What type of inner friend do you have? Is that voice inside you abusive, is he cynical of your every move and every play you make? Does he often create doubt that you are not capable of achieving greater things?
Perhaps, you might have a hippy inner voice that doesn’t really mind, doesn’t really care, he is often making gestures of just wanting to go surf, man or how about that mountain, bru?
If you are lucky you can be blessed with an inner voice that is kind and nurturing. He allows you to fail but also reminds you that it is ok as long as you work hard and learn from your mistakes. He is also the voice that brings you back to reality and tells you that your temper outburst is not appropriate for an athlete and as a role model to young and aspiring future stars.
What type of inner voice do you have? Next time you are on a court or sports field, take recollection of what the inner voice you have is saying to you, especially in situations of adversity. Note, if you do happen to come across multiple voices talking inside you, then I do suggest you get that checked out.
So often sport is about the external, the ace serve, the fans, the cute girls yelling out your name, but “mentally poor” sportsmen seldom reflect inwards on what is happening in their current sports lives. Introspection is an art, and like any skill, you need to work at achieving a clearer focus. Introspection can be classified as a type of meditation but instead of focusing on just the present state of abyss, introspection is about reflecting on what happened during your game, when your emotions have settled. Here are some steps to help you practice introspection.
Find a quiet place – It is imperative you find a ‘man cave’ where people know that you are not to be disturbed. Make sure all distractions are taken away, such as all forms of technology, loud noises, bright lights etc. This time is about you, your inner voice and reflection. The goal is to try and reflect every day, for at least 15 minutes.
Breathing deeply – Our daily stressors cause us to ‘shallow breathe’, meaning, we tend to breathe from the upper chest instead of from the belly. Focus on your belly pushing all the way out when breathing in deeply and then relaxing back to normal as you exhale. Aim for long breathes, a two second pause, and then long breathe out. Maintain a rhythm consistently throughout.
Get rid of emotion and judgement – This is probably the hardest thing to do since we are creatures of drama, but make a conscious acknowledgment that even if you are reflecting on a heated situation in your game, stay calm and see it from the outside, instead of reliving the moment. If, for what every reason, you can’t keep calm then just focus back on breathing deeply until you have regained mental composure.
Reflect on your day – This can be done for your entire day but let’s keep it into sporting perspective. The art of reflection is trying to see your entire game from start to finish by seeing it as a Rubik’s Cube. You are looking at the cube, admiring all its colours, or its possible combination. You begin to interact with it and don’t care about cracking the code, you are just looking at it from all angles and appreciative the simplicity yet sophistication of the cube.
Your game is no different. Travel through your thought processes, observe your game in the most simplistic form. Begin to focus on key points in your game, and play with different scenarios that could have been played. Understand that there is no right or wrong. The game is over , but reflection helps to see areas that you might have missed in the heat of the battle and prepares you for future games.
Very few weak athletes reflect without emotion and judgement. It is either you, the umpire, the weather or something else that clouds your perception. By taking all the noise out of the story, you begin to see a purer game, a better game and most importantly during that “alone” time you get to build a better game-winning relationship with your inner voice.
[su_quote]Thought provoking Question:
What are some of your techniques you use to help find inner peace? Comment Below or tweet me @SeanVStaden[/su_quote]
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