We know the things that we focus on are where we put our energy to that leads us closer to it. The better that we can focus on what we're doing and executing properly, it gives us a better chance of achieving what we want. Things such as writing the book that you have in mind or nailing that presentation that you will give, whatever it is that you are trying to attain it all starts mentally. This is where all our ideas are generated from and if it makes us emotionally connected to it, we are more likely to pursue that idea. It gives us that extra juice to really go at it, driving home the purpose.
These ideas that really grip us come about because we can relate to them in a very strong way. Those thoughts become more concrete where we can comprehend them. It comes down to if you can see it then you can do it. When your vision is more clear, it becomes more vivid and you believe it is more attainable. The more attainable it is, the greater belief and confidence you will have in your abilities. It's almost as if you have a clear path or plan for how to execute your thinking.
Mental mapping
Before we can execute on whatever it is we choose to pursue it all starts with mentally preparing ourselves by thinking and walking things out so that they align when we physically do them. Knowing what we want and why we want it will give a greater connection to the pursuit. Mentally having the best outcome and the worst outcome makes you aware of what you are working towards and working away from. It acclimates you to the scenarios so you can come up with a game plan on how you can put yourself in the best possible position to achieve what you want.
This starts by slowly thinking it out step by step and asking yourself how I envision things playing out, what do I anticipate will come about. To get to that best possible outcome what do I consistently need to do to make it happen and what do I need to do to avoid the worst possible outcome. This helps you clearly define what you will accept of yourself and what you will not. Put these thoughts into words or even record yourself speaking these things so it becomes more relatable and more real.
Give yourself that alone time to just go over all these scenarios where you're closing your eyes and just seeing how things are playing out, feeling how things are playing out. This gives it more energy so it can grow into much more than what you imagined. Repetition is the mother of skill so the more you're able to repeat this the more refined and better you become at it so mentally you become a lot sharper and more focused to what you're doing. All these things that you do daily become your targets. The more you see them the more chance you have at hitting them.
Your target becomes more about the process as opposed to the destination. The process will have so many 100’s and 1,000s of targets that you have to hit as opposed to one big target that is so far out. So that book that you are writing is not just one book, but 320 pages or 90,000 words that requires the addition of letters that form words, words that form paragraphs, paragraphs to create pages, pages to create chapters and chapters to tell a story. The result is a book that was made possible by consistent cumulative effort.
See what you are aiming for
When you're able to do this your target is right in front of your eyes each day and makes it more attainable as opposed to that target being out miles and miles out that makes it so vague and difficult to see and comprehend. The closer that target is to you the better chance you have at consistently hitting the bullseye, the further out that target is the more difficult it becomes to hit it that can make you lose sight of what it is you are aiming for. The more you can see that target the more real it becomes to you and each time you hit it that confidence just builds. As your confidence builds you create that big wave of momentum that carries you forward because you understand that the work you're doing right now is setting the foundation for what will be possible tomorrow.
The mere end result is only made possible through all the things that must get done properly. Naturally when we are excited about pursuing a certain idea, goal or dream we tend to think about the best possible outcome which is good to have but to get to that best possible outcome you got to see all the potential road bumps along the way so you can better prepare yourself to handle them as they come. You want to make yourself aware of them so you are not blindsided and blow a tire that derails you from the progress that you've made on the road to your destination. This primes you to simulate the hardships you might face that gives you an indication of what will come. Like preparing for a hurricane that comes, thinking about how to protect your home and possessions, making sure to have enough water and food and ways to get by like having a generator, fuel, and gas-powered stove. This provides you with confidence that you can get through the hurricane if it hits.
Eventually you’ll develop that forward thinking, that foresight that's going to help you anticipate potential problems before they materialize. That prevention will help you better be efficient with your time and you’ll have solutions to roadblocks that come about. Your ability to see what's in front of you and further out is going to allow you to get ahead and not merely be stuck in place because you’re not focused on the rear-view mirror. While it's important to look at our past so we can learn and grow from it, we got to remember not to dwell on it on what could have been or should have been because it can make us spend time ruminating that takes our energy away from what can be done right now.
Forming your game plan
Once you identify what you're trying to pursue, make your game plan or strategy more detailed with checkpoints along the way to make sure you are on track. This can be very simple to do as it doesn't require a complicated list that bogs you down. Just make it suit you, that keeps you focused on what's in front of you. Eventually what happens with that game plan that you write out is that you're ingraining it into your memory and then it's eventually just going to become a habit.
When you give yourself the time to mentally walk yourself through how tomorrow is going to play out that includes all the simple and mundane things that you're doing such as seeing yourself executing on the work that you're supposed to be doing like writing 5 pages a day for that book that you're going to publish or making that phone call to potential clients to buy your business products. The better you can get at seeing how the simple things will play out the better you will get at seeing how they will all come together to make massive results happen.
This gets in the habit of predicting your actions that makes you more intentional in everything that you do. You become more conscious of what you will do in the future as opposed to just going through the motions. When you just go through the motions there is a tendency to get lazy and more reactive than proactive. Reactiveness keeps you in place fighting just to stay afloat while proactiveness gives you the ability to see the opportunities so you are prepared to capitalize on it when it comes. That intentness that you develop will make all the difference because it leaves a greater impression that ripples further out and affects other things for the better.
Aligning the mental and physical
As you incorporate more mentally priming yourself to go over what you expect yourself to do, walk through things slowly to help your mind process what you are thinking so it aligns with what you will do physically. This gets you mentally and physically in the same rhythm. Many times, because our minds are racing with so many ideas and excitement that when we go ahead and perform what we expect ourselves to do we feel that our mind might be going 200 miles an hour where physically we're only going 30 miles, so we think we are going fast but feel we are going slow. We do have a tendency to think how great things will work out in our mind that there needs to be an acclimation phase from going to thinking to slowly doing before you can go full throttle.
Mentally and physically, they both need to become acclimated to work in unison so things flow smoothly instead of with the start and stop trying to get that rhythm. Having the cohesion between the two sides allows less for overthinking that bogs us down from what we can do to just letting things happen. That the thinking phases has been properly processed so you are loose and relaxed to perform at a very high level. Those second thoughts or self-doubt have been resolved where you have a clear mind to focus 100% of your attention at the task at hand. Getting to this point can help us feel the comfort of simplicity. Generally, the better mood that we are in the greater chance we have at doing things at a higher capacity. When that survival mode has been laid to rest, panic shifts to swiftness that helps you stay composed and move at a high speed.
Mentally and physically becoming in sync will make you more purpose driven that is going to allow you to better see things unfold in a more digestible manner. Your eyes will help you see what you are doing that will give you a better understanding of your mechanics. You perform how you practice so if you practice with excellence, you're going to perform with excellence but if you practice with just going through the motions your performance will follow the same standard. And in many cases, there's not a whole lot of time to see all the details that go on and your merely relying on your preparation.
If you think about baseball players when they're up to bat and are going to hit the ball they lose sight of the ball anywhere from 8 to 15 feet in front of them and are merely relying on that muscle memory that they've continuously developed. While there are many talented players that can hit the ball really well, they still have to hone in on their batting technique and this starts with having their legs set at the right base with the proper bending of their knees, proper feet set apart from each other, having their arms and elbows placed in the right manner to hold their bat and getting their swing in proper order with their follow through. They will practice this in a very slow manner so they can feel the rhythm and build that technique and confidence so they can hit the ball. They're still going to practice hitting balls at full speed but they always emphasize the fundamentals so they can consistently get better and be at their best.
Accelerating the physical once in rhythm
Having that mental and physical side fuse together to work in unison in that slow manner is going to help you prepare in an intense state. Where you have the rhythm flowing smoothly and are just driving home that technique. You’re pounding away at all the things that you properly worked on. That repetitiveness is sealing the outcome. This part is the straightforward phase where you're just continuously repeating things to refine and cement what you're doing. Continuously stay at it so it becomes sharper. If you get lazy with it, then that is going to affect the outcome.
Once you get to the physical fast-paced part of the things that you're trying to achieve it merely becomes about execution. It's almost like you've gone through the gauntlet to get you ready to go to perform at a high level. So that big game that you've prepared for or that big project that you must lead, you've worked through enough of it mentally and physically to go out there and let it rip. That the hard part was done and now it's about having fun. You prepared the ground, planted the seed, cultivated the crop and now it's about harvesting. Where you’re collecting what you have worked for. The better your preparation, the more confidence you have going into your arena because you laid the foundation for what needed to get done.
When you see yourself achieving what you were preparing yourself for it will still feel significant, but it will not be as overwhelming that it clouds you from knowing what's important to you. It gives you the ability to stay grounded and continuously reset so the ego does not run the show. The great part about all this is not just the achievement but looking back at your journey of how it was done because it makes it that much more special when you're able to reflect and respect all the work that you put in to make it possible. Remembering all that was put in is a very gratifying feeling that is going to help you going forward because you understand what it took to get there and you'll use that going forward for the next thing you decide to pursue. Knowing this is going to better allow you to refocus and not just rest on your laurels. This dispels the complacency factor that wants to set in.
Final thoughts
We all have the ability to form the lives that we want and this starts with mentally preparing for it. Working through those ideal and worst-case scenarios is going to equip you to set out to achieve what is in your line of focus. The more vivid your thoughts are and better that you can explain them, the clearer the picture you have of how to make it happen. This is going to help you slowly walk through it so you are better prepared to handle it when it happens physically.
All the preparation that you put in or the little preparation that you put in is the primary factor that will determine whether you reach what you set for yourself or not. How you practice and prepare is how you will perform. Drive this home because the time spent on it is well used but the missed time can hurt to know that you could’ve done better. Consistently working mentally and physically over a long period of time will be key in your pursuit. Focus on the fundamentals so you can execute with excellence. Emphasize taking things slow by walking things out so you can see and feel how things will play out. This is so fundamental yet so overlooked but will make all the difference in your quest.
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