Most of us, at some time or another, have been successful in living a healthy lifestyle, feeding our bodies well, exercising regularly and vigorously, having plenty of energy, losing weight and keeping it off. We felt better than ever, looked better than ever, and our actions showed it. This is what's called the "zone." Typically we save this "zone" for world-class, superstar athletes. But you know what? WE have been in a "zone" several times and probably more often than we even realize. The zone is an elevated mental state that all peak performers achieve in business, sports, performing arts, in professions, and in their personal lives as well. In a sense, we're all archers, trying to hit our goals right on the bull's eye on the first try. But why can't we hit the bull's eye every time? Why can't we start a fitness program and stick with it? As with all of us, we are prevented from achieving peak performance because of worry, distractions, over-stimulation, or lack of connection with our goals. What the winners in life perfect is a relaxed focus. This doesn't mean a lack of intensity; it means that the mind is cleared of distractions and the attention is focused like a laser on what is important to making the goal happen. 5 Common Mental Blocks That Get In The Way Of Getting In Your Zone 1. Anxiousness to do the right thing. It's like a knee-jerk reaction to solving a problem: you're out of shape, have no energy, and you feel terrible. So immediately your reaction is, "I have to diet and exercise." You WANT to do the right thing, you KNOW this is the right thing. You get all keyed up to start your new program. You get to the gym/in your basement, ready, ready, ready. Preparing meals, eating frequently, the whole ball of wax. The progress halts (temporarily, but you don't see it because you're so psyched up), and you start questioning EVERYTHING. Am I exercising right? How much aerobics? How often do I strength train? Do I try the Atkins, or Marilu Henner's diet? Everything is analyzed. Then the over-reaction of "Forget it! What's the use?" ensues. And you stop. 2. No focus. "Oh, I'm going to lose weight and get in shape." Right. So is everyone else. Everybody means something different when they say this. What do YOU mean when you say this? "Any goal casually set and lightly taken is freely abandoned at the first obstacle." --Zig Ziglar When you put meaning behind getting leaner and energized, now you're getting focused. If you're just going through the motions every day of eating and exercising, something will always come up to give you an excuse not to take care of yourself. What do you really want? 3. Too much, too soon. Most people who want to significantly change their health and their bodies will start off too gung-ho, doing workouts that only someone with months or years of training experience can handle. The muscle soreness is too unbearable. They may get hurt. At this point it's very easy to think, "Is THIS what it takes to get in shape?" Most people who want to seriously improve their personal and professional lives can also fall into a similar trap of "too much, too soon." They start overflowing their daily schedules with projects and commitments, activities, and deadlines. They get so overwhelmed about "too much to do, so little time." Procrastination, then quit. 4. Not letting go. You worry about your past mistakes and failures, and you fear repeating them, causing you to stop dead in your tracks. You beat a dead horse. So any further action is calculated (a.k.a the perfectionist) and unsure, leading to no progress at all. The yo-yo dieter is a person who won't let go. "Oh, I've lost weight before, and I felt and looked really good. But I'm just afraid I'm not going to lose it. I don't know if I should do this anymore; I'll resign to living out of shape and unhealthy." Your approach needs to be "ready, FIRE... aim!" You know what you want. Start IMMEDIATELY toward getting it. The path you take to get there will never stay the same. You'll go through hills and valleys, streams and oceans using your legs, a bike, a car, a plane, a boat. The point is, your destination must stay the same - stay focused on that. But how you get there will change along the way. Be flexible and keep going. 5. Means to an end. This person thinks, "I HAVE to lose 30 pounds in 90 days, or else I'll be miserable, life will suck, and I'll have no reason to be lean and fit." (That darn number. Amazing how many people LET it be so powerful , how it controls some people's LIVES.) Performance is rushed, forced. The result is failure. Taking care of yourself, making money, having a balanced life, or whatever, is a process, a journey. A journey to ENJOY. Did you know there are more than FOUR DOZEN benefits of exercise and healthy eating? When you take care of yourself every day, YOU ARE BENEFITING EVERY DAY. Less stress, more energy, increased self-confidence, reduce risk of disease, yada, yada. You know what I'm talking about. But too many people won't consider that. They're concerned about what's on the surface. So you didn't lose a pound this month. There will be times like that. SO WHAT. How do you feel? How do your clothes fit? How's your energy? THAT is what matters. Whatever the goal is, DON'T FORCE IT. If you're doing the right things, RESULTS WILL HAPPEN. Review these mental blocks again. Be aware of them and take a self-awareness audit to see if they're causing you to come up short of reaching your full potential. When you're in a zone, you feel: 1. Optimistic You feel good about yourself and what's going on. You welcome challenge and are confident about the outcome. 2. Focused You're totally involved with what you're doing right now, mind and body. YOU ARE IN CONTROL. 3. Flow There's an automatic, natural flow between mind and body. Success is not a struggle anymore - it's expected and effortless. 4. Energized Like a second wind. You're relaxed and mentally alert. You're healthier, have high energy, and more ALIVE. You already know the power of suggestion. We not only have the ability to replay past experiences as if they're happening again, we also have the ability to create our own movies in our minds and pre-play the future. Since the mind can't distinguish between a real experience and one that is repeatedly and vividly imagined, we are, in a sense, the screenwriter, director, producer, and main character. You can make your movie as awesome as you want, or you can make it a soap opera. So it all depends on the messages we give ourselves before, during, and after our daily activities. Champions perform in the zone because they are disciplined thinkers. They understand the relationship between how they think and how much pressure they put on themselves. They know that the real pressure that people feel, is that pressure they place on themselves.