees. I went from sadness to surprise, from frustration to understanding, from concern to hope. Hope that things were already changing for the better and that change began with the awareness that I saw arise in him and with the apologies and explanations that followed. Our relationship strengthened, my admiration for him grew and he had a faithful collaborator in me.

The conscious leader reflects on mistakes and assume them as part of the evolutionary process and as an opportunity to learn. Being aware implies the certainty that life is a continuous learning process and that becoming aware is a process that we continually repeat, learning from our actions to modify them, improve and grow. Self-knowledge is a process that never ends.

And without abusing labels, my reflection is that a conscious leader is not a style of leadership, it is a way of life. You cannot have a high level of self-awareness without exercising conscious leadership. It is precisely this awareness that will not let us act in any other way. So how do we become conscious leaders? Becoming conscious people, working on our self-awareness and making it our «style» of life!

Marelys Garcia.
Learning Facilitator. Mindlines.

We are a group of friends, ordinary people, professionals from different branches, and passionate entrepreneurs. We are non-conformists, curious, creative, world travelers with professional and life experiences, with difficulties in our professions and personal relationships and, above all, with the desire and hope to grow.

Throughout our different trajectories, we realized that many of the difficulties we faced that we initially thought were external to us, were actually internal, coming from within ourselves. They had to do with our own deficits and deficiencies.

From the need to find answers and the passion to grow and not block ourselves in the face of difficulty, we began a search that cost us a lot of time and effort. We researched multiple sources. Some were incorrect, partial and others, extraordinary and very clarifying.

The mystery of life led us to meet on the road, in a beautiful city, Madrid. By sharing long conversations, we realized that the union of professional and life experiences, vulnerabilities, learning, mistakes, joys and sorrows… the union of all this knowledge became a greater knowledge, much more effective. Adding knowledge generated a powerful tool that helped us approach our lives in a more functional way. In addition, we all shared a desire, to create a healthier, more coherent, and friendly world. 

We all agreed that true changed started with the transformation of people, through their self-awareness, their self-regulation, their own balance. Only in this way we could unite and transform the group. And with these concepts we begin to dream, create, and mobilize towards an action. This is how MINDSLINES arises. Connection, union, knowledge, sharing, vulnerability, and transformation are some of the personality traits of our project. Today more than ever, with the pandemic, disconnection has become present in the world we inhabit, but we are committed to connecting people with other people and with themselves.

MINDSLINES help others to go as far as we have gone, in a faster, more structured, and simpler way. Create a knowledge platform, share our experiences with all those who share our dreams and aspirations. Alone we would never have achieved it. But joining forces, joining knowledge, we did I and now want to able to offer it to anyone we can impact.

The «cycle of consciousness» is a cycle inspired on concepts from the humanistic sciences, Gestalt, body therapies, Neuroscience and Psychology, which helps us appreciate the entire process necessary to carry out any need that emerges in each one of us. Detect my needs, recognize them, move towards action. Discover my difficulties, my defenses, my interruptions. Develop new resources and strategies, or seek support to break down barriers and thus achieve my true desires and goals. Live in a coherent way between what we think, feel, and do. A journey to understand what shaped us in the past, what we are and how we do it in the present and create a coherent future for oneself. A method that also starts from understanding how our body, our brain and our mind works. How they interrelate and how we can activate and create new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting in our day, making the most of our life experiences.

Following our own method, we have created MINDSLINES. We were aware of our need to leave a mark, a legacy, to contribute to people, to share. We delve into our strengths and our difficulties and mobilize each one of us so as not to block action. We worked very hard, inside and outside of ourselves, but the result has been worth it. MINDSLINES is the result of putting the cycle of consciousness into practice. Without being aware of the cycle it would have taken us much longer to get here. And, of course, we continue to learn to offer each one of us the possibility of continuing to grow together with all the people who come to MINDSLINES.

Our body is an extraordinary machine whose operation is based on the interconnection of the millions of cells that make it up. Life is a series of connections. To the extent that all these connections are made properly, our machinery will act optimally. Human relationships are also connections that depend on multiple factors to be successful. A good connection will positively impact the results. The more knowledge and awareness we put into our own connection to ourselves and the world around us, the better our experiences will be.

MINDSLINES means connection of knowledge, of experiences, of human minds. It means sharing that sum of everything that connection offers to optimize the results we seek with ourselves and with our environment.

Our body gives us information. It transmits millions of sensations throughout the day that can be either heard and recognized or otherwise can go unnoticed. Our body and mind are interconnected and are not strange to each other.

All those sensations, stimuli, or thoughts that our brain processes and interprets that they worry, angers, frustrates, blocks or simply drive us mad, generate muscular tension in our body. That muscular tension generated by the different emotions, needs in some way to be discharged from our body. The release of body tension produces relaxation and a sense of calm. Using adaptive forms of discharge is vital for the human being. Knowing our “machine” and how it works gives us the opportunity to resolve tension in a healthy way.

Stress is an overload of body and mental tension. We need to be aware of this. The perception of stress in our body tells us that we are exceeding the healthy limits of our capabilities and our body. When this happens, our body begins to function in a state of demand that causes it to suffer, either through illness, paralysis or presenting some type of imbalance or showing poor performance.

Becoming aware of this state opens the doors to the possibility of regulating ourselves and getting started to reduce the tension in our body. There are numerous healthy stress regulation pathways that lower our tension. Sport, contact with nature, the expression of emotions, the physical contact of a hug, rest, a good physiotherapy session or even an orgasm. On the other hand, there are also dysfunctional behaviors to release stress, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, compulsive eating or any type of addiction that ultimately seeks to discharge tension and recover an internal state of calm and relaxation.

We live in an increasingly stressful world filled with millions of opportunities that demand more and more of us. Setting limits, discriminating the essentials, stopping, breathing and relaxing our body is essential to continue addressing our extraordinary day to day.

Connect, experience, transform.

Noelia Valladolid Baringo (Coconut).

Psychologist. Mindlines.

Have you ever wondered what was the story surrounding your birth? What were the experiences of your mother and father throughout their pregnancy? All personal development leads us to first understand our history.

Our early sensory, affective, and relational experiences will lay the foundation of how we feel and look at the world around us as adults. We are born with an unfinished brain. The neocortex needs the childhood stage to develop and lay its foundations. Affection favors the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate the neuronal connections of our brain and allow the integration of its structures.

The type of attachment and relationship that we establish with our parental figures is decisive in the development of our personality. This affective relationship will generate the first pillars of our self-esteem and will determine our feeling of security or insecurity in the world. It will also be responsible for the direction of our future adult relationships.

Throughout our childhood we look for affection, approval, and calm in our parents: Our superheroes. Sometimes it will be easy to find them, and, in others, we will have to develop all kinds of mechanisms to find their gaze, their tranquility and their recognition to the point of creating a character structure that allows the child to adapt to their environment.

Educating and emotionally accompanying children is one of the most difficult and complex tasks that exist. The conflict between the needs of parents and those of their children is a constant. In addition, on many occasions parents will not be able to offer what they have not incorporated or learned in their own life experiences. However, children will demand it in one way or another, showing and confronting parents with their own conflicts, frustrations, and deficits.

Our living experiences and affections will mark our mental, emotional, and corporal structure. We are not by chance, what we are today is based on the millions of experiences we have accumulated, some extraordinary and others that, if we were given a choice, we would prefer to erase from our memory. However, each experience can become a new learning.

The unexperienced, the unknown, does not belong in our registry. When we leave the environment we learned, we realize that the world demands new formats, patterns, relational styles that we may have never experienced before. Sometimes we will feel lost, helpless, insecure or confused, and we will try to use the old methods and strategies. They will likely become our first experiences of failure and frustration.

Life is a constant learning process from which we can enrich ourselves every day. Every day of living is an opportunity to grow, to test ourselves, to observe ourselves, to let ourselves fall, to propose challenges, or simply let ourselves be carried away by what life alone can offer us.

Mindslines wishes to take and be with you through the extraordinary adventure of self-knowledge. We did it and we don’t regret it.

Connect, experiment, transform.

Noelia Valladolid Baringo (Coco)

Psychologist

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