There isn’t a lot of difference between YOU and Virat Kohli.
Both of you are required to perform at your highest levels continually. People higher in the food-chain expect you to produce the best results and questions are asked when you slip up.
And that’s where athletes like Kohli have it easy to a certain extent. As an athlete, you get:
- Multiple off-season vacations throughout the year
- Decent salary that’s on par with most C level executives
- Endorsement fees from sponsor brands (EXTRA money)
- Praise from the press when you perform and nasty criticism when you don’t perform
On the other hand, as a modern knowledge worker, life isn’t that easy.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a doctor, corporate executive or an entrepreneur. You are still under the same amount of scrutiny but you are expected to perform at your best 365 days a year.
You may escape media’s scrutiny temporarily but as you move higher up the ladder, the media and the investors will come down at you for even the slightest slip-ups.
Just like how top Athletes like Kohli prepare themselves for peak performance through rigorous training, it’s imperative that you condition your mind for peak performance.
Your physical training doesn’t have to be that hard but your mental training needs to be rigorous. That’s the only way you can perform day in and day out without slipping up.
Preparing your mind for peak performance begins with your thoughts, habits and certain actions you take. That’s what feeds your mind and makes it healthy or unhealthy.
With that said, here are a few key strategies to condition your mind for peak performance…
Become Aware Of Your Thoughts:
Almost 90% of thoughts that we think are the same thoughts as the ones that we thought yesterday. Only 10% of the thoughts we think are new and different from yesterday. Thoughts have a natural tendency to become habitual and inflict a deep impression on our psyche.
There are many people who have been conditioned to negative thinking from a very early age. There are others that develop negative attitudes towards certain things through their experiences.
And this is a HUGE problem. Here’s why…
If you have certain kinds of negative attitudes and beliefs, there’s a strong chance that they’re unconsciously affecting the way you behave in your current environment.
Even if you earnestly try to change them, you’ll still return to your old ways.
Remember:
- Only 10% of the thoughts you think on a day to day basis are NEW – the ones you consciously choose,
- 90% are just a mere repetition from yesterday – from your subconscious.
The only way to break out of this cycle is to start paying attention to your thoughts. You have to become aware of your thought process and slowly monitor the kind of thoughts that you think.
By paying attention and becoming aware of the unconscious thoughts that pop up every now and then, you will be able to replace them with newer supporting thoughts.
Be Committed To Break-Free:
Once you become aware of the non-supportive thoughts, it’s time to begin replacing them with other positive, supportive thoughts. Replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones is SIMPLE but NOT easy.
If your thoughts have strong emotional feelings attached to them, your mind will prevent you from breaking them. It will play all sorts of games.
In order to successfully break-free and plant the right thoughts, you need to be sincere and committed to the process. Retreating isn’t an option.
When you notice a negative or non-affirming thought in your head, choose to change it. We all have the capability to choose our thoughts.
You have the power to change a negative thought into a positive one. By switching your negative thought to a positive one each and every time, you will eventually create new thought patterns and habits.
Again, this method is SIMPLE but not easy. It works very well. But it’s a matter of sticking to it one hundred percent of the time.
In no time at all, you’ll realize that the old negative thoughts do not influence your mind anymore.
Align Your Thoughts And Emotional State:
The brain is heavily responsible for how we feel from the inside and the actions that we take. It begins with your thoughts which creates your feelings which causes you to act which in turn leads to results.
You might tell yourself, “I will do X”. But if you don’t feel like doing X in the moment, you will never be able to get yourself to do it. You’ll just procrastinate.
It’s important to prepare yourself in such a way that you actually feel like doing X. The best way to do this is to align your thoughts with your emotional state.
One of the most effective ways to create this alignment with your thoughts and emotional state is through activities such as meditation, cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming, etc.
If you are serious about turning things around and becoming a peak performer, go here right now…
Strategy Call
Working with a professional coach who can listen to your frustrations non-judgmentally and support you can help you get results faster.
Besides working with clients 1 on 1, I also engage with corporate teams through my Group Wellness Coaching Sessions. Through these sessions, your team will learn how to make powerful changes to their current lifestyle so they tremendously improve performance.
In my personal Intervention, I will teach them how to…
- Prepare their mind for peak performance
- Create a powerful action plan to increase their energy levels
- Co-operate more efficiently towards company goals
Are you an executive who’s looking to increase your team’s overall productivity? Then go here right now to get in touch with me…
Strategic Intervention
Yours Sincerely,
Satish Rao
PS: If you find this article helpful, I’d appreciate if you can spread the message with your friends and co-workers.