by J Bartell

You may have heard some of these wisdom quotes before. Because they're so valuable, I offer them as a reminder to those who know about them and as a way for others to discover their power. The key phrases are taken from one of my favorite books "Zen in the Martial Arts" by Joe Hyams and represent principles applicable to all areas of life not just sports.

Empty Your Cup: This phrase illustrates the necessity of cultivating an open mind. You cannot expect to ever learn new things if you are unwilling to "empty your cup" (mind) of your own opinions and speculations.

Process Not Product: You will never learn anything properly unless you give yourself time, specifically, time to actively work toward a goal without setting a time limit for its achievement. It's all about the process rather than the end product. When you remove a self-imposed time limit, you automatically remove the anxiety that comes with trying to achieve it by an arbitrary deadline.

Seize the Moment: Live in the present. Your focus should be on what you can effectively do today. If you do that, you will not waste energy. Dwelling on the past (regrets) or worrying excessively about the future (anxiety) are the two things that dissipate energy. They are also two things that can result in depression and cause a standstill to your life.

Multiple Options: When an unfavorable event occurs in your life, react to it without undue emotion or haste. Realize that in nearly every instance you probably have more alternatives than you think you have. Hold still a moment before acting or reacting and consider the alternatives.

Here's an example. I was at a shooting match once, which if you did well, you would gain points toward your overall class championship at the end of the year. I was new to the sport and was twice as old as most of my competitors which forced me to call upon my having a mental edge. After taking my turn at the course, I was walking back to my car where I saw one of my club members throwing a fit, tossing his equipment to the ground amid a long stream of profanities. I asked him what was wrong and he said that he had made a stupid mistake that had cost him many points that he needed desperately for a chance to win his class. I told him that this would be a good test of how well he does in choosing his options. Option 1: get angry and learn nothing. Option 2: learn from the failure and become a better competitor as a result. He calmed down and I left him with "being a champion is more than placing at the top of a scoreboard. A champion sees failures as stepping stones on the path to success."

So, how do you practice considering alternatives? Sometimes we find it difficult to see alternatives because we are too close to a situation. Seek out objective opinions from people you know and trust and from what they tell you, construct your own; make lists where applicable to explore pros and cons of a specific situation; create lists so you can see the issues spelled out in front of you. Pretty soon you'll see new patterns emerge. All of this will help you "think outside the box". The box, in this case, is your habitual way of thinking/doing. Habits are not necessarily the most efficient, correct or useful ways of doing things. They limit your options and therefore limit your potential!

J Bartell, M.A. is a behaviorist specializing in Left-Right Brain behavior modification using subconscious conditioning.