Mental Focus - what happens when you lose it?

So there seems to be a lot of material in the World Wide Web on mental focus, how to earn it, gain it, find it (like it's just hiding close by), or be given it through someone else's gift following their success. So you do the research, experience how to get the focus you want in whatever sport you do, and then you start to notice that you are losing it. What happens next? Do you bounce back with ease and ultimately improve your resilience through 'failure'. If there comes a point when the proverbial 'wheels fall off the bus' and you notice that you can't focus like you used to do, what then?

Well I did extensive research on helping people get focused thanks to the great work of Sports Psych Terry Orlick. But when an athlete approached me recently and told me that they had 'lost it' then I really had to think about the reasons why? Some of the skills that I used to gain success with those athletes in my research certainly came in useful, but then I discovered a unique way of re-gaining focus using other techniques, leading to a 5-step plan of action and ultimately a return to peak performance for that athlete. That 5-step plan of action will soon be available via eboo,k and via a new website that I am developing onThe Sport Theory, soon to be released. Stay tuned...

Bouncing back - Marathon des Sables

I am acutely aware that I have been somewhat quiet on the blogging front for some time. Those that know me will understand and perhaps forgive my absence, and my lack of contributions to this small part of the web-o-sphere. Nevertheless I have made a return to the UK having been living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for 17 months, and I am bouncing back!

I have been doing a lot of self-administration of a lot of the mental toughness, coping techniques, and health and wellbeing improvement skills as I find myself re-establishing myself from some significant life events. As I have transitioned through these live events, and I have chatted to people who have found themselves in similar circumstances, is that our ability, as individuals, to recover from setbacks is extremely individualistic and powerful. We often rely on previous life experiences to find the tools and techniques to deal with a particular phase of this recovery.  Sometimes these past experiences give us what we need, sometimes we need to look for external help. When I went looking for help, I met an incredibly inspiring lady from Nigeria who coached me to deal with the tough times and to help me see that I am capable of being as resilient as the next person, and that I CAN bounce back.  I learned and often recited a simple mantra that helped me. It helped me cope with the self-talk that would debate the pros and cons, and often err on the side of the cons! Isn't it incredible that we have this supercomputer between our ears, that is running our lives and the majority of the time it wants to focus on the negative aspects of our lives rather than the positive ones! Changing the proverbial 'tapes' that we run is so so important. If 80% of the 60-80,000 thoughts we have each day are almost the same as the previous day, is it any wonder we are creatures of habit? What do you think about regularly, and did you think about it yesterday, the day before, the day before that.....?

During my sport psychological work and business coaching work I often discuss self-talk with clients and athletes. It is a fundamental construct which shapes, and can determine, the outcome for many aspects of our lives, and also what success looks like for us individually.  How often can we hear ourselves saying "I want to quit", "I can't carry on", "why am I doing this", "why? why? why?" to name but a few of the commonly featured citations. I have raced in long and short distance triathlon, and I have even raced from one coast to the other across the USA. Did I ask myself these questions? Of course I did. And what got me through were the people around me, the recollection of the 'why' I was doing this, and previous life experiences. As I embark on a new chapter in many respects, I want to thank those that have helped me to build my resilience, to help me bounce back from adversity, that have believed in me when I did not believe in myself, and who have cajoled me in to doing what I believed was the right thing. Riding my bike has certainly helped. People from Speed Theory are owed a huge debt of gratitude, for their regular dishing out of the 'suffer fests' during the turbo sessions throughout the cold Calgary winter; those rolling pain sessions south of Highway 22X, and those long bike sessions to Elbow Falls where the only thing I could focus on was the wheel in front of me and sticking to it! Did I want to quit? Mais oui!! But I am not a quitter and as I bounce back from my travels, I am looking forward to new adventures on and off the bike. The mantra I learned from that very wise Nigerian Lady stays with me.

There are rumours afoot of appearances at the Marathon des Sables Expo where I will be delivering workshops on Mental Toughness, resilience and coping with adversity. I believe RAAM equipped me for that appropriately. I will be discussing how to deal with dysfunctional self-talk when we are on the verge of mental and physical exhaustion. And I will be talking about other mental skills that we can use to improve our performance.

So stay tuned for updates on the MdS Expo in London in October 2012, it will be a real privilege to play a part in the success of some inspiring athletes as they take on the challenges of the toughest foot race in the world. Or feel free to contact me directly.