Every once in a while, I normally surprise myself with this in the zone super performance. When I am at it, it seems to me like I have been turned into another man. The whole wide world gets your attention when an event like that one happens to you. Remember when Obama, a little known politician spoke at the Democratic National Convention some years back?
Both these great icons in the world had some input to their splendid perfomances behind the scenes. That is what matters. What I do today towards my vision is most important than what the world recognizes. If I do not do today, then I cannot expect to be recognized tomorrow.
The doings of today are sometimes uneventful, uncomfortable, difficult and laborious. They are what counts. Sooner or later we are moving in stride, we are 'running with a smile', and are ready to take it to the next level. The next level happens when you enter into the zone after years of consistent preparation.
At such times, I realize that the in the zone performance could easily become two things:
- A burden:
- A campsite:
A burden because I do not want to go back to levels below this performance. I think I love that kind of a burden, always spurring me to be better.
A campsite because I have intentionally built in enough effort to sustain the in the zone super perfomance to last as a foundation.The key word here is intention.
As much as I love the effects of performing in the zone, I have to tell you that a one off performance is at best, mediocre. When the stakes are raised and I am competing against myself, I need to realize that the in the zone performance will now become my new normal.
To be honest, some of those times catch me off-guard. Yet even if that is so, I have realized that the biggest component of delivering wowing and awesome fruits of my vision is that thing called consistency. The more I dwell in my forte, the more I fortify myself.
Sometimes this can be so benign that I would not even realize what daily consistency is doing to me and my vision. It can be so small in increment to the tune of a single degree. Yet over time this single degree coalesces to a mighty force that I am calling in the zone performance.
Crazy stuff happen when we are in the zone. The biggest reaper is ourselves, no doubt about that.
My only challenge is the thing called inconsistency. Why should there be an awesome new level in one's marriage for a day, or a week...and then you revert back to the 'good old days?'. Why should there be an awesome delivery in my talk to one group, and then I revert back to the normal?
Why should I run 10 Km under 30 minutes today and do the same well over 40 minutes next week?
We ought to realize that we need to be in the race of ascendency, always competing against ourselves, making our in the zone performances the foundation of our next level.
This is one of the surest ways of curing mediocrity in our lives and most certainly in our pursuit of the fulfillment of our vision.
May the stakes be raised today!
Have a consistent week, won't you?
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