The Achievement Zone for Optimal Living
An athlete's face is unforgettable when he focuses on his desired outcome. The achievement zone is where everything comes together at one time and place making performance consistent and exceptional. How we perceive our level of competence relates to how motivational we will be in performing a task. In sports psychology, top athletes focus on perfecting both their physical and mental skills in order to achieve excellent performance. The physical difference between top athletes may be similar, but their state of mind – thoughts and beliefs – is different. At the moment of performance an athletes mind is focused on one thing only – success! Any doubts, worries, apprehension or stressful thoughts hinder their performance. The ability to achieve a quiet and still mind, when needed the most, is an athlete’s goal – completely focused on the desired outcome. It is this state of mind that allows optimal performance. They spend days, months and years perfecting both their physical performance and mental states for THAT moment. Eustress is used for the best optimal performance. When working to achieve Eustress the trick then is not to eliminate stress from our lives, but to learn to manage it at an appropriate level such that it activates, invigorates and motivates us into action; stimulating creativity, empowering resourcefulness and energising behaviours towards optimal living. Everyone can learn to balance pressure with clarity, necessity with focus – for optimal achievement performance. In the achievement zone you too can be highly effective in your life. In the achievement zone you will be extremely productive, working to your fullest potential, systematically achieve daily tasks, and still have energy at the end of the day. Use an effective stress management plan to step outside your comfort zone and into the achievement zone. In order to achieve this zone:
• Recognise the situation and how stressors affect you personally,
Access your achievement zone by using the best strategies to suit your needs. Exceptional fields of allied health that can assist to achieve this include meditation, exercise, relaxation techniques, and therapies such as Cognitive Therapy that retrain old thought patterns. Something to consider: Where do you put your focus? Psychological Skills: Task Vs Ego The achievement goal model has two specific ways of perceiving achievement goal: task & ego. These preside over the way you think about achievement and guide how you will take action. Task is related to gaining knowledge and skill as well as developing personal improvement in order to accomplish the task. When ego is involved the person is more focused on comparing their skills with others and doubting their own ability. In considering both task and ego, the ideal way of working towards your goal would be to be task orientated and think, act, and feel motivated towards excellent skill without your perceived ability hindering you.
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