MAINTAINING COMPETITIVE FOCUS, Part 3

Switching Allegiances

IN A PREVIOUS POST ON THIS TOPIC, I talked outlined a number of problems that often take us out of competitive focus, providing the example of Jay, the team captain.  It is the exceptional athlete who doesn’t find that he loses his focus at least some of the time. As with Jay, so with most athletes – a closer examination reveals that it isn’t so much a matter of losing focus as it is of our focus being re-directed.  In Jay’s case, he found his focus being directed to concerns with his coach, or with pro scouts in the stands, or with what he worried his teammates might be thinking about him.

There are a number of ways to get back on task when this happens, and you might have found some ways that work for you.  In general, successful ways to re-focus involve not only directing your thoughts away from something (the distraction), but directing them towards something else (the task at hand).

To be successful, the (positive) thing you want to direct your thoughts towards has to be more compelling than the distracting thing that is commanding your attention at the moment.

The captain of another team reported experiencing problems in refocusing after finding herself frustrated during games in which her team was losing. She reported wanting to have more control over situations relating to her role as an experienced player on an otherwise rookie team. Seeing her teammates make errors which would cost them the game was getting under her skin.  After dealing with this problem for some time, she came upon a creative solution.

I am rather proud of my re-focusing strategy, primarily because I found it all on my own, and also because it works. One night as we were lined up by our bench, standing facing the scoreboard while the national anthem was being played, it came to me.  I focused on the scoreboard, and below where the scores are indicated, I noticed an “Enjoy Coca Cola” sign. That’s when I said, “Ah-hah, that will be my cue.  Since I’m always looking up to the scoreboard during the game, why not benefit from it!

So each time I felt frustrated (or more like swearing, and losing my cool) I’d look up and see “ENJOY” printed there as a reminder to – above all – enjoy myself.  Even if the score indicated a trouncing, there would be the rest of the board telling me … just enjoy the game! Much to my delight, this strategy, to this very day, is most effective.”

Human emotions are such that we cannot experience joy and frustration at the same time (just as one cannot be relaxed and anxious at the same time) so the decision to focus on enjoying the game has the consequence of blocking frustration as an alternate response to the same situation.  So once you have found a compelling focal thought which is positive and energizing, it will more or less take over your mind, leaving no room for the worrisome thoughts that were previously de-railing your focus.

And THAT is the thought to which you want to maintain allegiance.    

© 2008 by Dr. Mitchell Smith.  All Rights Reserved.