Mindfulness: Vital for Success
What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the ability to be present and aware of yourself in each moment in time. Mindfulness has many components. It involves being keenly aware of your thoughts, feelings, and physical states. It also encompasses using accurate information about yourself to make deliberate choices and actions.
Mindfulness depends on the ability to observe yourself. Mindfulness can provide both interesting information, positive information, and, at times, uncomfortable information. Noticing that you are feeling happy or that you are laughing may be enjoyable. On the other hand, noticing that you are feeling sad, tired, or lonely may be uncomfortable for you to experience.
Being mindful may be challenging in a culture that tends to be fast-paced and highly values learning quickly. In reality, mindfulness is not simply about slowing down, but more about the ability to notice yourself in any given moment. Knowing yourself well provides information that you can use to make choices about any next steps that feel right for you.
Similarly, access to good information via practicing mindfulness means improved ability to make better decisions musically in the moment and successfully into the future. Vocal artists and others can make optimal corrections to their performance, if they are able to precisely observe and understand the thoughts, emotions, and kinesthetic experience related to their performance.
The Role of Emotion
It can be both annoying and exhausting to be filled with overwhelming emotion. If you feel too much anxiety, you can feel jittery and distracted. If you feel too much sadness, it can feel like your energy has drained away. On the other hand, too little emotion can leave you feeling numb, lost, or empty. In fact, the proper amount of emotion can contribute positively to having the focus needed for optimal musical performance, training and competition. So, why are emotions a part of the human experience? What’s the point?
Can individuals live without emotion? The following points can help clarify the role of emotion in a person’s life.
All healthy human beings have emotions. Emotions can be self-validating. Emotions give you information about yourself, as well as on other people and events. Emotions can be signals that something is happening.
Emotions organize and motivate action. Emotions motivate behavior. Emotions prepare you for action. Emotions and urges to act can have a strong neurological connection.
Emotions can prompt you to act quickly and without thinking.
Facial expression and body language communicate emotion.
Facial expressions communicate more than words alone and will influence other individuals whether you intend it or not.
Strong emotions can be energizing and motivating. Strong emotions can provide energy needed for overcoming obstacles. Strong emotions, however, can be linked to assumptions or beliefs that may or may not be true or helpful.
On occasion, it can be easier to notice or understand the stronger emotions. A busy schedule or many distractions can make it more difficult to notice the smaller changes in emotion.
Promoting Excellence Through Visualization
Visualization is a powerful tool that can be used to create a state of relaxation, safety and control. This technique is particularly valuable, given that it may be difficult to simply wish one’s self into a relaxed state. When your thoughts are anxious or sad, you feel tense and unhappy. When your mind can focus on positive and healing images, you can feel more calm, safe, and in control.
Visualization is an effective way of coping with stress. Daydreams, memories, and inner talk are all types of visualizations that successful vocal artists commonly practice. Everyone may use visualization to improve a sense of well-being and promote superior performance. The mind may be trained to know how to allow your body to relax and successfully endure difficult or stressful circumstances.
There are three types of visualization: receptive, programmed, and guided:
Receptive visualization occurs when you pause, sit or recline, relax, select a scene, pose a question, and wait patiently and openly, while you listen for and look for thoughts or images that come to mind. Receptive visualization takes time, patience and practice.
Programmed visualization (PV) entails creating an image of something you would like to be able to do. It might be training for a vocal competition, successfully navigating an interview, running, winning a race, giving a speech, or performing in a beautiful opera house. It all requires you to use all of your senses to vividly imagine the details related to the experience. Programmed visualization is most effective when the possibilities for sights, sounds, smells, textures, or tastes can be considered. Experimenting with different versions of your visualization will help you discover which details you most prefer. Repeated PV practice can facilitate improved performance.
Guided visualization initially involves visualizing a scene you prefer to imagine. The image you choose for guided visualization should be one that can feel safe, relaxing, and confident. After choosing the location for your guided visualization, you may let your mind’s eye consider all the possibilities for the content of that image. You may use all your senses to create and edit these details. Among the scenes commonly considered typically calming are the following:
Outdoors, garden, trees, hills
Path through the woods or along a lakeside
Outdoors scene, fishing
Mountain retreat
Lake, beach, or seashore
House, cabin, room that feels safe
Choose one you may prefer
Sustaining Personal Resilience Under Pressure
Some thinking and communication patterns are more effective, and some communication patterns are less effective in conveying interests and needs. Several examples of thinking patterns that may impair effective communication are listed below. Have you observed these patterns in yourself or in others?
*Based on: Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life, 4th ed., by Matthew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning (2011), New Harbinger Publications: Oakland, CA.
Please consider how using these thought patterns may influence you or others. How might these patterns of thinking influence your focus and confidence as an athlete, scholar or musical artist?
Filtering: You focus on the negative details, while ignoring all the positive aspects of a situation.
Polarized thinking: Things are defined in the extremes of black or white, good or bad. You have to be perfect, or you are a failure.
Overgeneralization: You reach a general conclusion, based on a single incident or piece of evidence. You exaggerate the frequency of problems and use negative global labels.
Mind reading: Without their saying so, you know what people are feeling and why they act the way they do.
Catastrophizing: You expect or even visualize disaster or the worst possible outcome.
Magnifying: You exaggerate the degree or intensity of a problem.
Personalization: You assume that everything people do or say is in reaction to you. You also compare yourself to other individuals frequently.
Should statements: You have ironclad rules about how you and other people are expected to act.
Have you noticed yourself using any of these patterns of thinking?
Have you noticed others using any of these thinking patterns? Please describe.
Is there a thinking pattern that you would like to change? If yes, which one?
How might changing this particular thought pattern benefit you and your pursuit of excellent performance?