The Mental Side of Things

Great article by Rachael Cadden at http://crossfitnlp.com/_blog/Forging_Elite_Mindsets

SHIFT HAPPENS: Developing Your Potential with Mental Flow

Your potential lies within. It’s not on the whiteboard nor does it reside outside of you. Your potential is tapped into by recklessly abandoning what you thought you could do, be and achieve based on the noise and limits you placed on yourself and perhaps the need to impress others. It is extending your present skill level and developing your mental flow.

It is neurological (refer to previous “Hammering New Neurons” post). You have to create new-neural pathways by shifting what you think. Only you can decide this for yourself and you have the opportunity to practice it with every challenge or training. Decide to think differently and find your mental flow. Look for your ability, not your disability.

When you decide to shift your thinking, you create what I call in the athletes’ world “FLOW.” Flow is fluid. It’s not thinking “I suck at this” or “I can’t.” It focuses on your present strength, ability and skill level while tapping deep into your personal reservoir of potential and pulling from it to push through and challenge it to expand to your next level. You with me? Good!

I often hear my coach Lamarr’s words in my head; “find your rhythm.” I love this statement and it has everything to do with mental flow, digging deep and finding untapped potential to push on and bring your focus back when the physical and mental challenge extends and depletes what feels like very cell of your being. There is more to give. You find it in mental flow.

Here’s how to “flow” and maximize your potential and peak performance (can be applied to anything). So simple and often overlooked:

◦Believe you can. Simple and foundational. Be aware of your familiar thoughts; create mental flow of “you can.” Confidence is key. ◦Focus on YOUR performance, write YOUR story, not what others are doing or to have a great outcome on the board; Forget about everyone else during your execution. When you focus on what others are doing, it robs your energy, focus and mental flow.
◦Push through each rep with focus and intensity on the movement in front of you. Your attention is here at the present moment, beit on the bar or one spot that your eyes are fixed on, not on the next rep, challenge or sequence that is ahead. When you focus your eyes on one spot, you keep your mental focus in tact during challenging sequences and aids in pushing past limits instead of mentally “loosing” it.
◦Remove attention from comparing what or how others are doing and from the clock DURING your training. If you are motivated by the clock and it authentically pushes you to do more and doesn’t take away focus or energy, then you are the exception here; for others, looking at the clock takes away focus, mental flow and energy which takes seconds, even minutes away.
◦Practice mental flow at every challenge or training. Check in with your thoughts. Shift accordingly. Like any development, you have to train and exercise the brain. Practice. Repeat.
Flow creates complexity and facilitates digging deep and finding your rhythm for increased athletic development and achievement by challenging your existing skill level.

Make your unthinkable, thinkable. Overreach. Extend yourself. Tap into all your potential and find your flow.