Ultimately, well developed mental skills allow us to identify and focus on the information that is most relevant to performance in the various phases of any creative or challenging role.
You could think of mental skills training as the process of learning to become effectively informed in the interest of short, medium and long term performance, regardless of your role.
The ability to skillfully control you mental focus allows you to lock your attention onto the info needed to perform right NOW! Well trained focal reflexes allow you to focus on the right things, in the right ways at show time, game time, presentation time, or, In other words… GO time! Anytime you are called upon to respond to a real-time challenge with decisiveness, creativity, and insight, the ability to concentrate is the key to performance.
Over the medium term, the ability to process the stressors, worries and distractions that threaten your focus at GO time, you will gain an edge the next time you face them. An effective strategy for stress cycling allows you to methodically uncover the insights and information at the root of pressure and stress. With each exposure to pressure and stress, you become less susceptible to focal drift. You develop the ability to identify when it’s time time to calmly decipher the above mentioned stressors and distractions and uncover the valuable info and insights encoded into each of them.
Finally, the ability to connect and share information efficiently has a direct impact on how clearly you can see into the long term. Synchronizing involves using a systematic approach to connecting, sharing ideas, and building strong, sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships. The ability to communicate, build trust, and grow networks has a powerful impact on both the quality and quantity of information at your fingertips over the long term. Clearly, the results you achieve in any challenging or creative task depend directly on how well you understand and adapt to the ‘lay of the land’. It is logical to think that the number of eyes, ears, ideas, and points of view and brains you have unfettered access to might have a clear impact on how well-informed you are. When everything else is equal, better informed = better performance.
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