Peak Performance

Coaching for Peak Performance

Achieving performance through emotional intelligence and knowing where your stumbling blocks are.

Not only athletes, artists and performers, but productive individuals in any career, want to attain peak performance – “getting in the zone” – or Flow state.  Researched and articulated by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Flow state involves immersion and focus while honing a skill to mastery.  Associated with elite performance, it is actually a universally available experience. You don’t have to be an Olympian to experience it.  Interest, pleasure and joy, combined with focus and an attitude free of ego, frees you to enter this stream, regardless of the activity and the goal.  It is a state where people feel connected both to task and self; feel themselves to be at their best; feel inspired, and present.  When experienced, it is felt to be so meaningful that achievement gives way to the joy of an experience felt as inherently meaningful.

Obstacles to Attaining Peak Performance

Very often, it isn’t so much of “getting your head right” in order to be in a state of Flow, as much as getting out of your head altogether. Brain scientists have discovered that the Flow state activates a different part of the brain and a different type of processing than the conscious, analytic, and self-monitoring part of the brain that underlies most mental activity. It is a part of the brain that moves much faster than the thinking part – faster than conscious intention. It is unencumbered by self-doubt and second-guessing.

Most everyone has doubts and insecurities, fear of failure, or fear of success. The trick is to reduce the influence of these conditioned thoughts and feelings, and connect with the real pleasure of the work at hand. If it is hard to take pleasure in the work, be it athletic, artistic, supporting people or leading an agenda, either that connection has to be found, or given up.

Examples

• Self-limiting attitudes or beliefs
• Overly harsh or punitive inner critic
• Inability to get over past failures
• Fear of competing due to fear of failure or underperforming to expectations
• Exhaustion and burnout
• Mismatch between realistic stretch goals and expectations
• Managing frustration
• Maintaining focus
• Lack of confidence
• Impulsive or risky behavior
• Choking
• Overthinking and over-intellectualization
• Managing anxiety, discouragement, depression or despair
• Historical traumas

How coaching can help you attain peak performance

• Connect with your strengths, values and priorities as foundation for your aims
• Understand your blind spots and personal obstacles
• Become conscious of difficult or negative emotions that may be running the show without your awareness
• Develop strategies and skills for resilience