TSSI #8 – Mental Strength: Recovering Focus
Read Time: 4 minutes
In today's issue, I'm going to teach you the mental strength framework used by world class athletes.
If you learn this framework, you'll get better results, more fulfillment & a bigger bank account (just ask Djokovic haha).
Most people are mentally weak for two reasons:
They have the wrong framework for mental strength that doesn't actually work. e.g. positive thinking or finding "the zone"
They know the correct framework, but spend little time practicing it.
Staying in the present moment is impossible. It's your recovery that counts.
We all know that to perform your best you have to be in the present moment.
All coaches will tell you, "Process, process, process."
A process focus requires being in the present moment.
"When we are fully present, we can seize opportunities, make clear decisions, and create meaningful outcomes." - Sharon Salzberg
So, it would make sense to work on our ability to always stay in the present, right? To get in the zone? Don't think about the past or future!
Wrong.
It is pretty much impossible to always stay in the present. Your mind is made to wander.
This is a fundamental belief shift that is crucial to the mental strength framework.
You cannot stay in the present all the time, especially in high-pressure situations and challenging moments.
Your ability to quickly recover a wandering mind will define your mental strength.
Let me repeat that: it's your ability to recover a wandering mind that defines your mental strength.
Here's the step-by-step framework for mental strength:
1. Awareness of the wandering mind.
If you're not aware that your mind is wandering, then you cannot recover your focus to the present moment.
The wandering mind can be in one of 3 places:
The Past- the deal you messed up. The set you lost. The poor call against you.
Distracted Present- the hot girl in the crowd. Your coworkers talking loud. Your phone bleeping.
The Future- winning and losing. What if's. What people are going to think of you.
Your first step it to have the awareness that your thoughts are elsewhere.
Which sounds obvious, but believe me, many people don't even realize they're still obsessing about a poor decision they made 30 minutes ago.
2. Accept it as normal. No judgment.
So, you've become aware that your mind has wandered...
The mistake that people make is:
They get frustrated with themselves for being frustrated.
Or anxious about being anxious.
Or annoyed at not being able to stay in the present.
This is called 'metacognition". I wrote an article on this a few weeks ago which you can read here.
'Metacognitive worry' is down to a belief that your mind should never wander, get distracted, or feel a strong emotion...
...and that if it does, then your performance deteriorates. Which isn't true.
Here's an amazing clip of Novak Djokovic discussing this concept.
It's normal for the mind to wander. It's normal to get distracted. It's normal to feel angry, sad and anxious.
3. Bring it back to the present.
You've become aware & accepted it without judgment. Now it's time to bring your mind back to the present moment.
How?
Djokovic in the clip above hints to his tool of "conscious breathing" - the act of focussing on ones breath.
What other tools could you use?
Sounds - birds chirping, the hum of the AC, or the sound of the trees blowing in the wind.
Feel - the feeling of a towel on your face, the felt on a tennis ball, the pen in your hand or your butt on the chair.
The act of bringing your attention onto a feeling, sound or action brings us back to the present.
This process only needs to happen for 5-10 seconds.
4. Process Focus & Commit
Yey…we're back to the present.
Now it's time to shift our focus onto something helpful.
Like coach says, "focus on the process".
So think about something task-related that you can commit to in the very next moment.
In tennis, it could be a game plan, a target, or a ball toss.
In business, it might be the opening line of copy to hook a reader or a message you want to convey on a phone call.
Your sole job it to commit to that focus in the next moment.
5. Repeat
Repeat the process over and over.
The quicker you recover from a wandering mind, the more mentally tough you are.
Doing this well takes practice. Consciously practice going through the steps in this framework until it becomes automatic.
That's when you become truly mentally tough.
Want to practice your recovery of focus at home?
Practice mindfulness.
Sit down and bring your attention to your breath. Pay attention to the inhalation & the exhalation.
When you notice that your mind has wandered away from the breath (which it will), gently bring your focus back to the breath without judgment.
This works on your ability to recover focus back to the present moment - which is what mental toughness is all about.
Other focuses during mindfulness:
Sounds
Feelings
Smells
If you're a beginner to mindfulness, try the "Headspace app".
Wrapping Up
Mental strength is defined by your ability to recover a wandering mind.
So:
Notice when your mind is distracted, in the past or in the future
Accept it as normal. No judgment.
Become present
Focus on your process & commit
Repeat
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