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Focus determines your Results
How many of you have big dreams and goals that you want to achieve with greater certainty!
Our unconscious mind makes up a huge 95% of our mind and our conscious mind only 5%. The unconscious mind stores data, memories and also all our beliefs, values and dreams. Being the majority shareholder, the unconscious mind will determine the results you get. Conflict often occurs when you consciously think you want something and your unconscious mind has other ideas – mainly because of its past programming based on the experiences you have had through-out your life. These experiences, particularly in your developing years, impact on your attitude, beliefs and values and even your identity.That is why sometimes you may have been motivated to strive for a new goal, small or big, and find yourself almost battling yourself and even self sabotaging.
I know I have in the past. It’s because the conscious mind decides on the goal, but the unconscious mind doesn’t believe in it, or one is focusing on the wrong things to get that goal. Perhaps you feel some kind of inner conflict – like part of me wants this really bad, but part of me doesn’t for whatever reason - it’s too hard, it’s scary, it means I don’t get that other thing I want. Perhaps you want to be an Olympian but part of you also wants to have a good time!!
Where are you focusing your attention and energy? What sort of pictures are you producing in your mind when you think about your goals? What sort of feelings do you get?Are you getting a clear and brilliant picture of what is you really really want? Do you do this every single time or perhaps you do it for the big goals and when it comes to the small goals you don’t have the same focus, or perhaps you even get pictures of what you don’t want.You see our unconscious mind responds to all the pictures and feelings we get whenever we are thinking. Bearing this in mind, then it definitely helps to think positive thoughts, to put these positive pictures, sounds and feelings into our mindset.
Often we think we have a positive goal, such as losing some weight, and if we focus on reaching a goal weight and get a picture of a new slim self, then it becomes empowering. Consider that same goal of losing weight, and the individual is motivated by ‘not being fat’. What is this individual thinking about? What picture is this individual creating in their mind? That’s right – it’s being fat.The mind does not understand the word ‘not’ or ‘don’t’ and only hears what comes after the negative word.
When you think about playing sport or achieving results in other aspects of your life, are you thinking about winning? Or are you thinking about not losing – and hence considering the possibility of losing?Who has ever told themselves “I hope I don’t stuff it up!!”? A key to creating better results in all areas of your life is to start thinking about what you do want, and how you want to show up, how you want to be.If you are generally motivated by fear, or what you don’t want, it is very difficult to get long lasting change.
Consider the yoyo dieter, motivated by the fear of being fat. While they are overweight, there is the motivation to do something about it – “don’t want to be fat, don’t want to be fat!!” As soon as the weight has come off, there is no further motivation to continue eating well and exercising. Instead the individual slips back into old habits and gradually the weight comes back on, until the critical point where the motivation kicks back in.Where are you doing this in your life? Consider the alternative ways of thinking going into a game. Are you “Away Motivated” by the fear of losing – if so the game takes on a roller-coaster ride experience? Or are you “Toward Motivated” by the love of winning and keep heading up to that goal? Where is your focus on match point?So it makes sense to focus positively towards what you want – to create positive pictures in your mind, and to have the right motivation to drive you forward and consistently to your end goal.
When challenges arise, become aware of where your focus is. Are you focused on the problem, on what is wrong? It can be more empowering focusing the solution, on what is right, and what can be learnt from a situation. By being continually aware of your own thought processes you can begin to be pro-active in where your attention is directed.Imagine yourself at training and you’re feeling a little sore, perhaps a bit tired or perhaps you’ve made a few mistakes. If these events take your focus, then you are unable to direct your attention to the important things i.e how are you executing the skills.You can take this further and create a daily focus for your training or whatever you are doing that day. If you have a meeting, what do you intend to focus on to get the desired outcome? Create some sense of purpose through this focus.
A champion has the ability to focus on what they want and on the important things that will lead to improvement and to results.In the long term, a champion has the ability to maintain focus on the end goal. Distractions may come in different opportunities and the true champion will persist and continue on until that goal is achieved. When you start honing your focus you will be amazed at what you can achieve. Think about what it is your really want and commit to it to create the opportunities that will assure it’s fulfillment.
Our unconscious mind makes up a huge 95% of our mind and our conscious mind only 5%. The unconscious mind stores data, memories and also all our beliefs, values and dreams. Being the majority shareholder, the unconscious mind will determine the results you get. Conflict often occurs when you consciously think you want something and your unconscious mind has other ideas – mainly because of its past programming based on the experiences you have had through-out your life. These experiences, particularly in your developing years, impact on your attitude, beliefs and values and even your identity.That is why sometimes you may have been motivated to strive for a new goal, small or big, and find yourself almost battling yourself and even self sabotaging.
I know I have in the past. It’s because the conscious mind decides on the goal, but the unconscious mind doesn’t believe in it, or one is focusing on the wrong things to get that goal. Perhaps you feel some kind of inner conflict – like part of me wants this really bad, but part of me doesn’t for whatever reason - it’s too hard, it’s scary, it means I don’t get that other thing I want. Perhaps you want to be an Olympian but part of you also wants to have a good time!!
Where are you focusing your attention and energy? What sort of pictures are you producing in your mind when you think about your goals? What sort of feelings do you get?Are you getting a clear and brilliant picture of what is you really really want? Do you do this every single time or perhaps you do it for the big goals and when it comes to the small goals you don’t have the same focus, or perhaps you even get pictures of what you don’t want.You see our unconscious mind responds to all the pictures and feelings we get whenever we are thinking. Bearing this in mind, then it definitely helps to think positive thoughts, to put these positive pictures, sounds and feelings into our mindset.
Often we think we have a positive goal, such as losing some weight, and if we focus on reaching a goal weight and get a picture of a new slim self, then it becomes empowering. Consider that same goal of losing weight, and the individual is motivated by ‘not being fat’. What is this individual thinking about? What picture is this individual creating in their mind? That’s right – it’s being fat.The mind does not understand the word ‘not’ or ‘don’t’ and only hears what comes after the negative word.
When you think about playing sport or achieving results in other aspects of your life, are you thinking about winning? Or are you thinking about not losing – and hence considering the possibility of losing?Who has ever told themselves “I hope I don’t stuff it up!!”? A key to creating better results in all areas of your life is to start thinking about what you do want, and how you want to show up, how you want to be.If you are generally motivated by fear, or what you don’t want, it is very difficult to get long lasting change.
Consider the yoyo dieter, motivated by the fear of being fat. While they are overweight, there is the motivation to do something about it – “don’t want to be fat, don’t want to be fat!!” As soon as the weight has come off, there is no further motivation to continue eating well and exercising. Instead the individual slips back into old habits and gradually the weight comes back on, until the critical point where the motivation kicks back in.Where are you doing this in your life? Consider the alternative ways of thinking going into a game. Are you “Away Motivated” by the fear of losing – if so the game takes on a roller-coaster ride experience? Or are you “Toward Motivated” by the love of winning and keep heading up to that goal? Where is your focus on match point?So it makes sense to focus positively towards what you want – to create positive pictures in your mind, and to have the right motivation to drive you forward and consistently to your end goal.
With all the ups and downs of my careers, I had one strong focus, of going to the Olympic Games. That dream started when I was 10 years old as a young gymnast, wanting to emulate the feats of Nadia Comaneci (that was 1976 for all you young people!) There was only really one time I felt like quitting, wondering whether it was really worth it, but in my heart I knew what I wanted. I had a strong picture of marching in the opening ceremony and competing. I wish now, knowing what I know about the focus and goal setting that I had dreamed of winning gold!!
When challenges arise, become aware of where your focus is. Are you focused on the problem, on what is wrong? It can be more empowering focusing the solution, on what is right, and what can be learnt from a situation. By being continually aware of your own thought processes you can begin to be pro-active in where your attention is directed.Imagine yourself at training and you’re feeling a little sore, perhaps a bit tired or perhaps you’ve made a few mistakes. If these events take your focus, then you are unable to direct your attention to the important things i.e how are you executing the skills.You can take this further and create a daily focus for your training or whatever you are doing that day. If you have a meeting, what do you intend to focus on to get the desired outcome? Create some sense of purpose through this focus.
A champion has the ability to focus on what they want and on the important things that will lead to improvement and to results.In the long term, a champion has the ability to maintain focus on the end goal. Distractions may come in different opportunities and the true champion will persist and continue on until that goal is achieved. When you start honing your focus you will be amazed at what you can achieve. Think about what it is your really want and commit to it to create the opportunities that will assure it’s fulfillment.
by Annette Huygens-Tholen, annetteffect
Published in "Spike Magazine" October 2007
Tags:
focus,
goals,
gymnastics,
mental skills,
motivation,
nadia comaneci,
olympics,
outcomes,
results,
sport psychology,
toward vs away,
unconscious mind,
winning
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Rob Robson
Chartered Sport & Exercise Psychologist