Your Success is Your Choice
Our whole system is based on 2 premises-
(1) Your success is your choice
I would assume that most people believe that they have the power to influence their own life to some extent, in either direction. That your choice is a powerful thing. And good choices raise the probability of good outcomes, and vice versa with bad decision.
(2) Your choices are made in your mind.
Your body is a very powerful tool, but it is incapable of higher functioning without the mind. Therefore, your choices are made in your mind.
If you accept these two premises then you must accept the conclusion-
Your mind determines your success (or failure)
Does everyone see the connection?
This is deductive reasoning- it is infallible logic.
Put another way for those of you who like Visuals
You----------------------------------------Success
Your Mind
Your Mind is the Bridge to Your Success.
The job of Mental Mastery as you would probably guess, is to help you master your mind. I’m here to turn you into a mastermind.
Remember the key to any self-help system is not someone helping you, but rather about educating you on the tools you can utilize to help yourself.
One of the first lessons I can teach you is to Consider the Source. When making a decision about the accuracy of a claim, it is a good first step to determine if the person making the claim is reputable.
My wrestling coach, the great Donn Ernst always told me that if you are going to learn something, learn from the BEST IN THE WORLD.
So rather than tell you about how important the mind is to your success, I will turn this topic over to the Best athletes and coaches in sports history and see for yourself how their mentality factored into their success.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The Secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.”
(Arnold’s approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical)
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/69_fitness_tip.html
Michael Jordan
Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness... Jeff Janssen, M.S.
http://www.teamarete.com/ificouldbe.html
Wayne Gretzky
…he (Gretzky) was not very strong physically, but he made up for that in the mental edge he held over opponents.
http://www.lycos.com/info/wayne-gretzky-hockey.html
Tiger Woods
Tiger's biggest club is his mental strength –USA Today
His mental game is every bit as good as his physical game. –Bob May
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-02-10-tiger-toughest_x.htm
there’s another quality even more important than skill. It’s his mind, and that very well could be his greatest weapon.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/09/sports/sp-mindgame9
Michael Phelps
His strongest asset is relaxing & focusing in competition. He can take himself mentally to a place. That’s what separates him from his competitors. –Coach Bowman
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bowman-on-phelps-mental-strength/3003143297
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a master of psychology…his mental toughness played a great factor in many of his fights. There was no one stronger mentally then Muhammad Ali.
http://greatestofalltime.homestead.com/muhammadali.html
Dan Gable
“Mental Toughness is the key of all keys…Mental Toughness is the foundation.”
http://www.briancain.com/articlesbybriancain/Dan%20Gable%20-%20Brian%20Cain%20CBN.pdf
Coach John Wooden
“I am constantly trying to make players realize the mental side.”
Coach Vince Lombardi
“Mental Toughness is essential for success.”
He was always working on both the minds and bodies of his players. The guy was a beautiful psychologist. – Jerry Kramer (former player)
Coach Bobby Knight
“Mental toughness to physical (toughness) is as 4 is to 1.”
Its very clear how the best in the world feel about the importance of their mentality to their success.
And sports here is just a metaphor for life. The success principles are the same in sports, business, sales, school, etc. The specifics may be different but the principles are the same.
YOUR MIND IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR SUCCESS.
So knowing how important your mindset is to your success…how much time do you spend preparing your mind?
You train your body, but most don’t train their brain. That is a serious mistake.
Most people are not aware of the science behind success. Sport-Performance Psychology and Positive Psychology are fields dedicated to Performance Enhancement, Success, and Happiness. Mental Mastery is Sport-Performance Psychology and Positive Psychology made easy for you, in a simple understandable form.
But Mental Mastery is more than just achieving your goals, though that is a major part of it, but also increasing your happiness and overall well-being.
What good is it if a person gains the whole world, but loses their soul? This is not to be take only in the biblical sense, but in the practical sense as well.
What good is it if you accomplish all your goals, but you are not happy?
Because the two do not always go together – success and happiness. Why are so many movie stars, rock stars, and pro athletes depressed or addicted to substances?
We want you to be both very successful and very happy.
At mental mastery, we teach you how to have your cake and eat it too.
That being said, lets get started.
I want you to get excited about life. I want you to wake up in the morning and say, I cant wait to get started today!
We are in probably the greatest time period in the history of the world.
Luxury Age- the average person in the lower middle class has far more luxuries than most of the richest people in the world of previous centuries- basic things we take for granted like efficient lighting, heat and air, equipment, clothing, etc.
Technology/ Information Age- We have more information available at the click of a mouse or a few punches into our phone than anyone had available to them 30 years ago thanks to the internet and its interactive websites like google, Wikipedia, facebook, youtube, etc.
Freedom Age- Democracy is a freedom Americans take for granted because weve had it for over 200 years. But just imagine if you lived in a communist country that told you what to do and how to do it all the time. You would wish you had the opportunity that falls in front of you this very moment. Freedom is something we take for granted until its gone. We take play for granted as a child until were punished. We take walking for granted until we break our leg. We take our daily living for granted until were wrongly accused for murder and sent to jail like Ruben the hurricane Carter (ok, maybe a little extreme, but you get the point), and sadly we often take life for granted until someone close to us dies or until were given 6 months.
But, why wait until something drastic happens to live like you were dying? Why not start today?
As the great Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz says, you need to ask yourself- If not me, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?
With all these advantages, success is well within your reach RIGHT NOW.
The first step is to success is to take control of your mind. Once you do this you will be well on your way to living your dreams and enjoying your life.
Welcome to what very well could be the most important journey of your life
Monday, February 22, 2010
GZ Performance Enhancement- Sport Psychology Group
Join Team Z on the official Gene Zannetti GZ Performance Enhancement- Sport Psychology group with lots of great information!
GZ Facebook Group
GZ Facebook Group
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
It Comes Down To Your Mind
People inspect us, dissect us, reject us, cuss us, and disgust us to no avail (Lou Holtz). Why do we take it personally and get angry and upset? The cycle is the same- we perceive a situation or hear someone say something to or about us, or we see them laugh. We then interpret it as an insult. We take it personally. We react or take it and whine on the inside. Notice our perception and interpretation are mental activities. Often people criticize us about things having nothing to do with our mind (we’re weak, we’re overweight, we’re physically slow) yet our mind takes it personally. Why? Unless someone makes fun of our ideas, aptitude, creativity, or decision making it is our body that should take it personally, not our minds. Why does our mind take possession for our body’s shortcomings? Probably because we realize deep down the truth that “it comes down to your mind.” Our weakness or our fatness comes from our lack of discipline and motivation to exercise regularly. Our mind knows consciously or unconsciously that a weakness in physicality is a reflection of some weakness mentally. This is okay, we all have mental weaknesses, we ALL do. First recognize that our deficiencies either begin or become perpetuated in our mind. We may be naturally genetically predisposed to certain deficiencies, but our choices and habits are largely mental. If you are not achieving your goals or are not living your dream, do NOT look for the physical weaknesses or the piece of equipment you're missing or the pill you need to take- LOOK AT YOUR MIND. You will realize this is where the problem is. This is normal, and it is okay, just get started already on working on your mindset. Control your mind and your body will follow.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Pull the Trigger
To sum up Sport/Performance Psychology in a 3 word sentence- Pull the trigger!
This is analogous to the Nike slogan of "Just Do It." However, I like "pull the trigger" because it commands the most attention and includes a sense of urgency.
When it comes right down to it, you are faced with one major decision in life- Am I going to go all out OR am I going to hold back? (thank you Dr. Rob Gilbert) Are you going to make it happen or are you going to sit back and hope it happens? I'm sure anyone reading this does not need to be convinced that the difference between champions in sports and life are the ones who make things happen. Champions pull the trigger.
There are many things that could inhibit someone from pulling the trigger- fear, past experience, over analysis, etc etc. Many people have a misconception that champions do not go through similar mental discomforts- they are just different kinds of people than we are, they say. Well guess what? Champions are human just like anyone else- never subhuman or superhuman, but simply human. They have emotions, doubts, fears, nervousness, and past failures just like anyone else, but they act ANYWAY.
A warrior isn't about perfection or victory or invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability- that's the only true courage. (Peaceful Warrior)
Champions do not let doubts, fears, and past failures cripple them from taking action. Typically, a champion uses "failure" to motivate themselves to take more action. Champions will pull the trigger.
Many do not realize this, but Champions lose more than normal people lose. Why? Because they make more attempts than ordinary people. The difference is that they continue to take action no matter what their outcomes. Surely they use their failures as feedback and thus look honestly at themselves and make modifications when necessary, but they continue to act, they continue to pull the trigger.
Take a look at a few examples of Champions losing more than normal people:
~Few people would think that the hitter who struck out most times in baseball history would be thought of as a good player, much less a baseball hall of famer, Mr. October REGGIE JACKSON.
~Or that the batter who made the most outs ever would also have the most hits- does PETE ROSE ring a bell?
~ Surely the pitcher with the most all time losses would be sent back to the minors. He wouldn't be the pitcher with the most all time wins would he? Would they name the Most Valuable Pitcher the CY YOUNG award?
~You would think the basketball player who missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed the game winning shot 26 times, and cut from freshman high school team would be MICHAEL JORDAN.
~Just google the "successes and failures of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" if you want to see real adversity and bouncing back from losses!
NJ wrestling great Andrew Flanagan once said that in high school he wrestled in higher divisions in the off-season and thus had a lot of losses. But that made him tougher and was a big contributor to his success. He said, "if you're not losing, your not wrestling good enough competition." You can apply this to any area in life. The Champion seeks the best competition. He goes for the challenge, to test himself. We often tend to compete at the level of our competition. So to raise your level, raise your competition. How many people could have been so much better if they would have chosen to join the pack of lions instead of assuming the lead among wolves. Yeah it may feel good, but which will make you better? Ask yourself that honestly. Is your goal to look good in front of people and feel good? Or is it to get as good as you can (which of course will eventually lead to recognition and good self feelings)?
I love to hear the reasoning when I hear great performers call BS on Sport/Performance Psychology. They say "that stuff" is garbage. I don't think about psychology or anything for that matter. I just do it.
When I hear this I always laugh to myself because theirin lies the master of Performance Psychology. If I had to make a brief list of what Performance Psychology in a nutshell it would be (1)Help person find what they want (2)Get person to take action (3)Get person to step out of their own way (get their mind and body to work together). That's it!
The Champions who call a bluff on Performance Psychology do naturally exactly as they are supposed to (they just do not realize it) - they know what they want, they act, they don't get in their own way by over thinking or negative thinking.
True, some people have it naturally. So it's tempting to say, "you either have it or you don't." Well I say, you have it or you can LEARN IT. Remember the strong rule the weak, but the smart rule the strong (for example humans tame lions, not the reverse). As some people are naturally stronger than others, this is not the end of the story. On the contrary, a person who is naturally strong who never lifts weights can and will lose to the unnatural who makes lifting weights a high priority. There are scientific ways to improve your strength, just as there are scientific ways to improve your mindset.
That's right, this is not chat room discussion. This is a SCIENTIFIC FIELD. A lot of people aren't aware of that. Sport Psychology is a SCIENCE. Many coaches tell athletes to be more confident or to relax. But they never tell them quite how to do it. Probably because they themselves are not aware of how to do so. I'm here to tell you there are techniques and systematic ways to help you get more confident and to relax when you get too nervous. Whether you take advantage of them or not is up to you...
Gene Zannetti
Performance Enhancement Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
This is analogous to the Nike slogan of "Just Do It." However, I like "pull the trigger" because it commands the most attention and includes a sense of urgency.
When it comes right down to it, you are faced with one major decision in life- Am I going to go all out OR am I going to hold back? (thank you Dr. Rob Gilbert) Are you going to make it happen or are you going to sit back and hope it happens? I'm sure anyone reading this does not need to be convinced that the difference between champions in sports and life are the ones who make things happen. Champions pull the trigger.
There are many things that could inhibit someone from pulling the trigger- fear, past experience, over analysis, etc etc. Many people have a misconception that champions do not go through similar mental discomforts- they are just different kinds of people than we are, they say. Well guess what? Champions are human just like anyone else- never subhuman or superhuman, but simply human. They have emotions, doubts, fears, nervousness, and past failures just like anyone else, but they act ANYWAY.
A warrior isn't about perfection or victory or invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability- that's the only true courage. (Peaceful Warrior)
Champions do not let doubts, fears, and past failures cripple them from taking action. Typically, a champion uses "failure" to motivate themselves to take more action. Champions will pull the trigger.
Many do not realize this, but Champions lose more than normal people lose. Why? Because they make more attempts than ordinary people. The difference is that they continue to take action no matter what their outcomes. Surely they use their failures as feedback and thus look honestly at themselves and make modifications when necessary, but they continue to act, they continue to pull the trigger.
Take a look at a few examples of Champions losing more than normal people:
~Few people would think that the hitter who struck out most times in baseball history would be thought of as a good player, much less a baseball hall of famer, Mr. October REGGIE JACKSON.
~Or that the batter who made the most outs ever would also have the most hits- does PETE ROSE ring a bell?
~ Surely the pitcher with the most all time losses would be sent back to the minors. He wouldn't be the pitcher with the most all time wins would he? Would they name the Most Valuable Pitcher the CY YOUNG award?
~You would think the basketball player who missed over 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, missed the game winning shot 26 times, and cut from freshman high school team would be MICHAEL JORDAN.
~Just google the "successes and failures of ABRAHAM LINCOLN" if you want to see real adversity and bouncing back from losses!
NJ wrestling great Andrew Flanagan once said that in high school he wrestled in higher divisions in the off-season and thus had a lot of losses. But that made him tougher and was a big contributor to his success. He said, "if you're not losing, your not wrestling good enough competition." You can apply this to any area in life. The Champion seeks the best competition. He goes for the challenge, to test himself. We often tend to compete at the level of our competition. So to raise your level, raise your competition. How many people could have been so much better if they would have chosen to join the pack of lions instead of assuming the lead among wolves. Yeah it may feel good, but which will make you better? Ask yourself that honestly. Is your goal to look good in front of people and feel good? Or is it to get as good as you can (which of course will eventually lead to recognition and good self feelings)?
I love to hear the reasoning when I hear great performers call BS on Sport/Performance Psychology. They say "that stuff" is garbage. I don't think about psychology or anything for that matter. I just do it.
When I hear this I always laugh to myself because theirin lies the master of Performance Psychology. If I had to make a brief list of what Performance Psychology in a nutshell it would be (1)Help person find what they want (2)Get person to take action (3)Get person to step out of their own way (get their mind and body to work together). That's it!
The Champions who call a bluff on Performance Psychology do naturally exactly as they are supposed to (they just do not realize it) - they know what they want, they act, they don't get in their own way by over thinking or negative thinking.
True, some people have it naturally. So it's tempting to say, "you either have it or you don't." Well I say, you have it or you can LEARN IT. Remember the strong rule the weak, but the smart rule the strong (for example humans tame lions, not the reverse). As some people are naturally stronger than others, this is not the end of the story. On the contrary, a person who is naturally strong who never lifts weights can and will lose to the unnatural who makes lifting weights a high priority. There are scientific ways to improve your strength, just as there are scientific ways to improve your mindset.
That's right, this is not chat room discussion. This is a SCIENTIFIC FIELD. A lot of people aren't aware of that. Sport Psychology is a SCIENCE. Many coaches tell athletes to be more confident or to relax. But they never tell them quite how to do it. Probably because they themselves are not aware of how to do so. I'm here to tell you there are techniques and systematic ways to help you get more confident and to relax when you get too nervous. Whether you take advantage of them or not is up to you...
Gene Zannetti
Performance Enhancement Specialist
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Friday, June 19, 2009
Life is Choice
The longer I live, the more...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
- Charles R. Swindoll
These numbers seem pretty strong. And I am sure these figures severely underestimate sociology and the power of context. I do not know if you can assign accurate numbers, but I am sure life is part what happens to you and part how you react to it.
In other words- Life is Choice.
Life is filled with choices, made up of trade offs which include their own respective consequences, some of which we cannot see, only predict. The consequences in turn shape your life to some extent.
So at the most basic level, your choices affect your life.
My parents always stressed two big concepts to my brothers and I- (1) Always be a good person (2) Always use good common sense.
Both are important!
I've heard it said, "good things happen to good people" and "what goes around comes around." Neither of these are true in a literal sense, all the time. These saying hold up sometimes, but not always.
I have seen many "good" people make bad decisions that have literally ruined their life. Good people who made 1 bad decision, 1 time.
This is not to say that everything you do has life affecting consequences. But the truth is, some choices you make do have THAT big of an impact.
But remember! You do not only have a choice in big matters. You have a choice all the time. The first step to controlling your life is recognizing that you are in control of your life (at least to some degree). Remember life is part what happens to you, but also part how you react to it. How you react to life are your choices. And good decision making is crucial to a happy and successful life.
You have control of your choices. You can choose to be a victim or anything else. (-peaceful warrior).
Realize you can choose to let someone anger, annoy, or upset you or not.
You can choose to eat healthy or not, go all out or hold back, exercise or not, take drugs or not, have unprotected sex or not etc.
All life is a choice. Even reading this right now is a choice. You can choose to do what you want.
This is a very empowering and liberating idea. Imagine living under Communism with no choice at all. You would be dying to come to a Democracy, like you live in, with the options and choices before you right now.
Start appreciating your choice.
Another thing to remember is to only concern yourself with things you have control of. Do not waste time worrying about things you cannot control. This will lead to unnecessary fear, anxiety, and stress.
Your Choice (which includes how you will act) is the only thing you can control. Do not overly concern yourself with other people's decisions and actions, even if they work against you. Just decide what you want to do from this point forward.
The second step to controlling your life is realizing NOW is the moment of power. Now is the time we harvest the crops of the past and plant the seeds for the future. There is power that lies in the past or future. The past does shape where we are now. The future does shape the course of action we will take now. But, the PRESENT is the only time that you can act.
So our first two steps to controlling our life are (1) Recognizing you have a choice and (2) Realizing that Now is the only moment you are capable of acting on your choice.
You can choose to act in the future, but you are only capable of acting in the present. Concern yourself with (1) Your Power of Choice and (2) The Present Moment
- Charles R. Swindoll
These numbers seem pretty strong. And I am sure these figures severely underestimate sociology and the power of context. I do not know if you can assign accurate numbers, but I am sure life is part what happens to you and part how you react to it.
In other words- Life is Choice.
Life is filled with choices, made up of trade offs which include their own respective consequences, some of which we cannot see, only predict. The consequences in turn shape your life to some extent.
So at the most basic level, your choices affect your life.
My parents always stressed two big concepts to my brothers and I- (1) Always be a good person (2) Always use good common sense.
Both are important!
I've heard it said, "good things happen to good people" and "what goes around comes around." Neither of these are true in a literal sense, all the time. These saying hold up sometimes, but not always.
I have seen many "good" people make bad decisions that have literally ruined their life. Good people who made 1 bad decision, 1 time.
This is not to say that everything you do has life affecting consequences. But the truth is, some choices you make do have THAT big of an impact.
But remember! You do not only have a choice in big matters. You have a choice all the time. The first step to controlling your life is recognizing that you are in control of your life (at least to some degree). Remember life is part what happens to you, but also part how you react to it. How you react to life are your choices. And good decision making is crucial to a happy and successful life.
You have control of your choices. You can choose to be a victim or anything else. (-peaceful warrior).
Realize you can choose to let someone anger, annoy, or upset you or not.
You can choose to eat healthy or not, go all out or hold back, exercise or not, take drugs or not, have unprotected sex or not etc.
All life is a choice. Even reading this right now is a choice. You can choose to do what you want.
This is a very empowering and liberating idea. Imagine living under Communism with no choice at all. You would be dying to come to a Democracy, like you live in, with the options and choices before you right now.
Start appreciating your choice.
Another thing to remember is to only concern yourself with things you have control of. Do not waste time worrying about things you cannot control. This will lead to unnecessary fear, anxiety, and stress.
Your Choice (which includes how you will act) is the only thing you can control. Do not overly concern yourself with other people's decisions and actions, even if they work against you. Just decide what you want to do from this point forward.
The second step to controlling your life is realizing NOW is the moment of power. Now is the time we harvest the crops of the past and plant the seeds for the future. There is power that lies in the past or future. The past does shape where we are now. The future does shape the course of action we will take now. But, the PRESENT is the only time that you can act.
So our first two steps to controlling our life are (1) Recognizing you have a choice and (2) Realizing that Now is the only moment you are capable of acting on your choice.
You can choose to act in the future, but you are only capable of acting in the present. Concern yourself with (1) Your Power of Choice and (2) The Present Moment
Monday, April 20, 2009
FLOW
"I love flow. I thirst for it, search for it. And when i can, I drink of it and bathe in it."
-Zach Bretz
And now your buddy Gene will serve it to you!
Last night I was having a great conversation with my good friend Zach, who is taking a Positive Psychology class at the University of Pennsylvania, about the coveted Flow state.
Flow is an experience (not exclusive to sports) where a person is immersed in an activity and has their mind focused on the present moment while losing consciousness of ego, self-evaluations, and the audience and audience evaluations. Things seem to fall into place as the unconscious takes over and a self-transcendence is reached.
Many athletes call this experience being "In the Zone." They use the words in the Zone and Flow interchangeably. I do not believe that the Zone and Flow are one and the same. I can differentiate between the two.
I know I have been in the Zone every wrestling match in which I ever competed. But, it was only in rare occasions where I felt Flow. I believe the Zone may be a prerequisite for Flow. But, being in the Zone will not inevitably lead to Flow. This principle became more clear to me today when my friend Nate Wierzbicki, a Physical Education major at Springfield College, hypothesized that there may be several steps necessary to achieving Flow.
-Zach Bretz
And now your buddy Gene will serve it to you!
Last night I was having a great conversation with my good friend Zach, who is taking a Positive Psychology class at the University of Pennsylvania, about the coveted Flow state.
Flow is an experience (not exclusive to sports) where a person is immersed in an activity and has their mind focused on the present moment while losing consciousness of ego, self-evaluations, and the audience and audience evaluations. Things seem to fall into place as the unconscious takes over and a self-transcendence is reached.
Many athletes call this experience being "In the Zone." They use the words in the Zone and Flow interchangeably. I do not believe that the Zone and Flow are one and the same. I can differentiate between the two.
I know I have been in the Zone every wrestling match in which I ever competed. But, it was only in rare occasions where I felt Flow. I believe the Zone may be a prerequisite for Flow. But, being in the Zone will not inevitably lead to Flow. This principle became more clear to me today when my friend Nate Wierzbicki, a Physical Education major at Springfield College, hypothesized that there may be several steps necessary to achieving Flow.
I will differentiate between the two now. While in the Zone, one feels as though they are In the Moment. There is a Buddhist word for being in the Here and Now- Satori. I loved to compete because when I was on the mat, I was not thinking about my school work, girl problems, etc. I became focused on the present moment.
To me, being in the Present Moment, here and now, represents the Zone. I'm sure athletes share this common experience with me. This tunnel vision results from a moderate amount of arousal or anxiety. It can be harmful the tunnel vision becomes extreme. This will close your mind to creativity and fluidity, both necessary components of Flow. But in the Zone you can still be self-conscious and aware of other people's evaluations and expectations.
Flow is the Zone, plus the relative absence of self & others consciousness. You and the experience become one and the same. In a sense, you lose yourself. This principle is by no means new. Many cultures all over the world have known about this concept for thousands of years, not the least of which being the Eastern cultures and the principle of Zen.
As stated above, a major prerequisite of Flow is the loss of one's ego. Listen to how Dr. David Lieberman describes this IDEAL STATE as he calls it:
"Your ideal state of mind is to have no ego and this is achieved by focusing solely on your objective. This will allow you to be unconcerned with how you are coming across and help you avoid second-guessing yourself. If you are absorbed with your objective, the "I" or the ego disappears and you can pursue your goal relentlessly. Focus only on the outcome, not on yourself."
Surely when Dr. Lieberman speaks of focusing on your objective, he means focusing on executing your mission, not on how to do it, and certainly not on winning. When you watch McElwain and Jordan below, they are achieving Flow by thinking about making baskets, not on winning the game. The winning is a byproduct of making baskets.
Letting Go and Trusting your instincts is another important part of attaining Flow. A common complaint among athletes is that they perform better in practice than in a match or a game. I believe that this phenomena of a "practice room wrestler" is due to the fact that in practice it is easier to LET GO. In practice, these athletes attain, if not, come closer to attaining Flow. They may experience tunnel vision to an optimal extent, not to the extreme. Fluidity and creativity is maintained as one is loose and relaxed with their muscles. Being too in the Zone would create extreme tunnel vision, and overall narrowing of the vision. This is likely what happens when a "practice room wrestler" competes, due to over arousal.
I do not know if there are different levels of Flow and if exists along a continuum, but I would have to believe this is at least somewhat the case. Either way, it seems the more into Flow one becomes, the better.
So if in practice an athlete can come closer to Flow, they will probably perform better (better not in terms of wins or losses, but rather in terms of competing to their potential). If its easier to Let Go in practice, then it logically follows that the athlete will be more into Flow and thus perform better.
A more technical name for Flow is what Sport Psychologists call Ideal Peak Performance State (IPPS). They say there are 7 characteristics of IPPS.
(1) Total Concentration (focused on the Here and Now. Living in the present moment).
(2) Clear Goals (the clear objective we spoke of earlier)
(3) Lack of Self-Awareness (loss of the ego and audience and audience evaluations).
(4) Unambiguous Feedback (Clearly seeing things as they are. Also includes no value judgements of good or bad associated with actions. Not thinking, yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come).
(5) Sense of Control (In a sense that the person is competent enough to perform the task, the task must be a challenge, neither over challenging or under utilizing the person's present skills) It is a little bit of a stretch of the persons current skill level, hence it is within their control, and the person is aware of this .
(6) Autotelic (Self-Goals) Experience (Intrinsic Motivation, the process becomes its own reward)
(7) Transformation of Time (Which some report, make time seem to slow down during the task, but paradoxically seems fast once the task is over).
How Does it feel to be in Flow? (basically corresponds with the 7 characteristics of Flow):
1. Completely involved in the experience. Focus and concentration.
2. Sense of ecstasy. Greater than normal.
3. Inner clarity. Knowing what needs to be done and how to do it.
4. Sense of Control (we spoke of just above).
5. Sense of Serenity (loss of ego and evaluations)
6. Timelessness (Happens in a flash, things fly by).
7. Intrinsic Motivation (we spoke of before).
My girlfriend Danielle, an Exercise Science and Sport Management major at Rutgers University, made me look at it from a different perspective. Think of an lion tacking a gazelle. Watch any animal attack on youtube and you see a sort of effortlessness that occurs. Animals are instinctive. They are in the present moment, as they have no concept of past or future. There is no higher order thinking going on. No consideration to how they look or how others perceive them. They are single minded in their pursuit of their objective. I wonder what implications this has on people with mental disabilities. Consider Jason's story below. I have heard many stories of people with mental disabilities and how powerful they can be when they get mad. They concentrate all their energy into the present moment and are single minded in their pursuit of an objective without ego or worry of evaluation. I wonder if Jason's story has anything to do with that, I don't know.
So if this is a natural/innate process, why is it so rare for humans to achieve? It's probably a trade-off of the higher order brain we have (which includes self-conscious) combined with our learned social awareness (norms, praise and critique, and modern concepts of success-based on winning and achievements). Indeed it is necessary to have a mind that's counterproductive to Flow at times. We must think about the future, so we know how to act in the present. We must learn from the past, to continue doing the things that led us to success and to not repeat our errors. This adaptive mental process leads our mind to sometimes stray from the Here and Now, as in performance settings, where such a mindset is desirable. We are exposed to value judgements since were born. We're told what is good and what is bad. We are praised and rewarded for doing good, while being ridiculed and punished when we do bad. We learn about value judgements and social desirability early and the rewards and punishments that go along with it. It's no wonder we think in terms of good and bad, right and wrong. It is hammered into our head since birth. This is counterproductive in a performance setting. Thinking of others opinions and judgements of us while performing diverts our minds out of a clear and alert state necessary for staying in the present moment and achieving Flow.
Another thing Flow made me think of is a specific part of the Da Vinci Code. As Professor Langdon asked Sophie is she remembered anything ritualistic in nature that her grandfather partook in. And then the screen shows a flashback of two people having sex in front of a group of people in a ritualistic manner. In the movie, they said women were seen by many as a route to God. Could this be because sex is another act where self-transcendence and the Flow state is possible. What's more is that it's something almost every adult can relate to.
Check out these articles on the coveted state of Flow (click the links)
Also, keep in mind that there is no distinction made between the Zone and Flow. Remember what we talked about as you read.
Shambhala Sun- In the Zone: The Zen of Sports
Scholarly Articles on Flow (Click Links)
If We Are So Rich, Why Aren't We Happy, Relating Cramming and Flow, The Flow Experience, Flow Among Jounalists, Flow at Work, Relationships Among Goal Orientations, Motivational Climate, and Flow, Flow In A Team Setting, Flow and Music Students, Flow & Creativity in Music, Psychological Skils, Performance, & Flow, Team Innovation & Flow, Flow & Recreation, Effects of Hypnosis on Flow, Flow- A Theory, Maximizing Flow in Sports, Flow & Motorcycling, Motivation, Flow, & Personality, Encouraging Creativity: Flow & Motivation, Flow- A General Context, Flow in P.E., Propensity & Flow, Motivation & Flow in P.E., Constructing Challenges to Find Flow, Development of Scales on Flow, Religious Orientation & Flow, Pre-shot Routine & Flow, Psychophysiology of Flow, Playing In the Zone, Flow in Schools, Flow & Computer Games, Measuring Flow of Web Users, Online Behavior: Assessing Flow, Going with the Flow, Flow & Organizational Psychology, Measuring Flow in Online Games, Pre-Competitve Anxiety & Flow, Flow & Consumer Behavior, Flow & Hiking, Locus of Control & Flow, Hypnosis, Flow, & Basketball, Flow & Kata, Flow & Art Making in Cancer Patients, Video Game Flow, Flow & Online Environment, Attentional Strategies, Perceived Exertion, & Flow, Flow Theory & Coaching Psychology, Flow, Family, & Soccer, Potential & Job Complexity and effects on Flow, Frame, Flow, & Reflection as Public Liminality, Flow Theory & Video Games, Flow & Engagement, Creating Flow in Game-Based Learning, Flow of Software Development, Presence & Flow in Virtual Reality, Participation, Engagement, & Flow, Flow & Internet Shopping, Maintaining Concentration to Achieve Task Completion, Triggers of Extraordinary Experiences, Television Addiction, Assessing Mindfulness,
Flow caught on tape! (click the links)
FLOW 1
1992 NBA Finals Game 1. Michael Jordan scored a finals record of 35 points in the 1st half. This included six 3-pointers, another record. Watch Jordan's face throughout the video. He does not get excited, he simply keeps doing his thing. Only after his 6th 3-pointer do we see him finally show emotion and reflection of the situation- he shrugs his shoulders, as if to say I don't know how this is happening. This is Flow:
FLOW 2
Autistic student, Jason McElwain was the team manager for his high school basketball team. The last game of the season, his coached allowed his to dress. With two minutes left in the game, the coach gave Jason the signal to go in. After 2 missed shots, Jason McElwain does something extraordinary. He attained Flow. He made the next 6 shots in a row. Watch this clip and see what I'm talking about. He makes 3 in a row and its very exciting. And then it starts to get freaky, as he makes 3 more. It's a little bit scary to watch someone in this Flow state because for a little while, potential is reached and self-transcendence is achieved.
Jason illustrates how Flow is not exclusive to anyone, or any group of people.
This video makes me think of a quote I heard a long time ago by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
While it may not be possible to will a Flow state, it is my firm belief that you can facilitate it, and thus make it more likely to happen.
Steps to facilitate Flow-
* Practice Trusting your abilities.
[Know there is a difference between Training and Trusting. Training is analysis of behavior and technical awareness. Trusting is the act of Letting Go and allowing your instincts to take over. Both are necessary to become successful. Remember the timeless wisdom, you need to practice the way you want to play. This means if in a game you want to be in a Trusting mode, you must spend time in practice actually practicing Trusting. Dr. Bob Rotell recommends if you are a golfer you practice 70% of your shots in a Trusting Mindset. You can apply that theory to any sport or trade.]
* Practice Letting Go of Your ego and Value Judgements (good vs. bad, right vs wrong) in Sports...and in Life. Just see things as they are. [Note- This does NOT apply to your morals.]
* Practice staying in the Present Moment and having an alert yet clear mind. [Watch the movie Peaceful Warrior to get a better sense of this.]
Are some people more predisposed to the Flow state based on their personality type?
Based on Myers and Briggs Type Indicator of Personality, there are 4 different personality types, with 4 subgroups of each type, making 16 total personality types.
One of the personality types- The Artisan (SP) seems to have a predisposition for the Flow state since these people by personality definition are Sensing (S) meaning Down to Earth and grounded; and Perceiving (P) meaning more likely to go with the flow. By Dr. David Keirsey's interpretation, these Artisans are, more than other personality types, in the Here and Now, an important component of Flow. The do not need to be taught this. Interestingly enough, these tend to be people who have little use for subjects like psychology that require reflection on their actions. Artisans tend to prefer action to contemplation. Sounds like that would help facilitate Flow doesn't it? Keirsey adds that more than any other type, Artisans are most (1) comfortable in their bodies (less self awareness), (2) most optimistic, (3) live and act in the present (as we already said), (4) masters of timing and graceful movement, (5) best able to respond quickly and flexibly to a changing environment, (6) unlike others, their public performance improve the more excited they get, (7) can spot things that give them an edge, where others can't, at least not with the same accuracy. These Flow facilitators, along with the other natural abilities their personality grants them, make them seem to be predisposed for Flow and in a way built for performances. You be the judge by this brief list of Artisan Athletes: Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bruce Lee, Lance Armstrong, Hulk Hogan, Mickey Mantle, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, Stephen Abas, Usain Bolt, Ben Askren, Shaquille O'Neil, Allen Iverson, Jimmy Connors, Greg Louganis, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Mary Lou Retton, Yogi Berra, Matt Valenti, Joe Dubuque, Darrion Caldwell, Dennis Rodman, Michael Phelps, Carly Patterson, John Smith, Terry and Tom Brands, Terrell Ownes, Deion Sanders, Gene Mills, etc.
A Diet to help you get into Flow? I don't know how I feel about this. Either way it's worth posting. Both articles are about Dr. Barry Sears' controversial Zone Diet theory.
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