You have no doubt heard most of your life, "stop and think" or "look before you leap." We are taught to always think. This is usually a good rule of thumb except when it's not. Allow me to explain...
At almost every speaking engagement I offer the same pop quiz to attendees. All things being equal, which performer will do the best: (a)the positive thinker (b) the negative thinker (c) the person who is not thinking. (Dr. Rob Gilbert)
The answer of course is C, because they will have no distracting thoughts in either direction. Their mind will be using all of it's power to handle the task at hand. No time will be wasted on thoughts or expectations.
If you chose A you are in the majority. But don't worry, as almost everyone fails the pop quiz almost all the time.
Most people have been raised to believe that the positive thinker will be the greatest success, and this is not a false statement. Most of the time you must be the positive thinker if you want to succeed. But, when you compete or perform, you do not want to have much in your mind at all. You do not want any distracton from the task at hand.
If you must have any thought, it should be a word or short sentence at the very most. This should only be a CUE or ANCHOR to remind you of where your focus should be at the moment or to snap you back into a more productive mindset. These cues or anchors should be decided long before you perform.
The primary cause of most people's fears, anxieties, worry, doubt, and human disturbace in general is from being trapped in the jail of your own mind (Dr. Brad Blanton). We play unbelievable mental gymnastics with ourselves on a regular basis, contemplating what if's, that in all probability will never happen. We think and think and think about something we want to do and never get around to doing it- we get paralysis from our own analysis!
It is important to think sometimes and it is important to turn your mind off at other times. This will take ongoing practice to master when to turn your mind on and off. For best results, do some reading on the topic or consult an expert. I will continue to post great information on how to make your mind work for you, not against you!
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit my blog: http://genezannetti.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment