Maria was slowly pedalling up the hill a good bike length ahead of Vivienne. The two were breathing heavily with the effort of the long gradual incline and not a word was said as they put all their concentration on the task in hand.

Eventually Maria reached the top and paused for a rest, quite proud she'd actually made it! As she looked behind her she was surprised to see Vivienne way back pushing her bike along as she walked up the hill. She waited patiently, glad of the extra time to enjoy the splendid view. "What happened to you?" she smiled as Vivienne drew close.

"It seemed such a long grinding way to the top" panted Viv. "I just couldn't keep going. You must be fitter than I am!"

"Not really" said Maria. "When I realised how far it was, I stopped looking at the horizon and just kept my eyes on the next telegraph pole. Each one was a major victory I can tell you! And as soon as I made it to one pole, I rivetted my eyes on the next. It was hard work but fun, and when I got to the top I felt pretty good. It's a great view!

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Once upon a time it took four minutes to run a mile. That four minute record had stood for years. Roger Bannister made many attempts at it. One day he realised that four minutes is a whole 240 seconds long. Being acquainted with sports of all kinds, he knew that you could win a ski-run by a fraction of a second. So if he could run a mile in say 239 and five-tenths of a second, he would break the four-minute mile.

So he did.

Within a year the other top runners did too.

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Milton Erickson was a man who realised that each problem carries with it a series of past experiences and a set of future expectations. If you eliminate the connection to the past and change the future, you've changed two thirds of the problem! Moreover, if you focus your attention in the present and in your senses of the moment, you focus in on the task itself.

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Some years ago now, the advanced marksmanship team of the American Army wanted to beat the Russian team in a forthcoming international shoot. They were already very good. They wanted to be even better.

It was easy enough for them to shoot bullseye. They could hit it accurately many times. However, in competition, they would be shooting 40 rounds in succession and that used to involve a cumulative build up of tension that would make the last several shots nowhere near as accurate as the first.

Their coach taught them how to pay exquisite attention to the feeling of comfort in their body as they aimed at the target and to adjust, if necessary, the sole of the foot, the ankle, the calf, the knee, the hip joint, the trunk. Then the left arm, the finger on the trigger - until they got exactly the right feeling. Only then were they to refine their aim and squeeze the trigger.

They beat the Russians for the first time ever and that was in Moscow, on their home ground.