Living Intentionally

"Ninety percent of the game is half mental." Yogi Berra

A friend recommended the book, Mind Gym. It is written by Gary Mack, a sport psychologist, about the inner game. It is helpful to be reminded how powerful our intentions can be. Once you reach a certain level of competency, the mental skills become more important for performance. I have 2 presentations this fall. When I think about either, I get nervous. I can hear fear's voice take hold, " Are you good enough?" "Do you have anything important to teach?"... So I have started to add a mental rehearsal to my preparation. I started by doing an exercise recommended by Mack, think of a time when you were performing at your best." Using that experience, I can recall how I felt. I imagine myself the day of the presentation. I feel myself performing at my best. Relaxed, open-hearted, and grounded. I can even imagine having a negative thought creep in and easily changing the mental channel back to my intention. Of course,I have to keep crafting my message and refining my stories. And it is fun to begin sketching in a positive story in my mind's eye.

"Learn to use your mind or your mind will use you. Actions follow our thoughts and images. Don't look where you don't want to go." Gary Mack