Mindset Made Simple Tip #211
“What are you looking at?” If you’ve never said this with a bit of irritation and attitude, you’ve thought it! I thought it a lot as I walked through the mall with my mom who drew the attention of other shoppers because she had a presence and beauty that caught peoples’ eye. Now I know it was a compliment. Then it was just weird!
What we look at matters, with our eyes and our mind’s eye.
We all learned this watching the men’s 1500m in Paris. It appeared that what these guys were watching made a difference! We quickly learned that when even the elite athletes at the Olympics are overly fixated on their competitors, they can lose sight of their process, leading to less-than-optimal outcomes.
While Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Josh Kerr of Great Britain spent time, energy and attention on each other before the race and especially through the last lap, American Cole Hocker came from behind and left them both in the dust. Ingebrigtsen, the defending Olympic champion, didn’t even make the podium! Way to go, Cole!
We can find many more examples of this including Sha'Carri Richardson in the women’s 4x100 relay. In this case, it didn’t affect the US result, but had the race been closer, who knows? As Dr. Steve Peters, known for his work with British cyclists notes, "When you focus on the other person, you're giving them control over your behavior.”
As they say, instead, we should mind our own business…and focus on our process, our technique and our goals.
We know this…but it is still hard to do…especially with adrenaline pumping and a gold medal on the line!
Whether on the field, in the boardroom, or during personal reflection, what we choose to focus on—what we look at—affects not only our mental state but also our physical performance.
According to Dr. Amy Cuddy, "Our eyes are not just passive observers; they're active participants in our perception of the world." When we look at something, our brain sends signals to our body, influencing our physiology and behavior.
What signals are we sending our bodies as we watch those around us? This is a question we should ask more often!
I learned a bit about this the hard way this weekend at my cousin Mike, my first best friend’s, funeral. Seeing Mike there and coming to terms with the fact that this was real was bad enough. Watching my aunt, uncle and Mike’s kids and grandchildren stand at the casket was excruciating.
I forced myself to look away.
Looking away wasn’t a choice based on a lack of sympathy. It was a choice I made intentionally to change my physiology.
As Dr. Andrew Huberman says "Where you look affects how you feel. And how you feel affects where you look." This quote encapsulates the intricate relationship between our vision and our internal state, and I knew I needed to change mine!
Whether we are in a sad environment like we experienced this week or on the track at the Olympics, if we understand how deeply our visual system is intertwined with our brain's attention networks, we may change what we are looking at more often to get where we need to go or feel ways we need to feel to be our best!
When we focus our gaze on a specific object or person, our brain allocates resources to process that information, often at the expense of other stuff going on around us. This phenomenon is known as selective attention. Research shows that this focused attention can enhance our performance in tasks that require precision and concentration. We need to be selective to be our best at times.
However, selective attention can also lead to tunnel vision, where we become so fixated on a particular aspect that we lose sight of the bigger picture. In my case, my selective attention or watching people grieve so intensely was wearing me out mentally and physically and I knew I needed to be AVAILABLE (the #1 rule of peak performance is being available!) for those around me throughout the long day and to be able to keep myself calm as I spoke at the service that evening!
I wasn’t performing, but there was no doubt that where I looked in that funeral home affected my emotions and my overall state.
Just like when we are performing, it comes down to a decision. What do I need to see right now to make me my best?
While it’s natural to keep an eye on the competition, an overemphasis on external factors can detract from what truly matters: the process.
Sports psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais emphasizes the importance of internal focus. He notes, "The best performers are those who can direct their attention inward, to the things they can control, and away from external distractions that are out of their hands."
I would change Dr. Gervais’ choice of the word “internal” to something else. Internal, to me, sounds too much like getting into our own head and as you read, this is not what he means. Maybe we should call it a locus of control focus. It’s a little wordy, but you get the point.
Keeping our focus on our process or what we can do is particularly important in competitive environments, where the temptation to compare oneself with others is ever-present.
Tons of research in sports psychology supports this view. Athletes who concentrate on their own technique, strategy, and mental state—rather than on their opponents—tend to perform better under pressure. Why? Because they aren’t looking at things that throw them off their game like I was! They are focused is on the process, not the outcome or anything else they have no control over! By honing in on what they can control, they reduce anxiety and increase their likelihood of success.
Aside from the distraction of watching your competition or things that take your mind places other than the process, we have talked before about how our vision can also have a profound impact on our physiology. When we engage in a focused, narrow gaze, our sympathetic nervous system kicks in, elevating our heart rate and preparing us for action. This fires up our focus and our bodies and in high-stakes situations, where quick decision-making and heightened alertness are required, we are ready to rock!
Conversely, when we allow our gaze to soften and take in the broader environment—a panoramic type of vision—our parasympathetic nervous system becomes more active, promoting a state of relaxation and calm. This shift in our physiological state can be crucial in moments that require strategic thinking or when we need to recover from intense periods of focus or emotion.
Finally, here are a few simple things to keep in mind as we start to think about what we are looking at and how it affects us as performers and in everyday life.
If we want to be our best, no matter where we are, we must be mindful of where our attention is going. Are we too focused on external factors? If so, re-center your vision on the process and the things within your control. To do this in the heat of the moment, we must practice it throughout the day. I am sure you can find a million opportunities to change what you are looking at throughout the day to improve your performance and efficiency!! Try it this week and see how it affects your mindset, your emotions and your body!
We must also remember that although competition and comparison are inevitable, our greatest challenge is mastering ourselves. If we can’t manage ourselves, we can’t manage our performance. And if we are constantly looking at or to others, we aren’t focused on what we are doing. There is a time when being focused on those around us is what needs to be done to help our team, our society, etc. However, if we don’t do our job, we let everyone else down, no matter how much we care about them and we can’t do our job if we aren’t keeping our eye on it!
And keep in mind that practicing HOW we see can help us get where we need to be mentally and physically. Being able to switch between focused and broad vision is key! In moments of stress, try a more relaxed, peripheral gaze to calm the nervous system. When we need to get the job done and dial in, it’s time to quiet our eyes and narrow our focus to sharpen attention.
So, what will you look at this week? I challenge you to take notes on where your vision leads your mind and how changing your visual scope and what you are looking at can enhance your performance!
Manage your vision and manage the moments even better!
Julie
P.S. I have room for one more team this academic year! Reach out and get scheduled for the upcoming year!
Not interested in a year-long program, let’s set up a one-time visit and kick off a program you can run for the year!
Send me a text at 234-206-0946 or an email at juliej@ssbperformance.com and schedule a call to see how we can enhance your program’s mental approach!
Julie Jones
Mental Performance Coach
SSB Performance
juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946
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