Are You In The Zone
How Will Being in the “Zone” Improve My Performance?
What pro athletes know could make your business more successful. For athletes, being in the zone means reaching a state in which your mind and body work in harmony. You’re calm, yet energized, challenged, yet confident, focused, yet instinctive.
“The zone really refers to when you’re performing automatically,” says Aynsley Smith, Ph.D., a sports psychology consultant at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. “It’s when you’re absolutely free of worries, free of inhibitions and so confident and relaxed that your best performance just kind of comes out automatically.”
Think of it this way: when people have well-honed skills, they stop concentrating on them all the time. For instance, you probably brush you teeth every morning. Have you ever been on your way to work or school and not been able to remember whether you brushed them or not? Chances are you brushed your teeth, but because you’ve done it regularly since you were a child, you didn’t have to think about it.
While tooth brushing comes automatically, it might take a little more for your business to get in the zone.
Program Those Muscles
Larry Bird is a perfect example. One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bird showed up at the pre-game practice hours before any of his teammates.
Every time they lay down the parquet floor in Boston Gardens, there would be flat spots (spots where the basketball wouldn’t bounce very well). It was just a character of the basketball floor in Boston Gardens. Larry would dribble the ball up and down every inch of the court so that he would know where the flat spots where and where he might be able to make a steal or otherwise take advantage of his opponent.
Larry Bird wasn’t the most gifted basketball player on the court, but he worked the hardest. As a result of his hours and hours of practice, he didn’t need to think about shooting a free throw or a jump shot; he could do it without thinking about it. The same can be true for you and your business.
Practice Makes Perfect
“When you’re first learning a skill, the brain determines what muscles are needed and when,” says Dr. Smith. “Through practicing the skill, a mental blueprint is created.”
Your mind works the same way. Your brain converts this blueprint to a single, complex image. When you’re in the zone, different parts of your brain work together so the skill comes automatically.
Although most people associate being “in the zone” with athletics, it’s becoming more apparent that it applies to any number of skills. Jim Fannin has coached professional athletes since the 1970’s. He has worked with people like PGA tour player Charles Howell III, Olympic gold-medal winning decathlete Dan O’Brien, and Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez. He now teaches the same mind set to entrepreneurs who want to better motivate themselves and their employees in order to build their companies.
Whether his client is an athlete, an entrepreneur or an entire workforce, Fannin’s recommendations are similar: visualization, relaxation and positive thoughts. One of the first things he does when working with an organization is to meet with the employees considered to be a company’s weakest links. He explains the way that thoughts - both positive and negative - manifest themselves in actions.
4 Simple Things that Will Put You in the Zone
1. Relaxation.Relaxation will help relieve tension and anxiety. It also improves your concentration and focus. Smile when you feel your nerves starting to fray. Stay calm. Rushing things usually results in mistakes. Focus on the present rather than what “could” happen.
2. Visualization. Picture in your mind what it looks like to flawlessly complete your task. Mental practice or rehearsal will increase your concentration and confidence. Imagery works well with relaxation techniques, because relaxation will help you visualize better. It’s impossible to feel anxiety while relaxing. Imagine yourself doing things correctly, successfully, with confidence and skill, feeling energetic but relaxed.
3. Goal Setting. Setting goals can increase your motivation and provide you with a sense of challenge. Set some long-term goals, but don’t forget to set short-term goals too. Goals should challenge you, but must be manageable and measurable. Include performance, outcome and process goals.
4. Positive Thinking. Negative thoughts get in the way of concentration and confidence. Instead of dwelling on poor performance, remind yourself that you can do it. Rather than blaming factors you can’t control, focus on the changes you have made and will yet make to improve you performance. Positive thinking can lead to confidence, focus and inner calm. It won’t be long before you find yourself “in the zone.”
Learn Now Skills and Get “In the Zone”
You can expand your business and make more money by adding accounting services to the menu. The Professional Bookkeeper Program can help you learn those skills quickly and efficiently. And then you can use them to get “in the zone.” Click here to become acquainted with others who have used the PB Program to get “in the zone.”
