Electronic Newsletter --
The Mental Game Coach Report Archive
December 20, 2003

The Mental Game Coach Report
Mind Strategies For Business Productivity and Personal Development

For Business Professionals, Sports Enthusiasts,
And Performers And Achievers In All Walks Of Life.

Volume 3, Number 12, December 20, 2003

In This Issue:

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1. WINNING WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY
2. MENTAL GAME MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES
3. A MENTAL TOUGHNESS MOMENT
4. SIX MIND-BODY APPROACHES FOR HANDLING WORKPLACE STRESS
5. IN THE NEWS

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1. WINNING WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY

Having a tough time getting going today? Ignite your enthusiasm with these three quick-start productivity tips.

A. BE A SUCCESS IN REVERSE

Stop. Close your eyes. Visualize some less-than-desirable tasks you have ahead of you. Imagine yourself just having completed each of them with excellence. How do you feel? What other benefits will come your way now? What will you now be able to accomplish having these off your desk?

B. ROTATE FOR TRACTION

Start a task you don't like and only do it for 5 minutes. That's all. Don't do any more than that. Go off to do something else. Come back to the first task, and do 10 minutes. No more. Come back later and do 15 minutes. Keep adding five minutes to the initial task each time you come back to it.

Each time you go away from the first task, do something you enjoy, or get quick traction with. Continue this system until you finish your initial, less-enjoyable task. This rotating-station style keeps your brain fresh and wanting more. Before you know it, you've created traction and momentum.

C. HIT YOUR BRAIN RESET BUTTON

Can't get your mind focused? Don't fight it. Take a constructive break to address what is running through your mind. Write those thoughts in your journal and get them out of your head and onto paper. That should clear your mind and allow you to be productive. If the troubling thoughts come back, repeat the process. You hit the reset button on your computer to clear out the RAM and other cyber trash, right? Do it for your mind also.

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2. MENTAL GAME MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."
--Andrew Carnegie

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."
--Napoleon Hill

"I've never been satisfied with anything we've ever built. I've felt that dissatisfaction is the basis of progress. When we become satisfied in business, we become obsolete."
--Bill Marriott, Sr.

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3. A MENTAL TOUGHNESS MOMENT

When I was a young tennis pro on the circuit many years ago, I regularly came across opponents who were vastly more experienced and had better strokes. In spite of that, I was able to win some money, played on TV twice and played some big names, but I was not a household name.

For people who did not know me, it seemed like victory for me in these championships would be only a distant concept, not a potential reality.

Happily, I was able to reach the championship finals 25 times over my amateur and pro career. I defeated many "better" players I had "no right" beating.

What did I do to win many of these matches?

I became mentally tough. Used my mind to win. Played smarter than they did. Used my superior powers of analysis and diagnosis of their game against them. Was more confident and street-smart. Called upon my self-discipline from hours of practice. Used a deep knowledge of strategy and tactics to devise winning game plans. Cultivated a never-say-die competitive attitude.

To be a winner, you must first win in your mind.

When you face your toughest opponents, whether in the form of people, things or issues, this is a Mental Toughness Moment.

There is always a way to win. You must believe this. Once you accept as reality that there is at least one path to victory, you can set out to find that road. It may take you down blind alleys, but at least you will know what does NOT work. This takes you closer to victory.

It's helpful to recognize when you are encountering a Mental Toughness Moment and to follow these five guidelines.

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4. SIX MIND-BODY APPROACHES FOR HANDLING WORKPLACE STRESS

Stressed? Unable to perform to your potential? It's time to get back to the BASICS. The BASICS are how you can deal with stress through you, the whole person. Some people attempt to handle stress through one channel only (i.e. muscle relaxation and deep breathing) but this is usually insufficient, or at best, temporary. To jump over the stress speed bumps of life you need stronger stuff. You need to engage your entire being when you devise stress management solutions.

Here is what I mean by handling your stress using the BASICS:

BEHAVIORAL

How you act and carry yourself. For example, you might try walking and talking more slowly for various periods during your day.

AFFECTIVE

Your emotions and feelings. Here you could be aware of when you are angry or unhappy, and stop, acknowledge it, write your reactions in a journal, and begin to see the cause and effect around this upheaval.

SOMATIC

Your body and muscles. You may notice the various connections between your breathing and your muscle tension levels in various pressure situations.

INTERPERSONAL

Your relationships with people, things and issues. You might step back and note which relationships are causing you the most stress, write about this in your journal and begin to learn more of why you react so strongly.

COGNITIVE

Your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, self-talk and mental images. If you have a speech to deliver, and stress attacks you, take a moment to notice the negative self-talk and images that enter your mind, and replace them with thoughts and images of your choosing.

SPIRITUAL

Your benevolent, grateful, giving stance and conduct towards other people and the universe. When you are stressed, can you take a moment to be grateful for the good things in your life, and to reach out to someone less fortunate?

The six BASICS represent the complete, full you, handling stress at all levels at once. It is the ultimate mind-body connection you need to combat the toughest tricks stress can throw at you. With a full armamentarium of peak performance tools, you'll come straight through to the other side of stress with a smile on your face. Victorious. Sane. Ready for more.

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5. IN THE NEWS

Procoach Systems founder and CEO Bill Cole was interviewed as an industry expert in two major international publications in November. The Ladies Home Journal interviewed him for a quiz on What's Your Deadline Stress Coping Style? that appeared in the on-line version. Presentations Magazine interviewed Bill extensively in their feature cover article, First Aid For Podium Emergencies. They also used one of Bill's Speaking Emergencies Tip Lists as a sidebar.

Bill writes a monthly column on sales in the national print magazine Transaction World. You can view current and recent copies in the on-line version at http://www.TransactionWorld.com

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Material reprinted from:
The Mental Game Coach Report
Mind Strategies For Business Productivity
and Personal Development
Copyright © 2003. All rights reserved. Bill Cole, MS, MA.
http://www.MentalGameCoach.com

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Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority on peak performance and coaching, is founder and CEO of Procoach Systems, a consulting firm that helps organizations and professionals achieve more success in business, sports and life. For a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.

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