Things I learned this week:  So this book is so great and I am super excited to talk about it and learn to implement all of the things! 

This week it was really fun to go over the 4 pillars of a confident attitude or what Dr. Nate Zinsser says - things that we cannot change.   These are a great foundation as we begin what we can call out confidence practice.  We can also think of it as a great foundation to learning how to make deposits into your psychological or we could even call it your confidence bank account.  

Pillar #1  The Mind-Body Connection is Real.  Use It or Be Used by It. 

“The idea that one’s state of mind has substantial effects on one’s physical state and thus on one’s performance still hasn’t caught on fully.” (p29)

Things I really loved learning about in this section were the sewer and success cycle. 

The sewer cycle

 Conscious thoughts (oh #!#!; this sucks; I’m in trouble now; Don’t screw up) 

Unconscious emotions (Disappointment, frustration, impatience, Worry)

Physical State (High muscle tension, constricted blood flow, tunnel vision, “stress” chemicals)

Execution (average to poor) (p31)

Success cycle - constructive thoughts

Conscious Thoughts (let’s see how well I can do! This is my chance! We can do something great!)

Unconscious thoughts (Confidence, eagerness, Peace of mind, Trust)

Physical State (low muscle tension, open blood flow, wide angle vision, “joy” chemicals)

Execution (best possible) (p32)

Then also this question that he asks us to think about: 

"What percentage of your conscious thoughts over a day, a week, a semester, a season, or a  year are personally affirmative and emotionally supportive, and what percentage are personally disparaging and emotionally discouraging?  And where do your thoughts tend to run when you are moments away from stepping into your personal performance arena? Do they move toward the sewer cycle or more toward success? Your answers suggest whether you are enabling or inhibiting a first victory.(p33)" 

Where do you live most of the time?  And the best part about all of it is that we can always change our mind. 

Pillar #2: Inevitable Human Imperfection.  You Won’t Escape It, So You Might as Well Make Friends with It.

This one is a really important to remember especially to keep in a good state of mind while you are trying to achieve things.  We are all imperfect and we will all make mistakes.  

"One study concluded “Those athletes who strive for perfection while successfully controlling their negative reactions to imperfection experience less anxiety and more self-reliance during competition.” (p37)

“Be curious about your imperfections.  They are valuable sources of information. 

'What is this mistake telling me?  What will I do differently next time to make it turn out better?'

They become friendly stepping stones." (p37)

I love this thought and to relax about it.  I also love the story about Greg Louganis, Olympic gold medalist form the 1980s. 

 “Louganis is a self-described perfectionist, ‘but that’s the irony,’ he says “in order to do it perfectly, I have to let go of perfectionism a little. In diving, there’s a sweet spot on the board.  I can’t always hit it perfectly.  Sometimes I’m back from it, sometimes I’m a little over.  But the judges can’t tell that.  I have to deal with whatever takeoff I’ve been given.  I can’t leave my mind on the board.  I have to be relaxed enough to clue into the memory tape of how to do it.  That’s why I train so hard.  Not just to do it, but to do it right from all the wrong places.” (p38)

“He strives to hit that perfect spot every time, but then accepts whatever he gets and stays ‘relaxes enough’ (no worries) to let a great dive happen.” (p38)

Pillar #3: Your Helpful, But Mostly Misunderstood, Autonomic Nervous System.  Fall in Love with Your Butterflies.

This idea to get comfortable with you butterflies and the nervous feelings before a big event is so helpful.  Nothing is going wrong, in fact our body is trying to help us get ready and make a great performance.  

I also thought it was so helpful the way he explained what our body it doing when this is happening:

“Why would your nervous system ramp up like that? Simple: whenever you’re about to do something that matters to you, whether it’s something you MUST do or something you WANT to do, your autonomic nervous system - the part of your biology that keeps you heart pumping, your lung breathing, and your digestion all working without any conscious effort on your part does a few things to help you out.” (p41) 

Brain tells adrenal glands to send out some extra adrenaline into the bloodstream.

“Adrenalized” blood pumps harder  (and loud enough for you to really notice it) other muscles receive their share of enhance muscles.  Plus “prepare to fire” neuron signals making the jitters you feel in your hands.  “And the one hundred million neurons connecting the brain to the stomach and intestines also fire faster, making the sensitive smooth muscle fibers in the stomach vibrate like butterflies.” (p41)

I also mentioned episode 52 that talked about stress being our friend.  Similar ideas here.  

Pillar #4:  The Inconsistent and Delayed Returns of Practice.  Great Changes Are Happening That you Can’t See.” 

This pillar is also helpful as you learn to accept that practicing isn't going to lead you to this linear predictable end.  But that we sometimes have spurts of improvement followed by longer times of a plateau.  

“Not only are the returns on our investment of work, unpredictable, they also diminish the longer we make them.” 

"The way to minimize that frustration and set the stage for your First Victory is to understand that every minute of quality practice, every rep, drill, and practice session properly conducted, created beneficial changes in your nervous system that ultimately, over time, bring about substantial improvements.” (p49)

“Once your cognitive and effort systems have reprogrammed your habitual system through deliberate practice, the effort brain can step back and withdraw.” (p49)

Lots of great things to remember that we cannot change.  I am really going to remember these.  Especially the one about being imperfect but still striving and doing your best to improve.