Mnemonic games |
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Unconscious - By Lee StangWhenever I see a sporting event in which one of the participants seems to be having a great game or match; they can?t be stopped; make incredible plays or shots; I refer to that person as being ?unconscious.?Athletes are always looking for the ?in the zone,? experience. The performance where every thing clicks, time seems to be suspended; plays or shots are made with ease. Power and grace combine for a peak. Even a frustrated athlete like myself can become unconscious. I remember many years ago a group of us from work would get together about every six months and play basketball. I?m sure many of you can relate that when you compete with your co-workers you want to perform well. I am no exception. I remember this particular afternoon very well because I was ?unconscious.? I could not miss. Every shot I took went in the basket. Even shots that I had no business taking went in. No matter who was guarding me, I could not miss. A few months ago I had a similar experience on a work outing. I competed in a simulated sport game and again had an unconscious experience. Even though I had not performed this sport for a while, I performed it at a peak. I could not miss. Every shot I took was on the mark. The key to both of these experiences is that I was completely unattached to the result. Yes, I wanted to do good but I could accept it if I wasn?t. Since I had no attachment to the result, I was relaxed and this allowed me to get into a flow. I knew what I had to do and I did it. I remember very vividly the feeling of the flow. I was totally focused on the process but when it came time to execute it was automatic. I felt like I was almost in a trance. While I could hear those around me both competitors and spectators, it was like I was removed from their presence. I was totally aware of the present moment. I can remember in both instances being intensely focused on just the present moment, the present shot, the present play. If I made a mistake, I took in the feedback and put aside the past moment; quickly adjusting my process and producing more quality in my performance. The whole thing was almost like an out of body experience. I was there competing but I wasn?t there. I was totally in control but I was unconscious. I have had similar experiences when I was a softball coach. Of course the circumstances are not quite the same because when you coach sports, you must rely on someone else to perform also. I can remember certain games however, where I seemed to get in an unconscious state. Every coaching move I made during these games was correct. It was like an unconscious state, like there was some connection that I had tapped into that showed me what move to make next. We won every one of these games and they were all pressure games with huge consequences. As coach, I experienced similar feelings as when I was the athlete. I was detached from the result. I wanted to win badly but I did not need to. I was totally focused on the team and what it and I had to do. I coached the game with a present focus awareness and had the same feelings of being in control but being in a trance like state. I was aware of everything going on around me but I was in the flow. This same unconscious state can happen at work or in a business setting as well but it is even more difficult. It has happened to me before, but even more seldom. I can remember one period of time though in particular, where I had a reduced but extremely competent staff. We had an incredible amount of work to complete and over a period time we completed everything we had to in an outstanding fashion. And I remember in that period of time, while on the job, the same feelings that I described above. Obtaining the unconscious state of peak performance is difficult. It is about being in the flow but it is part of the rarified flow; a special peak part of the flow. It occurs when the four factors of the Winner?s CAFETM (self-control, positive attitude, present focus and winning effort) combine in a peak. Practicing these factors enhances the chance of becoming unconscious. We all can be unconscious. Why wait for peak performance to happen? Instead take action. Make peak performance a part of your life. Get in the flow. Lee Stang, personal success coach and motivational speaker, is founder and owner of LS2 Success Coaching. Lee?s coaching enables individuals to know how to win and how to be winners, producing the winning effort necessary to achieve peak performance in life or sports. He speaks on a wide variety of success topics and mental success techniques. Visit him on his website at http://www.LS2successcoaching.com While there sign up for his free monthly newsletter, The Winner`s ExTRA and receive a free ebook. Or email him at coach@LS2successcoaching.com All in the Perspective - by Sharon DavisToday I almost rented an office.I know, I know. How on earth could I ever consider giving up working at home? Well, I did say, ?almost?. But there are days when an office looks pretty darn good. Because I work from my home, there are distractions and demands placed on me that just didn?t exist when I worked outside of the home. Take today, for example. I was trying to work on a programming project that required my concentration. Of course, the kids are home from school for the summer and it seemed like every 5 minutes one of them needed me for one reason or another. ?Can I have another snack?? ?Watch me, Mommy!? ?But I?m DYING of thirst!? You know what I mean. I began to wonder how it would be for my husband to have to deal with these types of demands while trying to do his job. So, I started fantasizing about his workday: He works for the local phone company and drives one of those big trucks with the bucket that lifts him up to the tops of the telephone poles. I envisioned him up there in his bucket, needing to concentrate on which wire goes where- with the kids up in there with him. ?What?s that, Daddy?? ?Can I have a snack?? ?I have to go to the bathroom.? So then, I thought about when I used to work in an office. I imagined being at my desk, interviewing someone, when in walks my daughter, ?Mommy, will you play a game with me?? A stage whisper conversation ensues: ?Honey, I can?t play right now. I?m in the middle of an interview.? ?But you said you?d play a game with me, and that was like 50 HOURS AGO? ?I?ll play a game with you, but you need to wait patiently until I finish.? ?You NEVER want to play a game with me!? At this point, I?m smiling at my interviewee through gritted teeth while I give my daughter THE LOOK. What if I was a doctor? A surgeon? ?DON?T TOUCH THAT!? ?Mommy, would something bad happen if I accidentally dropped my gum in there?? Suddenly, my reverie is broken my 5-year-old loudly complaining, ?Mommy, Lauren burped and she won?t say ?excuse me?!? Ah well, I?ll just have to do that programming project some other time. I guess the things that are most rewarding about working at home can at times be the most annoying. It?s all in the perspective. ---------------------- Sharon Davis is the owner of 2Work-At-Home.Com, the Editor of the site`s monthly ezine, America`s Home and mom to two girls. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time. To subscribe to her free ezine, visit http://www.2work-at-home.com/subscribe.shtml Project index
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