5 Common Mental Blocks

[Guest guest]

These were posted over the weekend to 's 100Plus Helpin' board by

Heidi

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GETTING IN A " ZONE " 5 Common Mental Blocks

by Garrett J. Braunreiter, CSCS, The Energy Coach

Most of us, at some time or another, have been successful in living a

healthy lifestyle, feeding our bodies well, exercising regularly and

vigorously, having plenty of energy, losing weight and keeping it off. We

felt better than ever, looked better than ever, and our actions showed it.

This is what's called the " zone. " Typically we save this " zone " for

world-class, superstar athletes. But you know what? WE have been in a " zone "

several times and probably more often than we even realize. The zone is an

elevated mental state that all peak performers achieve in business, sports,

performing arts, in professions, and in their personal lives as well.

In a sense, we're all archers, trying to hit our goals right on the bull's

eye on the first try. But why can't we hit the bull's eye every time? Why

can't we start a fitness program and stick with it?

As with all of us, we are prevented from achieving peak performance because

of worry, distractions, over-stimulation, or lack of connection with our

goals.

What the winners in life perfect is a relaxed focus. This doesn't mean a

lack of intensity; it means that the mind is cleared of distractions and the

attention is focused like a laser on what is important to making the goal

happen.

5 Common Mental Blocks That Get In The Way Of Getting In Your Zone

1. Anxiousness to do the right thing. It's like a knee-jerk reaction to

solving a problem: you're out of shape, have no energy, and you feel

terrible. So immediately your reaction is, " I have to diet and exercise. "

You WANT to do the right thing, you KNOW this is the right thing.

You get all keyed up to start your new program. You get to the gym/in your

basement, ready, ready, ready. Preparing meals, eating frequently, the whole

ball of wax.

The progress halts (temporarily, but you don't see it because you're so

psyched up), and you start questioning EVERYTHING. Am I exercising right?

How much aerobics? How often do I strength train? Do I try the Atkins, or

Marilu Henner's diet? Everything is analyzed.

Then the over-reaction of " Forget it! What's the use? " ensues. And you stop.

2. No focus.

" Oh, I'm going to lose weight and get in shape. "

Right. So is everyone else.

Everybody means something different when they say this. What do YOU mean

when you say this?

" Any goal casually set and lightly taken is freely abandoned at the first

obstacle. " --Zig Ziglar

When you put meaning behind getting leaner and energized, now you're getting

focused. If you're just going through the motions every day of eating and

exercising, something will always come up to give you an excuse not to take

care of yourself.

What do you really want?

3. Too much, too soon. Most people who want to significantly change their

health and their bodies will start off too gung-ho, doing workouts that only

someone with months or years of training experience can handle. The muscle

soreness is too unbearable. They may get hurt. At this point it's very easy

to think, " Is THIS what it takes to get in shape? "

Most people who want to seriously improve their personal and professional

lives can also fall into a similar trap of " too much, too soon. " They start

overflowing their daily schedules with projects and commitments, activities,

and deadlines. They get so overwhelmed about " too much to do, so little

time. " Procrastination, then quit.

4. Not letting go. You worry about your past mistakes and failures, and you

fear repeating them, causing you to stop dead in your tracks. You beat a

dead horse. So any further action is calculated (a.k.a the perfectionist)

and unsure, leading to no progress at all.

The yo-yo dieter is a person who won't let go. " Oh, I've lost weight before,

and I felt and looked really good. But I'm just afraid I'm not going to lose

it. I don't know if I should do this anymore; I'll resign to living out of

shape and unhealthy. "

Your approach needs to be " ready, FIRE... aim! " You know what you want.

Start IMMEDIATELY toward getting it. The path you take to get there will

never stay the same. You'll go through hills and valleys, streams and oceans

using your legs, a bike, a car, a plane, a boat. The point is, your

destination must stay the same - stay focused on that. But how you get there

will change along the way. Be flexible and keep going.

5. Means to an end. This person thinks, " I HAVE to lose 30 pounds in 90

days, or else I'll be miserable, life will suck, and I'll have no reason to

be lean and fit. "

(That darn number. Amazing how many people LET it be so powerful , how it

controls some people's LIVES.)

Performance is rushed, forced. The result is failure.

Taking care of yourself, making money, having a balanced life, or whatever,

is a process, a journey. A journey to ENJOY. Did you know there are more

than FOUR DOZEN benefits of exercise and healthy eating?

When you take care of yourself every day, YOU ARE BENEFITING EVERY DAY. Less

stress, more energy, increased self-confidence, reduce risk of disease,

yada, yada. You know what I'm talking about.

But too many people won't consider that. They're concerned about what's on

the surface.

So you didn't lose a pound this month. There will be times like that. SO

WHAT. How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? How's your energy? THAT is

what matters.

Whatever the goal is, DON'T FORCE IT. If you're doing the right things,

RESULTS WILL HAPPEN.

Review these mental blocks again. Be aware of them and take a self-awareness

audit to see if they're causing you to come up short of reaching your full

potential.

When you're in a zone, you feel:

1. Optimistic You feel good about yourself and what's going on. You welcome

challenge and are confident about the outcome.

2. Focused You're totally involved with what you're doing right now, mind

and body. YOU ARE IN CONTROL.

3. Flow There's an automatic, natural flow between mind and body. Success is

not a struggle anymore - it's expected and effortless.

4. Energized Like a second wind. You're relaxed and mentally alert. You're

healthier, have high energy, and more ALIVE.

You already know the power of suggestion. We not only have the ability to

replay past experiences as if they're happening again, we also have the

ability to create our own movies in our minds and pre-play the future.

Since the mind can't distinguish between a real experience and one that is

repeatedly and vividly imagined, we are, in a sense, the screenwriter,

director, producer, and main character. You can make your movie as awesome

as you want, or you can make it a soap opera.

So it all depends on the messages we give ourselves before, during, and

after our daily activities. Champions perform in the zone because they are

disciplined thinkers. They understand the relationship between how they

think and how much pressure they put on themselves.

They know that the real pressure that people feel, is that pressure they

place on themselves.

It's subconscious and automatic. You must understand that even seemingly

harmless words have a powerful effect on all of us, that we're not

consciously aware of.

So make a commitment to watch the language you use on yourself. Because

there is no opinion as vitally important to your performance and well-being

as the opinion you have of yourself. YOU elevate or deflate you level of

performance.

3 Basic Types of Self-Talk

1. General Self-Talk. These affirmations about yourself can be used at

anytime or anyplace to generate feelings of well-being and confidence. Some

examples: I am a good person, I am confident, I am persistent, I give 110%,

I love myself, I am a winner.

2. Specific Self-Talk. These self-statements are used to reaffirm specific

skills, goals, or attributes. Now these statements can make or break you;

they get you in the zone and keep you there, or they lock you out from

getting in.

Here are examples of negative self-talk: It's now or never, I sure hope I

don't blow this diet, program, or sale. Why me and why now? If this doesn't

work, I quit.

We hear these statements out loud every day, don't we? Just make sure they

don't sneak in the back door of your mind and sabotage your thinking. Catch

yourself when you're thinking negatively, and immediately turn the negative

statement into a positive one. E.g., I enjoy exercise; I enjoy challenging

my body to get better. I have high energy. I am focused. I am relaxed. I am

cool and collected. Winning comes naturally to me.

Misery loves company. It's really easy to come face to face with a challenge

and become negative, frustrated, and pessimistic. You find every reason in

the book why something can't be done. You point the finger.

Fix your mind on what you WANT; you'll face the same amount of pressure,

only you become stronger, more focused and determined. You're more inspired

and efficient. All of this IN SPITE OF your circumstances. This is how you

thrive under pressure.

3. Trigger Self-Talk. These are 1 or 2 word statements that generate ideas

and feelings to perform. Some examples: Energy. Relax. Confidence. Power.

Let's go. Lean. Think thin. Strength. Make it happen! Focus.

Guidelines to strengthen your ability to stay in the zone:

Turn negative into positive. Watch what you say to yourself. Pay attention

to what you say before, during, and after your daily challenges. Stop the

negative statements with " STOP! " " CANCEL! " " ENOUGH! " or something along

those lines. Then IMMEDIATELY replace them with positive affirmations.

Remember: YOU CAN IF YOU THINK YOU CAN.

Don't let others pollute your self-talk with THEIR negativity. NO ONE CAN

CHANGE YOU OR HOW YOU THINK UNLESS YOU GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO.

Negative self-talk is often a habit picked up from how we were raised and

our environment. YOU ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO AGREE WITH ANYONE'S NEGATIVE

STATEMENTS. You can either ignore the comment and say nothing, or turn it

around and help that person with your positive response.

Focus your self-talk on what you want instead of trying to come away from

what you don't want. Your mind can't concentrate on the reverse of an idea.

So tell yourself what you want, not the condition you want to change.

Instead of " I won't eat such-and-such anymore, " say " I eat only healthy

foods that give me energy. "

Personalize your self-talk with I, me, and my. It's about you, right?

Keep your self-talk in the present. Getting in the zone is about right here,

and right now.

Keep your self-talk non-competitive. Only you control your own thoughts and

actions. You can only do the best you can do. Some days your competition

will score more points. Again, this is about YOU.

Your statements should generate feelings of focus, confidence, strength,

good health, happiness, and, of course, the desired result. SEE YOURSELF

ALREADY IN POSSESSION OF YOUR GOAL.

Put some emotion behind it. Feel it. See it. Believe it.