Now, as you have seen, these athletes are going through a period where they're uncomfortable. The key thing is how do they get comfortable with that feeling that they have, with those distractions. This is where the mental game definitely comes into play, that we have skills that we can use to get control of those situations, and one of those skills is I need to get myself where I need to be when I need to be there.
What I would like you to do is, I would like you to try this exercise for a moment. What I want you to do is I want you to give me total undivided attention for the next 15 seconds. What I'm asking each and every one of you right now is to make a commitment to do that. If you can't do it for 15, then do it for five seconds, I don't care, but I want you to make a commitment to the time period you're going to spend. You're ready, set, go.
For a short period of time you can do anything you want with your focus. Right now, each and everyone of you is right here, right now in this moment absorbed in what you're doing. Feel the energy in the room as you're sitting there with teammates and everyone is right there, okay, that's it, 15 seconds, let go, yeah. Everyone of you did something a little different. Some of you tuned in with your eyes, some of you tuned in with your ears, you really heard every word. Some of you were getting images of yourself.
This is what being in the moment is about. What if I were to say to you, okay, I need total and divided attention for the next 45 minutes, ready, set, you're going to go, noway man! noway. But for 15 seconds, you can do anything. So why is it? In a game of basketball, if you're struggling defensibly, you're trying to turn your whole defense around. How about if you just take care of it, the next possession? How about is a pitcher in baseball, you've got runners on first and second no out?
Instead of trying to get out of the inning, how about if you just focus on hitting the net with the next pitch. Because what becomes critical is keeping this thing simple. The best way to keep it simple is be here now. The time is now the place is here, manage the moment, focus on the process of what you're doing and not the outcome.
If you stay with the process, it's going to be much easier, to be in the present as positive as you can be, focussed on what you're doing in that moment. Now the thing I developed over my years is I've developed a series of words beginning with the letter R. The first R word is Recognize.
You have to be aware of what's happening. Picture a stop light because the athletic performance is a lot like driving a car. When you come to a signal light and the lights are green, you go. When the lights are yellow, you have to attend to the inner section, check the rear view mirror for police officer, make your decision.
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