I have a pretty good handle on managing stress. I think that stress can easily be managed by equal parts: preparedness, capacity and right attitude. Now I am not going to explain all that because that's not my point today, what I do want to talk about is when all three are combined plus a little something extra that is more supernatural- there is the feeling of being in The Zone.
When a person is in The Zone, then everything in their life is firing on all cylinders no matter what is thrown at them. You could be in the zone for a few seconds or a few months. You can't be in The Zone in only one area, when it occurs all aspects of your life are touched. Being in The Zone is not to be confused with arrogance or cockiness. The Zone is an area of bliss, of perfection, not confrontation.
I have been in The Zone only a few times in my life, most for perhaps a day of work or a short race. I had the pleasure of feeling I was in The Zone for close to a whole month when nothing could phase me. Any obstacle could be overcome and I felt in complete control of the outcome.
I have no control of when this happens or how to keep it. Its a sense of self awareness that perhaps we humans are not supposed to touch all that often. Though I sometimes wonder about monks attaining a Zenlike enlightenment.
In hindsite I think The Zone happens more often than not when I am tunneling my focus into a single activity, like a race, and that tunneling makes me so much more efficient in all other areas of my life. My mind, body and spirit reach a critical mass of systematic training and mental preparation, increased capacity and right attitude. With a powerful combination of that, how could you not be highly attuned to life and have a sense of complete control.
I just hope The Zone finds me before my next Triathlon Swim, otherwise I may only have my doubts to face..Only.
When a person is in The Zone, then everything in their life is firing on all cylinders no matter what is thrown at them. You could be in the zone for a few seconds or a few months. You can't be in The Zone in only one area, when it occurs all aspects of your life are touched. Being in The Zone is not to be confused with arrogance or cockiness. The Zone is an area of bliss, of perfection, not confrontation.
I have been in The Zone only a few times in my life, most for perhaps a day of work or a short race. I had the pleasure of feeling I was in The Zone for close to a whole month when nothing could phase me. Any obstacle could be overcome and I felt in complete control of the outcome.
I have no control of when this happens or how to keep it. Its a sense of self awareness that perhaps we humans are not supposed to touch all that often. Though I sometimes wonder about monks attaining a Zenlike enlightenment.
In hindsite I think The Zone happens more often than not when I am tunneling my focus into a single activity, like a race, and that tunneling makes me so much more efficient in all other areas of my life. My mind, body and spirit reach a critical mass of systematic training and mental preparation, increased capacity and right attitude. With a powerful combination of that, how could you not be highly attuned to life and have a sense of complete control.
I just hope The Zone finds me before my next Triathlon Swim, otherwise I may only have my doubts to face..Only.
2 comments:
This is interesting - makes me think that it's funny how the zone is so unpredictable (at least for me) that you don't even really know what happened to produce it in the first place.
I try to gather another puzzle piece each time, but it's starting to look ridiculous: lo mein noodles and 3 hours of sleep the night before the race/workout!
Hey,
What a great way to frame an important question:
"Do I know how to get to where I want to get to be my best?"
I'm right in the middle of reading Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. Written some 33 years ago, this fascinating journey through time is reminding me that very, very few things change over time. The idea of change, new-ness, or expanding comfort zones are uncomfortable. However, they are necessary to grow. Looking at the next 6 months of the year, what opportunities can you imagine will come your way? (Ok, is anyone else surprised by the "speed" of this year?).
I found a concept that impressed me in the first 10 pages of this book. To quote Mr. Toffler:
"In dealing with the future, at least for the purpose at hand, it is more important to be imaginative and insightful than to be one hundred percent 'right.'"
Although this may not always be appropriate, I believe and teach that there is something to be said for "getting started." I know that the best opportunity for making something happen exists within the next 30 seconds - namely, what my mind does when it stops momentarily on that thought of what I'd like to be, or have, or do. Try it out, allow your mind to "stop" on something, and just imagine it complete, with success, the way you want it. What was that like?
(From Jason Womack: www.JasonWomack.com )
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