Performance = Capability + Behavior
That equation was highlighted in the book Legacy which describes the mental skills training and team building philosophy of the All Blacks Rugby Team. The emphasis on behavior is crucial because it seems to be the hardest part for most change or improve on. Most people are very good at creating goals or envisioning a better future, but are troubled with the space between goal intention and purposeful action. The book describes how each of... us operate within a public and private domains. The public domain in your training would be how you interact and utilize practices, workouts, and skill development training. The private domain is the one that is most challenging. That is where we need to confront our fears, limitations, stressors, and habits. When you are able to maximize your public and private domains it expands your performance potential. Today I would like to introduce the concept of Threat vs. Challenge. When confronted by an obstacle a person has two options. They can perceive the obstacle as a threat or as a challenge. Their choice has a big impact on their short-term performance and long-term resilience. The mental state associated with the perception of a threat is fear of failure. Fear of failure in most cases is restrictive in nature, detrimental to short-term success, and can lead to a mental model that produces patterned stress. Studies have shown an increase in blood pressure and decreased performance outcomes.
The mind readying for a challenge focuses on acheivement. Challenge is very much in line with P3 Thinking's Possibility. Challenges differ from threats in where they fall on the motivation continuum. Challenges are linked to more internal sources of motivation and increase our committment. Studies have shown the physicological response to a percieved challenge is more in-line with aerobic exercise rather than the sympathetically charged threat state. The best part about this skill like most of the skills we cover is that it is within your control to choose threat or challenge. See if the next time you have a difficult challenge at home, work, or the gym you are able to look at it as a challenge. The first step to crafting great New Year's Resolutions or goals is to check in and see where you are. A firm knowledge of your current baseline is an important starting point for growth.
A simple strategy is to rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 across on areas that are important to you. Common areas are fitness, professional, educational, nutrition, and financial. However it is just as important to include other areas such as social, emotional, or spiritual (spirituality often can be replaced by sense of purpose if one would prefer), since our well-being is connected to all areas of our life. Once you rate yourself the next step is to take the time to think about why you chose that rating for yourself at this time and date. I suggest taking the time to write a few sentences to reflect. Once that is complete think about what you could do to improve each rating. This offers the opportunity for additional reflection and insight while initiating the process of goal setting and purposeful action. The last step is to prioritize each domain and begin to work towards the most important to you. Once you have a goal utilize these strategies: 1.) Mental Contrasting. Take the time to contrast the benefits of achieving your goals with the obstacles that get in the way. This serves two purposes first it focuses people on realistic goals and secondly the obstacles provide areas to improve on. 2.) If-Then Thinking We covered this earlier but making specific plans that link actions and situations has a strong influence on goal attainment. For example "This year I will eat better" is vague. However "If I feel hungry at work today then I will eat an apple" actually primes your mind for purposeful action. 3.) Replace Old Habits It is much easier to replace old habits than to rid them permanently. Create new habits by doing the something different in the same in environment at the same time. The length of time it takes to build a successful habit depends on a lot of factors including the habit you've chosen and your personality, but two controllable factors effort and consistency are the first place to start. For example if you always eat junk food when your anxious it is easier to replace the junk food with a healthy snack. Or if you bite your nails come up with something that will allow you to use your hands like tapping. In both cases the cue (anxiety) and the reward (relief) remain the same but the routine is changed. 4.) Values One of the easiest ways to promote willpower and self control is to take the time to think of something that is important to you or you are grateful for. Just this little exercise can provide big results. |