Being as Focused as #84

It’s should come as no surprise that I’m a huge football fan; no, that I’m a huge Pittsburgh Steeler’s fan. I bleed black and gold. Today was a great game against the Cincinnati Bengals, our rivals. And what a tough game it was, with both teams pushing and swinging before the game started!

I am always so amazed at how focused players can be, particularly wide receivers when they run down the field and catch the ball in the most inopportune times. The hottest WR now happens to play for my team – # 84 (Antonio Brown). Today was no exception as he caught pass after pass, one of them in the middle of 5 defenders.

The concentration and focus he has is worth mirroring – think of how much you could get done if you never took your eyes off your ‘ball’ – the goals and ideas you have. Think of how much progress and successes you could have if you disciplined yourself enough.

One technique professional athletes use is that of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) which utilizes your senses in stopping or starting habits. Our visual field is the most powerful we have; anything we create in the mind can be achieved if we played the ‘movie’ over and over again. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Number 84 visualizes himself running and catching the football and in all types of plays; Michael Phelps uses this as well. If it works for them it can work for you, too.

• Start small on a goal or an idea you would like to be successful at; write it down in great detail, leaving nothing out
• Take some time where you are away from distractions, perhaps in a quiet room inside your house or a place outside – anyplace that you feel comfortable and that allows you to feel relaxed. Put on some music or light some candles if you like
• Now, visualize the goals or scenario you wrote down. See the environment you’re in, other people involved, what you are wearing, and the final outcome. Allow yourself to also feel the emotions that go along with your ‘movie’ as this will make those scenes more intense which imprint in the brain

The more you visualize, the better you become in recreating the scenario which then becomes actionable. You will have more success when you do take action. Remember, the more you do, the better you become. We won today, keeping our playoff hopes alive. A seventh ring would be sweet!

If you’d like help using NLP and moving forward on your goals, contact us today for your Complementary Discovery Session to get started: http://www.cyscoaching.com