This is Dr.
Justin Ross,
A clinical psychologist in Denver,
Colorado,
Specializing in health and wellness in human performance psychology.
This track is setting the mind for high performance and is geared for anyone about to tackle a high performance project,
Whether that is at work or at sport or in the arts.
As we go through this lesson,
I'll be referencing it from a sports performance perspective.
But really if that's not your avenue or your arena,
If this is work related or arts related,
You can use the messages and apply them directly to what it is you're about to embark on.
And so we begin just by closing our eyes and getting settled into this present moment,
Finding your breath and your body.
You don't need to go far to catch it somewhere.
Maybe it's in your nose or your throat.
Maybe it's in your lungs or your chest.
We just spend a moment gathering ourselves through breathing.
Nice breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And we do this again in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And setting the mind to perform well really requires an alignment of mind and body.
And we start with the body.
We prime the body through breathing to prepare it so that the messages,
The narratives we tell ourselves take shape and take form.
Setting the mind is a very intentional high performance skill.
Setting the mind differs from mindset in that it is very intentional.
We take this step proactively.
Setting the mind begins by tapping into two key ideas that involve what and how.
Focusing on the what is simply identifying what it is that you are about to do.
This includes identifying the objective,
Tangible task that's in front of you.
And that could be something such as saying,
I am about to work on this type of project.
Or for an athlete,
I am about to enter this type of training session.
Or this type of competition.
The what identifies the workout itself.
Now the how is the manner in which you're going to approach your work.
This is deliberately and intentionally setting your mind to focus on how you are going to show up in accomplishing that task.
It's usually adding a dimension that includes this frame of reference.
I am going to approach this with a positive mindset.
I am going to approach this with intention and focus.
This can include some emotional components as well.
I am going to approach this from a place of joy or success or gratitude.
We set the mind for high performance before we do the work because it really shapes the outcome.
We call this priming.
You are priming yourself in advance for what you're about to do and how you're going to do it.
And by doing so,
By priming,
You are much more likely to engage in the task at hand in the way that you want to in order to see it through accordingly.
You don't give yourself an out when you prime,
When things get difficult,
When you get tired,
When you fatigue.
Priming helps you stay the course and importantly it helps us connect to the possibility of finding flow state.
Now before we dive into the cognitive markers that help us connect to flow state,
Stay with your breath for a moment,
With your eyes closed,
Really getting a crisp,
Clear image of how you're about to execute in this high performance environment.
Get your breathing rhythmic,
Keep it slow,
Keep it steady,
Keep it even.
As you're breathing in this way,
You bring in those cognitive factors.
Really trying to get a visual image of what it is you're about to do and how you're about to do it.
Picturing yourself performing well before the event takes place is a really helpful factor so that you can step into a challenging environment already prepared to execute and perform the way you'd like to.
As that relates to flow state,
We know that there are five stages that we essentially connect with the possibility of flow state occurring.
Again,
Flow state is this place where we really are able to tap into movement in a purposeful way and successful outcomes in a purposeful way.
We can get there through these five stages and it includes an initial positive event.
Again,
This is where priming comes in.
We talk to ourselves before we begin appraising the situation,
Appraising our bodies in a positive way.
We tell ourselves that we are ready,
That we're feeling good,
That we're excited,
Not only because it helps us feel better but it helps us perform better as well.
Examples can include your own thoughts,
Attitudes,
And beliefs such as,
I'm feeling really good today,
I'm excited to be out here.
Now,
This priming is important in a positive manner because it impacts how you shape subsequent thoughts which leads to a continued internal positive feedback loop or positive feedback narrative in the early stages of a workout or a race or a work environment or a performance.
That second stage we call the positive feedback,
This idea that the voice in our minds is positively appraising what it is that we're experiencing which then leads us into building confidence,
The third stage.
These first three parts require this calm,
Credible conversation in your mind.
It's coaching yourself that you're prepared to continue to perform well which could sound something like,
This is going great,
I'm focused,
My body feels good,
Let's keep after it.
And even now as we're preparing to perform,
Going through these priming messages,
Feeling your breath,
Connecting your body.
And then we get to the last two stages of the possibility of creating flow state.
We call this next stage a challenge appraisal which really hits on the larger idea of a cognitive appraisal which is just fancy language for the thoughts,
Messages,
And narratives we tell ourselves about our experiences in our mind and in our body.
So for example,
An athlete may start to notice discomfort during a training session and the message may run through their mind,
This really hurts,
There's no way I'm going to be able to be successful today.
Probably don't need to tell you how that type of thinking is going to shape your performance.
It's certainly not going to help you tap into flow state.
A challenge appraisal is a specific type of cognitive appraisal.
It's looking at a difficult moment or experience through the perspective of it being a unique challenge to you.
Not necessarily tied to achievement and outcome,
But rather what you may endure in spirit or intensity of sensation.
The messages here could be something like,
Okay,
This is starting to get tough,
But I got this.
Let's keep pushing and let's see what happens.
That last line,
Let's see what happens,
Really ties us then to the final piece of this equation which is open goals.
Open goals are not tied into any specific metric or number,
But rather to the overall process,
Feeling,
And spirit of continuing in the experience with the performance itself serving as its own intrinsic reward.
For an athlete pushing the limits through a challenge appraisal with the intention of an open goal such as,
I want to see what I'm capable of here,
Or let's see what's possible,
Helps us connect to the process of the moment rather than achieving any specific objective or tangible outcome.
The curiosity to see what's possible in these difficult or challenging environments is likely the best way we have to cultivate an experience of flow when things get tough.
And again,
We come back to our breaths,
Breathing being the constant throughout this practice,
Feeling the rise of your lungs and your chest as you breathe in,
The gentle deflation as you breathe out,
Really clipping through these quick ideas in your mind,
Priming what you're about to do,
How you're about to do it,
Thinking about the experience from the perspective of appraising it positively,
Looking at challenges as a unique opportunity for you to explore what's possible,
And from the perspective of open goals,
Let's see what's possible here.
Setting your mind with these intentions now gives you a great chance to perform at your peak in whatever it is you're about to step into.
I wish you well.
