How to Improve Your Focus

 

By Daniel Coyle

Focus is the holy grail of modern life. It’s rare. It’s powerful. And it’s tough to find.
Not for lack of trying. To improve focus, most of us use a common-sense method: we actively remind ourselves to do it. Coaches yell it from the sidelines — Come on, focus! Parents instruct their homework-doing kids — Stop texting and just focus! We talk to ourselves — Focus now! 

The problem is, that method usually doesn’t work. Urging focus is sort of like kicking the tires of a car that won’t start. It feels satisfying, but it doesn’t fix the underlying problem, which is that our brains crave the steady-state of comfort, not the effort of focus.
So the real question is, how do you nudge people out of their default setting? How do you design learning environments that tilt people toward focus?

I was thinking about this last weekend when we went to Chicago and rode bikes along the lakefront, that wide, paved stretch that fronts Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful day, so the lakefront was packed with hundreds of bikers, skateboarders, rollerbladers, joggers, and kids, everybody zipping in and out at high speed. Then we noticed something strange: no guardrails.

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Are Elite Athletes Ready to Fail?

What if failure and winning go hand in hand similar to peanut butter and chocolate? At first glance it appears to be an odd match. So many highly talented athletes needed to experience failure in order to become great. Whether it is in sports, business or life, failure is necessary for the really BIG goals.

Failure has a purpose:

• Deepens commitment
• Offers invaluable lessons
• Leads to course corrections
• Builds resiliency
• Learns how to cope with adversity

No one likes a sore loser. The ability for athletes to fail gracefully is admirable. It lights your fire to deeply commit to excellence.

Lance Arnstrong was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer in the prime of his career. To discover his testicular cancer had spread to his lungs and brains was shocking. This would have been the end for many of us. Then he had to battle cancer not once but twice.

Because of his experience Armstrong quickly reset his priorities. Mindset. Armstrong was forced to release old beliefs which would free him up for greater achievements. His health failure led to innovation. Suddenly his world, as he knew it, didn’t exist anymore. The old beliefs transitioned into stepping stones for a new higher level of commitment. His entire approach to cycling, racing and life transformed.

Lance Armstrong states, ”I can now say that my life is better because of my cancer experience.

Though I wouldn’t wish it for anyone, I believe I appreciate my life in a completely new and better way because I faced cancer and was lucky enough to survive.”

Athletes and coaches have it all wrong. You don’t want to view failure as the end result. A stopping point. Viewing it from a black and white perspective of good or bad is limiting.

When coaches, parents and teams judge success solely from their wins, they are missing the bigger picture. This narrow view boxes you in. When the focus is only about winning you are robbed from taking risks.

Why take risks? Because it influences change. Experimentation, along with risk-taking, lead to innovation. Combining what you know along with the unknown expands your belief of what is possible. Successful athletes refuse to settle for mediocrity. It is the excitement of pushing the envelope, exploring the limits of your capabilities, which redefine you.
Risk taking, being innovative, frees up your energy.

• Embrace change
• Act despite fear
• Trust in others, and in yourself.
• Honesty about limiting beliefs
• Shedding excuses

Take a new perspective. Become innovative. Just like a scientist search for the solution to your biggest challenge. The field. The court. The rink is your laboratory. Be receptive to testing new approaches during practice. Next develop the right combination of mindset, skill set and action to build toward breakthrough performance. How would that change things for you?

Even at NASA, after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, their researchers adopted a new mindset. They are now excited about failure. Playing it safe led to mistakes which slowed down progress. The new protocol encourages failure. While testing experimental spacecraft they actually cheer when a multi million dollar test rocket explodes. It is seen as being innovative.

Pushing the envelope to set new world records requires risk. Risk requires innovation. So I challenge you to crush your old meaning of failure. It will set you apart from the rest of the competition. Why wait for someone else to set the standard when you can claim it first?

Take a bold stance to discover your ideal approach. Be creative. Make it fun. Access your intuition and listen to your gut. Liberate yourself from the standard, the usual and customary to become a high performing athlete.

Become an innovative athlete; it’s okay to be scared. Although many athletes don’t recognize it they are highly creative. Conforming to the rules just goes against the nature of creative personalities. What is exciting is experiencing ongoing transformation, the game of innovation. When you can wrap your head around this mindset, you will blow the competition away.

Challenge: Make the decision to be innovative. What would that look like in your sport? How would that free up your creative energy to try something new? List all the fearful thoughts preventing you from taking risks, possibly failing. How does it feel to do something if you’re unsure of the outcome? Close your eyes and see yourself taking action despite the fear. How was that? Now close your eyes again and see yourself taking that same action with no fear. How was that different? My challenge for you is seeing yourself taking action with no fear over and over again in your mind’s eye until you believe it is possible.

Would you like to push the envelope and be more creative but the thought of being judged by your teammates, your coach or your friends is stopping you? Deep down you know there have been opportunities for you which you would have liked to take but didn’t because you avoid conflict. So when you see other athletes, who are not as talented as you, gaining momentum you wonder why that is occurring.

The Expert Sports Performance System is an easy step-by-step process helping you to focus your energy on high performance, building your confidence to give you a winning edge. Winners act with speed. If you are reading this and it feels true for you, then get in touch with Loren for a FREE Discovery Session at info@expertsportsperformance.com  

To watch the video click the link: http://expertsportsperformance.com/are-elite-athletes-ready-to-fail/#ixzz1viwQUM2w

Athletes Conquer Concentration Obstacles – Part 2

Serious competitive athletes realize there is no room for distraction if they want to win events.  Developing laser focus is possible, can be done and is necessary for reaching your BIG goals. When you are training for high performance unbreakable concentration is required. Consciously training your mental game provides you an edge over your competition.

Beth, a triathlete developing her race strategy for the season, decided to take on a big challenge. Although it felt like a significant leap, she decided to train in order to win a qualifying spot for the Kona Ironman. Stepping up to this challenge required a tighter training plan, self confidence to achieve her goals and unshakable determination.

One thing Beth knew about herself was how easily she is distracted. She quickly becomes bored, gets sidetracked and doesn’t always manage her time well. To meet her challenge to qualify for an Ironman required strong, focused concentration.

Some strategies Beth used to improve her concentration included:

• Boundaries – Learning what easily distracted her focus. Identifying the conversations she had with her team, the people she spent time with on race day and the strength of her personal boundaries. Removing herself from all negativity prior to the start of the triathlon minimized external distractions.
• The Warm-up – She developed a mental game warm-up to improve concentration. A mental dress rehearsal for transitions, then detailed visualization of each leg in the triathlon and mindset exercises to manage her adrenaline.
• Self-talk – High performance requires a positive focus. The plan was to focus on her strengths. Laser Focus –Her eye placement affected her focus. Beth trained her vision. Focusing on pre-selected target points for each leg of the triathlon was part of her race strategy.
• Presence of mind – Minds wander even when meditating. Once Beth noticed her attention wavering, her job was to re-focus to the task at hand. Acknowledging the distraction and then letting go of the thought requires practice. Setting personal challenges during the event improves concentration.
• Refocus skills – Beth developed reminder phrases to bring her back into the moment when her focus would stray.

As Beth’s concentration improved she shaved off time during her first triathlon of the season, setting a new PR. She strengthened her commitment to qualifying for the Ironman. She believed it was possible.

Read more: http://expertsportsperformance.com/athletes-conquer-concentration-obstacles-part-2/#ixzz1txYbV6PU

Tip of the Day

Athletes often feel anxious because of the constant threat of being judged. Thoughts must be directed toward what the athlete can control. Paul Dennis, PhD

4 tips to improve trust and performance in competition

Do you (or athletes you coach) excel in practice, but
freeze up in competition and don’t perform freely?

Are you unable to perform spontaneously and relaxed when
performing in competition?

If not, don't fret. Help is here...

Trying to be perfect or over controlling your game
(what I call lack of trust) in competition is a common
challenge in my work with athletes.

It happens most to athletes who love to practice and
improve. But when it comes to competing, they suddenly
lose trust in their skills perform tentatively.

Here’s the kicker...

Theses are the same skills you perform with ease and
confidence in practice.

Athletes lose trust and confidence in their skills
for different reasons including:

* Worry too much about your competitors;

* Being too over analytical with your skills;

* Lose co nfidence when you enter competition;

* Trying hard to learn a new technique and haven't
quite gotten it yet?

* Or you're a perfectionist and feel that your
performance isn't perfect enough to do well?

Why is it important to trust your physical skills and
abilities?

Trust helps you take your practice game to competition.

And if you have high confidence in your skills, this
leads to greater trust.

What is trust in your skills?

Trust is letting go of consciously controlling your
learned skills. It’s relying what you have already
grooved in practice.

**4 tips to help improve trust in your skills for
competition:**

1. Do better with leaving practice on the practice
field, and learn to trust in what you practiced that
week.

2. Become a performer in competition and "let it
happen." Keep your performance simple : See the ball
and hit it; react.

3. Perform in the here-and-now. Let go of worry about
results or outcomes.

4. Stop analyzing mistakes and trying to “fix what’s
wrong” during competition. Find a way to get it done
without worrying about how to get it done.

Want to learn all my secrets for improving trust in
competition and performing with a fearless mindset?

My most popular CD program in The Confident Athlete
Series, “The Fearless Athlete: A 14-Day Plan for
Unbeatable Trust,” helps you do just that.

You can read more about how to take your practice game
to competition with high trust here:

http://www.peaksports.com/the_fearless_athlete.php

Elite Athletes Successfully Conquer Distractions

Article comes from Expert Performance!

This article also has a great video, please click here to view!

Most athletes who train to compete spend most of their time preparing for ideal situations. Well if you have been competing long enough you know that eventually you will hit a perfect storm. I’m not talking about where everything works out just as you expected. What I mean is you are going to experience the unexpected, challenging your ability to maintain focus during your event.

It is during these tough challenges when the best athlete truly wins. Let’s face it, optimal performance is easier during ideal conditions. When events begin to unravel, that is when all your skills need to come into play. The athlete with the strongest mental game skills will prevail when faced with adversity. So what do you need to do now in order to strengthen your mindset?

What distractions do you face in your sport?

• Delayed starts due to weather conditions
• Playing against strong competitors
• Cheering from the sidelines
• A bad call from the referee

And then there are the comments made in passing, previously performing poorly in similar circumstances, having an off day or equipment malfunctions.

Before you can correct something, it is important to understand what throws you off. Awareness of distractions is a good starting point. Once you recognize where you become unnerved, lose focus and feel distracted then we can begin to make corrections.

• Mechanics – Some moves are so familiar you can do them in your sleep. Over-concentrating on the mechanical movements you already know actually slows you down. Your mind can’t think as quickly as your body can move. Thinking about the movements you’re familiar with is an indicator of low confidence.
• Fatigue – Our body continually sends signals of pain and fatigue. If you are actually injured then pay attention and don’t do anything to cause further injury. Fatigue, however, is something else. Focusing on how tired you feel only magnifies the feeling of fatigue. So check in and decide if you are having a good pain from exerting yourself or a bad pain from injury. Pushing through fatigue builds confidence, expanding your potential.
• Inner critic – Often the toughest competitor happens to be the critical thoughts going through your head. Battling the inner critic is energy draining. If you knew how much time you spent on negativity each day, you would be amazed.
• Past, present or future – Dwelling on the past or anticipating the future are distractions. It is impossible to undo what has already been done. Trying to be a fortuneteller often works against you. How often have you worried about something in the future? Either it led to a self-fulfilling prophecy or it was a lot of angst for something which never happened. Remaining in the present is the primary state of mind for optimal results.
• Sight and sound – Visual distractions are powerful. Your eyes are hard at work taking in an overwhelming amount of information. Much of what you see distracts you from being in the moment. Then there is the noise. The crowd or a passing comment can easily distract your focus from the task at hand.

Instead of continuing to be distracted by external factors, or your own spin on things, decide now is the time to toughen up.

Research has proven maintaining focus, regardless of the distractions, is a proven indicator of success. Train your mental game for a strong mindset, along with your physical training program for maximum results. Your hardiness, the ability to withstand unexpected challenges, is measurable. A strong commitment, self-control and optimal challenge combine to strengthen your mental toughness.
Challenge: Which of these distractions do you struggle with most? Choose to turn things around. Awareness of the distractions you face when competing is the first step. What were the thoughts, sights, sounds or other conditions which distract you the most?

Highlight the top 3, rank from 1 to 3. Beginning with #1, what are all the ways you can overcome that distraction? Pick the strategy which is easiest and will give results, even if it just moves the needle slightly in your favor that is a beginning. When will you begin? Set a date to try it out. Work your way down the list from 1 to 3.

Are distractions interfering with your performance? You have tried to tough it out, but found the results are not long lasting. You are working hard to overcome the obstacles, but the building frustration has taken a toll on your confidence.

The Expert Sports Performance System is an easy step-by-step process helping you to focus your energy on high performance, building your confidence to give you a winning edge. Winners act with speed. If you are reading this and it feels true for you, then get in touch with Loren for a FREE Discovery Session at info@expertsportsperformance.com  

Read more: http://expertsportsperformance.com/elite-athletes-successfully-conquer-distractions-part-1/#ixzz1stFx94ud

Elite Athletes Successfully Conquer Distractions

Most athletes who train to compete spend most of their time preparing for ideal situations. Well if you have been competing long enough you know that eventually you will hit a perfect storm. I’m not talking about where everything works out just as you expected. What I mean is you are going to experience the unexpected, challenging your ability to maintain focus during your event.

It is during these tough challenges when the best athlete truly wins. Let’s face it, optimal performance is easier during ideal conditions. When events begin to unravel, that is when all your skills need to come into play. The athlete with the strongest mental game skills will prevail when faced with adversity. So what do you need to do now in order to strengthen your mindset?

What distractions do you face in your sport?

• Delayed starts due to weather conditions
• Playing against strong competitors
• Cheering from the sidelines
• A bad call from the referee

To See Video plus more, Click Here!

Focus on the brain and rest will follow

From Website Combine360

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle.

How many times have you heard or said "practice makes perfect!"? We all know that, typically, the more times you perform a certain task, the better you get at it. In my work as a performance trainer and massage therapist I notice that when I explain to my athletes/clients what is happening in their brain when when we do a certain exercises or stretch, they show more confidence and focus on proper form and with more purpose. From the 8 yr. old who needs to work on coordination and fundamentals, to the the person who has hurt his/her back doing something that the body wasn't prepared to do, all the way to the elite athlete who wants to separate from the others, everyone wants to feel involved in their own fitness and well being.

The research surrounding Neuroplasticity is getting more fascinating each day. Some neuroscientist even believe that it is possible for the human brain to perfect a new task within as little as 7-8 days if trained properly! In a nutshell, Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. The key words there are "throughout life". No more excuses like " you can't teach an old dog new tricks". I want to challenge all of my C360 family to go and do your own research on Neuroplasticity and apply it to helping your athlete reach levels they thought they couldn't. Remember, if you think you know everything, then you know nothing! C360 sets the standard.

Military Fitness - On a Mission to save you - Mental Training

Great article to read about fitness and mental training, along with pushing through adversity!
You may want to read it more then once!

 
AMERICA IS 11 YEARS INTO THE LONGEST PERIOD OF WAR IN ITS HISTORY. THE MILITARY IS RELYING MORE ON ITS SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES TO CARRY THE FIGHT. In fact, Special Operations Command (SOCOM), which oversees units from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army, sent 13,000 men to 75 countries in 2011.

The typical enlisted special operator is 29 years old (34 for officers) and married with at least two kids. He has 8 years of experience in the general forces and earns around $70,000 a year. Incidentally, he has banged out about 40,000 pushups. (And you're worried about repetitive stress injuries?) He deploys more than ever, with annual tours lasting 6 to 8 months. His missions can range from black ops, like the raid that killed Osama bin Laden (a dozen such raids are conducted every night), to village stability operations, which involve tasks like building schools and training police.

Combat is debilitating, both physically and psychologically; yet having soldiers with combat experience is critical. As one Green Beret captain, who prefers to remain anonymous*, told Men's Health, "You want the old guy on your team, but not the old broken guy." That's why SOCOM initiated a performance program, which each service branch is customizing. The aims: Boost combat effectiveness for healthy soldiers and return wounded ones to full strength more quickly. Training a special operator costs about $250,000, and the military can't afford to lose guys because of injuries that develop from years of combat and outdated physical training. The program is a mind-body-spirit overhaul, treating elite soldiers as professional athletes. That's why civilian strength coaches, dietitians, and acupuncturists now rub shoulders with military psychologists, explosives experts, and drill sergeants.

Of course, the stakes on the battlefield dwarf those on the sports field: Suicide rates among active-duty personnel are higher than ever, and in early 2009, for the first time in history, more service members killed themselves than were killed in action. As Marine Corps vet Karl Marlantes writes in What It Is Like to Go to War, "Warriors must touch their souls because their jobs involve killing people. Warriors deal with eternity." To understand how the military is forging the modern warrior, and to learn from these men who must be both violent and sensitive, MH spoke with special operators in all four branches, and identified skills you can use every day, even if the only combat you engage in is the career kind.

*Many special operators want to remain anonymous, a preference that Men's Health respects by using only first names and identity-protecting photographs in this story.

1. Build a Combat-Ready Body

Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/mission-save-you?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-BL-_-MilitaryEliteFit#ixzz1q9CFi3z9

One Method Athletes Successfully Use to Eliminate Anxiety

Read more of these articles by Loren Here!

You have trained long and hard for this event. Today’s the big day. Your moment of truth. Will it all come together as you have dreamed?

Or will those doubtful nagging thoughts begin to appear, slowly chipping away at your confidence. Your anxiety rises as the time for your event approaches. The anxiety is so overwhelming making it difficult to focus. Nothing you do brings relief. These are the moments when the biggest hurdle is fighting down the waves of anxiety.

When I first began racing with my crew club at regattas, the hours and minutes leading up to my heat were excruciating. The intense anticipation always caught me off guard. The nervous energy running through my body made sitting still impossible.
Performance anxiety is experienced differently by each athlete. Physiological, mindset and emotional symptoms combine.

Physiological Symptoms

• upset stomach
• butterflies
• nausea
• sweating palms
• racing heart
• dry mouth
• shakiness

Mindset Symptoms

• easily distracted
• thoughts of fear, doubt and worry
• Mind blanks, blocks, freezes

Emotional Symptoms

• Fight, flight or freeze response
• Irritable
• Fear
• Inadequacy

Now this is where most sports psychologists will explore the different fears, doubt and worries contributing to your anxiety. Yes, those are all good and plausible. When you are in the moment it is too difficult to decide what is throwing off your focus.

Simply put either you are competing to win or competing to not lose. When your focus turns to thoughts about not losing it’s like unlocking Pandora’s Box. Suddenly the nasty thoughts are unleashed. Each thought building on the previous one.

Instead of spinning out of control, you can contain the momentum to turn it around. The Emotional Freedom Techniques is the ideal tool for catching those nasty thoughts, regaining control of your body and putting a lid on the anxiety.

The anticipation of the first race of the day was when I experienced the most anxiety. To calm my nerves I began tapping on the different meridian points. I didn’t care what anyone thought as they saw me tapping away. Initially I was tapping without saying anything because I was already keenly aware of my anxiety.

As I felt my mind, and my body, begin to calm I began adding reminder phrases to the tapping.

This nervous energy
Worried about rowing well.
Will I be able to stay strong in the race
What if I miss a stroke and catch a crab
I don’t want to lose
Once I felt centered I tapped a round of positive statements.
I’ve trained well for today
I am prepared
I’m in a boat with strong experienced rowers
I’ve done this before, I know I have what it takes


Right before my first heat as I was walking toward the bathrooms, silently tapping along the way, I was stopped by a rower from another club. She asked me if I was doing EFT, stating she had never seen someone tap in the open before. We talked for a couple minutes, sharing our experience with EFT. Then it was time for the race.

Feeling focused and confident, I climbed into my seat of the boat. We did some warm-up drills first. We had to wait longer than anticipated for our heat. Silently I did more tapping to maintain my focus. Finally, we lined up to race. I took some deep breaths, quieted my mind and prepared for the start.

Performance anxiety is difficult to manage under the best of circumstances. Understanding it’s cause is helpful, but not necessary. All you need to determine is if you are racing to win, or racing to not lose.

As an athlete, your anxiety is usually related to the thoughts of not losing. Use EFT as your secret weapon to relieve the anxiety. Tap as you acknowledge your thoughts. Then reframe with positive thoughts to refocus your energy. The Emotional Freedom Techniques is a fast, easy technique to conquer the negative thoughts.

Challenge: Does anxiety interfere with your performance when competing? List the thoughts which go through your head adding to your tension. Next list the things you would like to say to yourself instead which would raise your confidence. Now you have your tapping statements. First tap on all the negative thoughts to reduce their intensity, then tap on all the positive ones to anchor them in. Or if you like just follow along with me on the video as I do some tapping for performance anxiety.

Read This Book

From the Website "The Talent Code" One of my Top 5 favorite websites! 


 


For me, the best books are not the ones that come out of left field, dazzling you with their original genius.

No, the best books are ones that, the instant you read them, feel titanically obvious. The ones that take something right under your nose and show it to you in a way that makes the whole world pivot and seem fresh.

That’s why you should read The Power of Habit, By Charles Duhigg, who also happens to be a friend.  Here’s the thesis:

Habits — automatic loops of behavior, triggered by cues, nourished by rewards, driven by cravings — make up a large percentage of our behavior.

To control your life, it helps to understand how these loops operate — to control the cues, rewards, and cravings. In short, the same neural machinery that makes you reach for a jelly donut can also make you reach for the tennis racquet or the math book, or perform a certain skill better, or build a productive practice routine.

In the book, Duhigg gives the example of the champion swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps’s coach, the remarkable Bob Bowman, designed Phelps’s workouts as a series of strong, productive habits.
For example, each night Bowman would cue Phelps to “watch the videotape before you go to sleep and when you wake up.” There wasn’t an actual videotape — Bowman wanted Phelps to visualize himself performing every element of the perfect race. During practices, Bowman would have Phelps swim at race speed and tell him to “put in the videotape.”  Eventually, at races, Bowman would simply whisper, “Put in the videotape.” (We know what happened next.)

There’s a great deal more, but my main takeaway is the crucial importance of the central craving. Strong habits are not built around a vague desires, but rather around deep and powerful cravings that dominate our conscious and unconscious minds, our identities.

To build good habits, then, put the craving first and foremost. Figure it out. Define it. Nourish it. Do everything to ignite and support the craving, because the craving is the engine around which powerful, productive habits can be built.

As Saint-Exupery said, “If you want to build a ship, don’t assign people tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”