"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
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
success?
"Success is a journey, not a destination." Arthur Ashe
I do not really like the word success. Usually I associate it with an accomplishment or outside accolades. This quote by Arthur Ashe reframed the meaning for me. Success is the process. Yes, results matter and they are temporary. How am I living the process?
I have been reading the caringbridge site for a beloved local man in hospice care. The testimonies are about how he lived his life, not what he did. Why is that so hard to remember day-to-day? When I recently told a colleague I am thinking my purpose is to "celebrate the art of living", she challenged me. "it is not big enough," she said. I do not agree -- living in the present, with gratitude, while celebrating life --- that is a life-time of challenge.
I do not really like the word success. Usually I associate it with an accomplishment or outside accolades. This quote by Arthur Ashe reframed the meaning for me. Success is the process. Yes, results matter and they are temporary. How am I living the process?
I have been reading the caringbridge site for a beloved local man in hospice care. The testimonies are about how he lived his life, not what he did. Why is that so hard to remember day-to-day? When I recently told a colleague I am thinking my purpose is to "celebrate the art of living", she challenged me. "it is not big enough," she said. I do not agree -- living in the present, with gratitude, while celebrating life --- that is a life-time of challenge.
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