Summary
We live in a world that values winning above just about everything else. In Chapter One I described some of the factors that are acting to increase the pressure that athletes are feeling to win, and at the same time, decreasing the faith, self-confidence, or trust they have in their ability to accomplish that goal.
This essay is about my search for a scientific understanding of the knowledge and skills which great philosophers, and religious figures have promised will lead to victory over all of the trials and tribulations of life. You will not find any truth in this paper that hasn’t already been expressed in a very eloquent way by others. What you will find is a web of connections between the truths others have articulated. A web that will allow you to experience the fullness of the truths in a way you never have before. Ultimately, it’s the depth of your experience and understanding that provide the confidence and commitment you need to embrace life and live up to your full potential.
Once an individual has developed the knowledge base and technical skills required to be successful in a highly competitive job or sport, what is it that determines success or failure? The answer is simple, it’s the ability to stay focused, to concentrate on task relevant cues. Nothing is more basic to performance, or more critical to success, than the ability to concentrate. The Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) inventory is a tool that measures basic concentration skills.
Continue reading Measuring The Building Blocks of Performance
Robert M. Nideffer, Ph.D.
In recent years there has been a great deal written about optimal performance states. Optimal performance, as it is being defined here, refers to those relatively infrequent times when individuals feel totally immersed in the performance. When that happens, performers describe the experience as something outside of the ordinary. They are “in the moment” performing at an automatic level, without need for conscious thought and direction. They feel totally in control, totally focused on the task, extremely confident, with a total loss of self-consciousness, and their perception of the passage of time is altered, either losing all awareness of time, or feeling as if things are happening in slow motion (Williams & Krane, 2000). Continue reading Optimal Performance States
Increasing rigidity around our political and religious beliefs is why recent polls are showing that the number of individuals who describes themselves as political moderates is decreasing while the percentage that describes themselves as either conservative or liberal is increasing.