Why is important to be in a Resourceful state

Why is important to be in a Resourceful state

A resourceful state is where we are calm, collected and confident. Our mind is clear, we are creative and able to generate all kinds of options and make solid decisions.
Athletes, use many words for this state, such as “flow”, “concentration”, “being in the zone”. When one is there, there is no sense of effort or force. Everything happens by itself. All one has to do is enjoy and stop interfering.  
Conversely, a non-resourceful state is where one is anxious, fearful or tensed.

Any sort of performance, be it physical, for instance, sports, dance, martial arts or other activities, such as coaching, socialising, having a tough conversation with someone, affects how we feel. Our attitude defines our ability to achieve the outcome we want. In short,

                         Excellent performance is state dependent.

“There is always an inner game being played in your mind no matter what outer game you are playing. How aware you are of this game can make the difference between success and failure in the outer game… The inner game is played against such obstacles as fear, self-doubt, lapses in focus, and limiting concepts or assumptions.”
Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game

Concentration gets you into the zone. Distractions, though, run interference and leads you in the opposite direction. Your internal dialogue, what you are saying to yourself at a conscious or unconscious level, is what determines how successful you will be in winning your inner game.
The inner game is against your fears, limiting beliefs about yourself, your skills, your abilities, your concepts of success, other people’s opinions about you.
Being victorious in the inner game implies unequivocal success in the outer game.

So, what can be an effective strategy to deal with these internal voices, the self-talk?

1. There is a difference between hearing vs listening to a voice. Listening means you are paying attention and attention amplifies the effect. Instead, don’t fight the distractions. Allow the voices to be and focus your attention on what you want to do and your breathing.
   Getting control over your attention means you are exercising mindfulness,i.e., not hijacked by what pops up into awareness.When your attention is steady so is your mind, while deep breathing, without interruptions, will assist you to not freeze and tense.
   
2. Identify the resources you need for a particular situation.
   For example, if you are going to a job interview, awareness, charisma, confidence, assertiveness is valuable. If you are in a tough negotiation, then listening, emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, rapport building, is important.
   
   Choose the resources you need and sequentially anchor them to yourself.
   Anchoring is an NLP technique that can be learnt and used as a strategy to get you into specific useful and resourceful states. Literally stabilizes you, holding you in the state(s) you desire to be, according to your needs.
   We are all using anchors, all the time. For instance, a certain smell can transport you instantly in your childhood; a piece of music can transport you, in a flash, to a happy, sad or a romantic state.
   Anchors, are associated with our thoughts, feelings and emotions. The good news is that we do not have to be at the mercy of negative emotions. Make it your choice what you want to feel, in a particular context, like a business meeting, social event, public speaking, an interview.
   
   Managing our emotions is a key requisite of excellent leadership.
   Anchoring is the efficient and effective way to do so, by fixing and evoking, the desired, resourceful states.
   
3. There is another powerful NLP technique, called the New Behaviour Generator. It can be used as a strategy, to create a completely new behaviour or for changing an existing one. It involves imagery, visualisation of the behaviour or the state one wants to achieve.
   Feels the same as when you are immersed watching a movie. Having all the sensations (visual, auditory kinaesthetic), as if you are taking part, yourself. It works because the unconscious mind has no way of telling the difference between a “real” event vs something one vividly imagines.
   You are, basically,wiring in, a new neural pathway with the desired resourceful states.  

A final note: A resourceful state is not a state of apathy or indifference.
We are present in the world but not caught in the present moment’s drama.

To be successful, in anything we want to do, we need to act from a resourceful state. Above strategies are some ways one can follow to get there.