Motivation - Set Intention
A habit shared by masters of performance, be it athletic, business, speaking, negotiation, etc., is the ability to harness the anxious energy surrounding game time and turn it into useful energy that actually helps improve performance – not harm it.
Below is a useful exercise for daily life that helps us harness that same stress/anxiety/nerves and transform it by re-interpreting it as helpful – then immediately applying it to your benefit!
It is designed to be used when moving from one situation to another, (meeting to emails, or calls to customer interaction), or transitioning from one role to another (sales person to coworker, employee to boss, employee to spouse, spouse to parent, coworker to friend).
1. Look within
Remember you are not your thoughts. You are greater than your thoughts and are never captive to your thoughts without your implicit permission.
If you are feeling overwhelmed and crushed by the weight of your thoughts, zoom out, feel the anxiety/tension created by your thoughts, and realize that anxiety/tension is just your mind trying to protect you.
Separate the feeling from who you are, and realize these thoughts fueling your unease are just that – thoughts – and you can choose to release them and change your mindset.
2. Let go
Release tension along with any thoughts that are not serving you in the moment.
If you are transitioning from a stressful meeting to a customer interaction, release any thoughts about the meeting and lean into the current moment.
If you are leaving work and heading home to see your family, leave tension from work at work – it will be there the next day or whenever you choose to pick it back up – do not allow it to come home with you.
Take a deep breath, identify the source of the tension, and breathe it out as you exhale.
Breathe in positive energy
Breathe out negative tension/anxiety/frustration/fear
3. Harness that energy
The “buzz” of tension or stress is still energy, so keep the energy part and simply release the negative emotions and thoughts attached to it.
As you separate the thoughts and feelings from the energy itself, you tap into a source of energy you can turn into positive energy for whatever you do next!
4. Set intention
Think about your ideal self in the next situation or role.
It helps to take time now to identify the ideal traits of your ideal self in each role so you can quickly attach that energy to your new focus and go act.
If my ideal self at home is loving and kind and present, attach my energy to those things – perhaps visualize yourself behaving that way, then go do it!
5. Go act
None of this is useful if it remains in your head – the result must be immediate action. You have harnessed and focused energy – don’t let it go to waste!
Example of all 5 steps:
I am stressed about a meeting I’ve just come from where I was unhappy with the content and am moving into making sales calls:
1. I find the thoughts around the meeting causing the negative feelings, and admit to myself that they are valid, real, and not useful to me while making sales calls.
2. Then I let them go, realizing they aren’t useful to me right now.
If I need to talk to someone about what I’m thinking or feeling, I can make a note or schedule a meeting to do so – but I get clear with myself that I don’t need to think about them or dwell in negativity while I make sales calls, and let them go for the time being.
If I’m having trouble because I am caught up in the frustration/anxiety, I breathe in and out and think only about releasing the negative emotion and breathing in positive energy!
3. I hang onto the energy itself, allowing myself to feel the “buzz” of the raw energy without the negative emotion attached.
4. I recall my ideal self - in sales that is focused, productive, persuasive, and fun, and I put all that energy into being those things!
If I’ve been particularly frustrated, I may visualize what I’m like when I am at my best as a salesperson so my mind can repeat that vision.
5. I act – I go make sales calls with energy and enthusiasm and without negative emotions or thoughts clouding my abilities or hurting my results!