We’ve all heard about “The Zone” right? No, I’m not talking about a special diet or a municipal district. I’m talking about that elusive state of being that you can create within yourself so that you can achieve your potential in performing anything.
The Zone has been described as an ecstatic experience when everything works, fits, and is just right. It’s effortless and the perfect actions just happen. It’s like being possessed by your best self. You usually have an intense focus on what you’re doing and everything else fades away.
Many sports movies depict such scenes where the spectators blur out and the athlete has a feeling of detachment and can do anything with the body.
Watch the video below to see how Kevin Costner uses “clear the mechanism” in the movie For The Love Of The Game.
Everyone can increase their confidence
from better performances even if we’re just talking about a simple conversation with an important person in your life. It’s the complete opposite of being stressed and worried.
The fact is, nobody can promise you that they can get you in The Zone. You can get in Flow and that leads you to the gateway of The Zone.
So how do you get there?
It all starts with this formula that I teach:
Performance = Potential – Interference
What is your interference? For athletes and business people it can be a mental programs or beliefs you have that you don’t deserve to win or succeed. Somewhere, somehow, you got the message implanted in your mind that you are mediocre, average, or an also-ran and that thought just keeps coming up at the worst times. It stops you, paralyzes you, or creates anxiety.
You might recognize it as a feeling of fear or a little voice that says something like: “Do I really know my topic?”, “I’m not as good as the competition” or “What if I choke?” or the ever famous “I’m good in practice but not when it counts.”
You might also recognize it as procrastination, getting distracted or just downright laziness.This must be eliminated.
Right now, it’s time to take back control and talk back to that little voice, strongly and with the loving authority of an angry parent. Dispute your negative thoughts with positive facts of your past achievements.
Create a ceremony, make a loud declaration, and write down exactly how in the next year, things are going to be much different for you! I actually went on a hike recently and climbed a small hill to be able to scream this out loud to the world (and myself) for changes I’m making.
Humans have been doing ceremonies forever and they are very 
powerful for making mental changes.
Next, you’ve got to get serious on being specific about what you want and WHY you want it. This is your motivation and you need to constantly remind yourself of that so that when the discipline wanes, you have something to refuel your energy and keep you moving.
Stagnation is your enemy; always keep moving even if at times it seems you are unorganized. Know that it’s normal for many of the top performers in business to operate in a sort of “controlled chaos” with many things going on at once.
This fall, I was watching some squirrels outside. I thought: I don’t think those little guys scurry around looking for nuts and seeds thinking to themselves: “I wonder if I’m good enough to get enough food to survive the winter?” Sounds pretty silly doesn’t it and yet we talk this way to ourselves regularly.
Be like the squirrel and just do it.
You can think later after you win.
Adopt the idea right now that getting in Flow and getting what you want is easy. If you were to go river rafting, would you want the boat to be put in the water only a hundred yards upstream of the takeout?
Clear your mental baggage and then open your awareness to the magic and excitement of the journey itself… and let The Zone find you. Do this for yourself and do this to be the best coach you can be!
We’ve got more free training on getting the zone using clear the mechanism for you. Click here to get your free video training and guided visualization to discover how to perform under pressure.
Welcome to the Winner’s Circle!
Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer
Do you ever wonder how you can be a mentally tough athlete? The first step is to know strengths and weaknesses as an athlete. Take our mental toughness quiz to find out your weaknesses and how you can strengthen them to become a mentally tough athlete! Take the quiz for free here: sportsmentaltoughness.com