Learn to think like an Olympian

This week I am very excited as I have tickets for the athletics in Paris on Thursday evening.  It is a dream come true as I missed out on the 2012 London games.  I have been curious about Olympians for a long time and this week read an interesting piece by Keren Landman MD about the unique qualities of Olympians.  In fact, many of the more famous NLP modelling projects have been carried out on Olympians.  Olympic athletes are not like most people as they eat differently, sleep differently and most importantly, they think differently. Whilst we might never run, jump, or swim quite the way an Olympian can, we can gain a lot from adopting their strategies in our own lives. 

Olympians leave nothing to chance.  For example, Sir David Brailsford, British Cycling Performance Director was appointed as British Cycling chief in 2003 and went about making minor but hugely significant changes. Every stone was turned. Better seats, electric overshorts to maintain temperature, new aerodynamic suits and alcohol-rubbed tyres for grip were all implemented. Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred to as the “Aggregation of marginal gains.” He explained it as “The one percent margin for improvement in everything you do.” His belief was that if you improved every area related to cycling by just one percent, then those small gains would add up to remarkable achievements.

Visualise your Success

First of all, be clear about your goal and focus on it. Then one of the best evidence-based mental strategies for improving athletic performance is visualisation — that is, creating mental images of yourself doing a movement successfully before you actually do it. Visualisation can look different depending on what works best for different people, but it typically involves physical relaxation, getting yourself in a positive and confident mindset, and mentally rehearsing an event in your head as you want it to unfold — often including all the sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and physical sensations that would go along with the performance. And, ensure the rehearsal turns out well by watching a world-class expert doing it first.  What do you notice about their performance that you can add to your own? 

Anchor yourself into a great state 

Successful athletes have a pre-performance routine that tells both body and mind that it’s go time. These routines might last anywhere from five to 30 minutes and include anything from:

• Meditation
• Remembering all the details of a time they were successful
• Their own motivational playlist.

Whatever the routine includes, if it’s done habitually just before a performance, it becomes an important signal that puts the athlete in a state of readiness.

Reframe moments of high stress

Athletes have strategies to deal with those crunch time moments like the start line of the 100 metres final. Just imagine for a moment what that is like.  In those high-adrenaline moments, elite athletes also do a lot of positive self-talk, which might include cue words or positive affirmations.  Instead of telling yourself you’re nervous, “frame it as being excited, like, ‘This is a challenge. This is an opportunity, versus a threat.’” Different people need different kinds of exhortations at different points in a performance. Finding words or phrases that speak to your own biggest challenges can help you maintain the mindset you need, when you need it.

Remember to Rest 

I saw an interesting acronym for rest from Kensa Gunter, an Atlanta based sports psychologist. She described rest it as to Restore Energy through Stillness and Time. She says that rest is really about taking a break, having a pause where you are not engaged in activity that is geared toward some type of outcome. Recharging your batteries is what enables continued engagement in high-level activities, so take breaks on a regular basis. 

And, with any of these ideas, do the things that work for you.  

Have an outstanding week.

Lindsey and the team at Team NLP.