When you think about the word ‘performance’, your mind probably goes straight to flashy cars, or how your football team fared on the weekend. You may be surprised to know that just as we can turbocharge our cars, improving our own personal performance can have an overwhelmingly positive impact on our lives.
While last month our focus was on “The Power of Posture” and the structural ways that we can improve our personal functioning, in June we will be looking at the ways our own mental state and wellbeing can improve our overall performance.
A key question you might want to ask yourself is ‘How do I know I am performing optimally?’ There’s no ‘check engine’ light for the human body, but there are a number of tell-tale ways to determine our own performance levels, as well as those of our family in friends, in order to help them be the best versions of them-selves, and we will touch on those in this newsletter.
Another question is, why strive for optimal performance? When we are performing at our best, we can think with purpose, control our emotions, allow ourselves to be at our best, and, again, help others to achieve the same. As they say, laughter is contagious, and so too is someone who is living life to the best of their abilities.
Not only will your physical body benefit from a performance makeover, but so too would your mind. While many people would assume that our mental state can influence our performance, there have also been a lot of studies supporting the positive link between the two. With a decrease in anxiety and an increase in mind-fulness practice, we see an improvement in academic performance, social skills, creativity, and work engagement.
So – what things can we do to enhance our mental performance?
Being Mindful
The process of Being Mindful is to be conscious of the thoughts you have, and in turn making them purposeful and productive. One way that we can be mindful is to have awareness of the feelings we are experiencing, and asking why we are feeling that way; is there something triggering that thought? We are then able to consciously act on that and have a direct impact on our thought processes – and, by extension, our performance. We can generate mindfulness by being present in the current situation; for example, when you are having a conversation with a friend, not thinking about what to get from the grocery store later that afternoon.
Meditation & Gratitude
A change in mindset can set the tone for your day. Can you spare a breath be-tween your car and your house in the evening, to save your housemate from some residual road rage? Take a moment in before you enter each new setting or situation to ditch the emotions you may be building up.
Morning meditation can be a beautiful start to your day. It may be 1, 5 or 10 minutes – it doesn’t need to be long. If you need somewhere to start, you may want to look toward a guided meditation.
Feeling gratitude everyday can change the outlook of so many things. When we think to show gratitude, the ‘bigger things’ may come to mind. While this is still great, challenge yourself on the days that you can’t think of anything to have a second look for smaller, everyday things that we may take for granted.
Find your motivation 
Finding the perfect balance of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time focused goals is a bit to think about, but so worth the journey! Starting with smaller, short term goals, and following with longer-term, bigger goals can separate the big journey into smaller and more achievable steps. Don’t forget to reward your achievements and reflect on your challenges, looking for opportunity to change the next time you try.
Find something that sparks a passion in you. Finding your niche will allow you to find people on the same wavelength as you. It could be as simple as joining a local gym or sports team. It becomes an outlet, a hobby, and can be a huge factor in stress relief.
Get mental stimulation
“Never be the smartest person in the room” is the best advice I have ever received. There is always some-thing to learn off another person, no matter how great or small. If you are not learning something new then you might not be standing in the right room.
Nourish your body as well as your mind
Along with mental stimulation, your body thrives off optimal health in physical and emotional areas also. We can look after our bodies with nutritious, balanced foods and regular physical activity. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor regularly can help your body feel at its best.
Fill the cup of those around you.
If you feel like you have all of these boxes ticked, look around. We all have days where we may need a little bit of help with our performance, and what better way than to share the love of a happier, healthier, grateful life.
“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person”.
– Tyler
