Diana Nyad. If the name is not familiar to you, watch this short interview.

It could not have been at a better time. This remarkable story so full of inspiration and connects the previous blog (Finding the Winner in you) and this week’s blog (Getting in the Zone).

There were some critical points that Nyad made in the interview. Apart from the cliché “Never give up,” her interview went a little more and addressed how she never gave up. Here are a few tips:

• Reflecting on the journey – Despite her previous failed attempts (discussed in the interview), she still was able to reminisce on the enjoyable experiences and opportunities. She also learned from her failures, which helped her be more prepared than ever.
• Becoming stronger mentally – Nyad said, “The powers of concentration and the perspective of what it all means and what you are capable of is infinitely higher…” “I was faster then, but I am stronger now.”
• “Find[ing] a way” – exhausted every possible option to achieve her goal. She said, “people give up too easily.”

Her ability to achieve such an incredible feat was not by chance but by faith, a belief that it can be done. Completing a 103-mile swim in shark-infested waters without any cage and against the current requires significant focus, bringing us to this week’s topic: Getting in the Zone.

There comes a time in your lives when the goal seems unattainable, or the obstacles too many, the task so arduous that we seem to get lost, go off course and give up. You are posed with so many distractions in your life both internally (self-doubt, nervousness, etc.) and externally (setbacks, obstacles). But examining true success reveals that there is no such thing as an easy way out. All it takes is focus.

Our attention is limited, yet we are in the presence of so many stimuli that fight for our attention. Therefore, to focus on the task at hand, we must be able to attune to what is relevant.

Here’s a simple activity to prove how attention is limited:

Without direction, this activity seems pointless. You see so many things happening at once. When asked to focus on the dot in the middle, you realize that the surrounding dots disappear, becoming irrelevant.

To be able to sustain such a focus requires effortful/deliberate practice initially until it becomes automated.

Three factors should be considered when trying to train your ability to focus:

• Person – emotional disposition (are you likely to feel overwhelmed in a particular situation? Learn how that affects your performance).
• Task Novelty – (learning a task is difficult because it is harder to decipher what is relevant or not, at this point, you are thinking more about the movement that it is not yet natural), type of task (specific skills require a certain level of arousal, for instance, archery compared to playing tennis), level of importance (how important is the task to you? Knowing that the task means something to you provides some fuel for you to overcome).
• Environment – your interpretations of your surroundings (Do you think the conditions within the environment seem threatening?).

How to become focused when on the go?

There are different ways to focus, like listening to music, imagery, meditation, etc., but it is quite challenging to do so when we are always on the go. One way to channel your focus on the go is positive self-talk.

You must first become aware of what our distractions are and what our reactions are to those distractions. You must also acknowledge what it feels like when we are at our best, how we feel, and what is happening at that time. Be elaborate.

Once you become more aware of this, we can then create a cue phrase that can be used to remind you to get back on track.

What makes negative self-talk like “I can’t” so powerful is the belief that you can’t. If you ever reach an obstacle and say, “I can’t,” think about it.

You have eliminated all possibilities of making it happen, and essentially, you don’t do it, or even if you try and fail, that belief becomes your rationalization for failure. The obstacle now becomes the main focus, and you forget all other relevant things, like finding another way around the obstacle.

The goal of self-talk is not to miraculously stop negative thinking but to redirect it in a positive direction. The same way you have trained yourself to think and believe your negative thoughts is the same way you have to train yourself to think and believe the positive. Then, your whole perspective on failed attempts would change, and you may find another way.

Rules to creating positive self-talk:

• Positive
• Pertinent to the task at hand
• Concise
• You must believe in it
• It can be like a mantra or a form of instruction

Not all feelings associated with being positive are beneficial, and not all the feelings related to being negative are debilitating. As mentioned before, understanding the task is essential in finding the proper focus. For instance, passing the ball during a basketball game and standing at the line for a free throw requires a different amount of arousal and focus. You will find, that being “psyched up” for the free point will not be as beneficial as it would be during the game. Or, signs of nervousness before the game may not be such a bad thing because it helps to put things in perspective and places a certain level of importance on the upcoming task. Too many of these feelings are what you need to be cautious of.

Similar to external distractions, you also need to be aware of your internal distractions. Again, the goal is to reduce the amount of pressure; becoming more aware of the distractions helps you recognize them and fight them rather than succumb to the pressure.

Everyone is unique and has a different zone where they can perform at their best, so here’s your challenge.

Challenge: Finding your zone

Make a list of positive and negative feelings that you think help enhance your performance.

At a certain task, you wish to increase your level of focus for, write all that seems to be a distraction to you.

Write phrases that you think will help you get back on track (remember the rules to create positive self-talk). You can start with something simple and expand on it when it becomes easier.

The key to focusing is to be mentally and physically prepared and believe.