The Energy Project Blog Focusing on What's Next

Who doesn't love the Final Five? The USA women's gymnastics team's discipline, incredible skill, determination, and friendly attitudes make them lovable across the globe. But what struck me the most during the women's all-around final was Aly Raisman's quick shift in focus from a not-so-stellar performance on uneven bars to an outstanding performance on beam. The end result: she won her first silver medal in an individual event. NBC's coverage showed one of the US coaches chiding Raisman on her performance. Aly quickly responded that she wanted to focus on beam, her next event. I wasn't surprised. Raisman didn't get to the Olympics with a habit of ruminating on what went wrong. She got to that level by refocusing with the same agility, the same determination that fuels her routines. She had the wisdom to know that she couldn't change what had already happened. However, she could change the outcome of her next performance. Her speedy recovery between bars and beam resulted in an improvement of 0.7 points. The significance of this improvement cannot be understated. In an event where 3rd and 4th place were separated by a mere 0.116 points, Aly's recovery proved vital to her success. Jim Loehr's study of elite tennis players highlights similar behaviors that distinguish top athletes from their less esteemed peers. He found that an elite player would instantly turn his/her back to the net following each point. This practice allowed the athlete to quickly shift gears to the next rally. Loehr explains in Tony Schwartz's book, What Really Matters, "Anytime I can get an athlete to produce the right feelings, he's going to perform in the upper range of his potential. By learning to control his thoughts and emotions, he gains control of his physiology." Raisman did just that. She banned the negative emotions associated with the bars and visualized a successful beam routine. The mental fortitude and reservoir of positive emotions athletes need in incredibly high-stakes sporting events is something we can all learn from. Think of a time when things didn't go as planned: a project was stalled, a pitch wasn't well received, or a deadline was missed. Did you continue to harp on that misstep well after it happened? Did you notice how it continued to drag you down? Now, imagine what would have happened if you immediately moved on and focused on the next piece of that project. My guess is you would attack that next task with greater clarity and fewer errors. Whether you're Raisman on the beam or an office worker faced with a tough deadline-the practice of regrouping quickly allows you to focus your energy on the next challenge instead of ruminating on past errors. Know what you have the power to control. If it's something that already happened, unless you're friends with Doc Brown, you won't be able to change it. Give it a try the next time you see yourself stuck on a mistake, mishap, or particular challenge, and let me know how you fare!Image credit: "Aly Raisman Rio 2016" by Agência Brasil Fotografias via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC BY 2.0