Welcome to the 2012 version of the MIND GYM (PFB).  This month’s topic will
focus on how to create a better life for yourselfby doing it the POSITIVE FOCUS WAY. This technique is  very simple in nature.  It does require a real dedication on your part to become a powerful source of POSITIVE ENERGY.

 What you need to do is start by gettting a notepad and place it by your bedside. 
Every night before you go to sleep, think back on the experiences of the day and write down at least two things that happened during the day that made you think, say and/or feel WOW!!!  That particular experience should have put a huge smile on your face. 
Please be as detailed as possible when describing the expereince.  It could be sports related or not.  Just be sure to write down at least two experiences for that day.  Make
this one of your nightly routines just like brushing your teeth before you go to bed.  This will create a good feeling as you retire for the day.  Continue to write down at least two WOW!!! moments every night for the first month.   If done properly, you will begin to notice that you will be looking for more WOW!!! moments during the day to add to your personal LOG (Living, Opportunity, Gift). 
 
At the end of the first month, you should have acquired at least 60 Gifts.  Here is how it will help in the development of an amazing life.  If at anytime you feel down, tired, stressed or any other negative feeling, just look at your LOG and begin to relive those WOW!!! Moments. You will be surprised at how much better you will feel.  Your mindset will refocus on the positive opportunites that are there for you to receive.  You will also begin to realize that this LOG that you created is much more powerful than any
energy drink out on the market today. 
 
So let’s start the 2012 off right by designing your own LOG.  This is the only gift that anyone can give you that has Unlimited Power.  

Have a Positive Focus 2012! 
“Dr. D.” aka Vitamin D

Welcome back to the MIND GYM (PFB).   I apologize for the delay in posting this month’s blog.  This month’s topic will focus on the final two Positive Focus Performance
P’s that will help you to attain excellence in your performance.  Positive Attitude and Positive Focus.

 Positive Attitude is the fifth Positive Focus Performance P.  This P is all about
maintaining a confident attitude no matter what the situation dictates. Winning or losing you must remain confident and trust the preparation you have done to become successful.  When you are FEELING confident(your choice), your muscles will be relaxed and ready to fire at the appropriate times.   As opposed to when you have doubt about your ability, game strategy and/or give too much credit to your opponents skill level, your muscles will become tight and you will lose the flexibility to react in an appropriate manner.  You will also lose flexibility in moving from one area of attentional focus to another.  I will discuss this in further detail in my next blog on Focus of Attention.  Also, when you FEEL confident your body’s energy level is much higher than when you have doubt.  Therefore, you don’t need those energy drinks to keep you going, just let your mind create the enphorphins (chemicals that your body produces in the brain) necessary to give you that natural high.  Thus producing instant energy.  WOW!

 Here is a common example that most of us have experienced.  It’s late in the 
afternoon, long day of classes and a really tough practice.  All you want to do is go home, eat and then sleep.  But you can’t because you have to study and do your homework. 
What a dilemma.  All of a sudden you receive a text mail from your friend who has some great news. BAM!!! Instant Energy!  Now the challenge is to refocus that energy to doing your homework.  That’s what makes life fun.  Atleast the attitude is now a positive one.

 The sixth and final Positive Focus Performance P
is POSITIVE FOCUS.   This is the thoughts part of THOUGHTS & FEELINGS(Positive Attitude was the feelings part).  This is the most important Performance P because it generate the other 5 Ps.  Without a winner’s mind set, performances can be difficult and sometimes even embarassing. Here is a simple explanation of the process.  Your
Brain is like a computer.  It runs many different programs that helps us to perform a variety of skills.  Such as walking, talking, driving a car, etc. Some of these learned
skills like walking or brushing our teeth are highly developed therefore taking very little to no thought process whatsoever.  Whereas talking takes more cognitive work.  Although sometimes it appears as if some individuals do not think before they speak(Foot in the Mouth Syndrome).  
 
Positive Focus is the most important Performance P simply because it is these thoughts that generate our feelings. But, I do not want to get into all of that.  Just know that,
if you think you can… more than likely you will feel confident and relaxed to
let your mind and body work for you.  If you think you can’t… Self Doubt rears it’s ugly head and destroys any ability that you may have had in being successful.  
 
This is also the Performance P that controls the PASSION level towards your sport. 
It understands what your PURPOSE is in playing your sport.  It tells the body what to do to create a Champion’s POSTURE.  This P also assist in keeping you focus in the now and not get distracted by past failures or outcomes(Time Travel).  And finally, your thoughts help in determining how you feel to what is being experienced real or
imaginary.

 Next month starts the New Year and the opportunity to create a better life for yourself.  The first Blog for 2012, I will discuss a technique that will help you to live Life with a POSITIVE FOCUS.  Until then, TRAIN YOUR BRIAN to get mentally tougher so that your life can be an amazing one full of WOW!!! Moments. 

Have a  Positive Focus Holiday Season!  
                                                                                            “Dr. D” a.k.a. “Vitamin D”

Welcome back to the MIND GYM (PFB). 
This month’s topic will focus on the next two Positive Focus Performance P’s that will help you to attain excellence in your performance.  Posture and Present.


POSTURE is the third Positive Focus Performance P. Playing with a champions Posture
can be helpful increasing muscle memory.  You move, breathe, act and communicate non-verbally with poise and confidence.  Your movements are effortless and automatic.  Although your posture is based on your physical movements, it is important to remember that the champion’s posture is a generated by a champion’s mind set. 
(See the image… Build the image)  For example, when you walk into any competitive venue, you can automatically find the athletes that are the true champions just by the way they act and what they say.

 For a moment, let’s take a step back and imagine when you were 2 or 3 years of age. 
Remember when you used to  play “pretend” by yourself or other members of the family.  How good were you at pretending to be a doctor, princess, police officer or maybe even an animal like a lion or a tiger.  If you are like most people, you were the best.   You would never pretended to be an average doctor.  Or an ordinary lion.  That’s because at that age we have no expectations or criteria to determine how good we really were.  We were just having FUN!  
 
That is why it is very important to be selective in who you choose as a role model. 
It’s not about trash talking and cheating to get the edge.  It’s about having fun and playing the game you love with passion and purpose (first 2 Ps).  So strive to
be the athlete that everyone will respect and admire.  Because one day you may become a role model for a child you wants to be just like you.  
 

The fourth Positive Focus Performance P is PRESENT. It’s all about playing in
the NOW. Just like what Ubwe(wise old turtle) said in Kung Fu Panda… “yesterday is history… tomorrow is a mystery… and today is a gift.  That’s why they call it the PRESENT.  As mentioned in the September blog, the only 2 things that you have total control  over is your thoughts and feelings.  Therefore, you cannot change the past.  You cannot predict the future.  All you can do is enjoy life by living in the now.  Just as in sports, you cannot change or take back a mistake that has already happened, so let it
go.  You cannot control the outcome, so stop obsessing over it.  Just play one point at a time.  Play in the NOW!  No Time Travelling (Focusing on previous mistakes which you cannot change and/or outcomes which you do not have 100% control over.)  Trust your preparation and enjoy doing what you do best.  
 

Ask anyone who has played in the ZONE, what were they thinking about when they were in the zone.  All ahtletes that perform in the zone say the same thing.  “I wasn’t thinking about anything.”  “I was just reacting to the situation.”  “It almost appeared as if time slowed down and objects became bigger.”  When you are performing in the now, your body just reacts to what it was prepared to do. 
 

In life there is only one thing that is always constant and everyone has the same amount.  It’s TIME.  So make today count by getting better everyday through proper
preparation.  And most of all make sure that you are having fun during the process.  Remember, it’s all about the journey not the destination.  Therefore, make today count and trust that tomorrow is just another opportunity to get better.


Next month, I will discuss the final two Positive Focus Performance Ps, Positive Attitude and Positive Focus.  Until then, TRAIN YOUR BRIAN to get mentally tougher so that your life can be an amazing one full of WOW!!! Moments. 

Have a Positive Focus Day! 
“Dr. D” a.k.a. “Vitamin D”


 

Welcome back to the MIND GYM (PFB). 
This month’s topic will focus on the Positive Focus Performance P’s that will help you to attain excellence in your performance. Keep in mind what you already read in the September’s blog regarding preparation and controlling your thoughts and feelings.

 Positive Focus 6 Performance P’s was created to enhance the learning process and created to simplify the various aspects of mental toughness. 

The first P and probably the most important is PASSION.  Passion is training and playing for the love of the sport.  Without passion, there is no desire to excel and no commitment to the process.  Therefore the athlete’s efforts will be subpar and basically a waste of time. I know that it is hard to be passionate about going to practice and working on developing the same skills over and over again.  What you might not realize is, in order for any movement to become a skill it must be developed to the point by which it becomes a reactionary habit  or muscle memory. If that is achieved, then under a pressure situation, the athlete will react appropriately to perform the precise movement to increase the chances of a desired outcome.  "Play for the Love of the Game".


The second P is PURPOSE.  For anyone who wants to achieve greatness, there must be a purpose for your training and to compete.  Based on research and personal experiences, I have come to the conclusion that every athlete should three purposes when training to attain the mental edge.  First purpose is to always have FUN.  Whether you are training
or competing, you should always have fun during the process. The second purpose is to Get Better. No matter what the outcomes are, you should focus on getting better.  No
one is the best at everything.  The only way to achieve an amazing life is to strive for excellence.  Imagine if you got a little bit better every day at your sport.  For example, ball handling in basketball, serving in tennis or volleyball and putting in golf.   Eventually you would master the skill and would feel very confident when called upon to execute that particular skill.  Even if you had a bad training session where it appeared that nothing went right and you made a lot of mistakes.  You could still get better on a day like this; IF… you learned from your performance and made the necessary  corrections so that it would not likely happen again.  Simply put, you learned what not to do.  Therefore you got better.


The third and final purpose is to WIN. Although winning is the only purpose that you don’t have 100% control over, you can still help in determining the outcome of the performance by how you play.  Most people in athletics, believe that winning is the only reason or purpose for playing any particular sport.  I disagree with this mind set.  Competing in sports is supposed to be fun.  That’s why you PLAY sports.  It also should be noted that if you do not win, that does not make you a loser.  You just had a negative outcome to your performance.  Replay the performance in your mind and figure out what you need to do to get better. Never doubt your training and your preparations while competing.  Remember, it is all about the process and how we respond to the outcome that determines who we are.

Next month I will be discussing the next two performances P’s, Posture and Present. 
So in the meantime, play with passion and purpose.  If you have any question and/or comments on any of the topics in this blog, I encourage your feedback.  

Have a Positive Focus Day! 
“Dr. D” a.k.a. “Vitamin D”