Episode summary introduction:

Join TC & Maddog as they share a journey of the mind and the importance of mental preparation to navigate life’s challenges. 

Learning mental preparation is akin to elite athletes preparing for high-stakes performances, and extends this concept to various life scenarios such as job interviews. 

Throughout this journey we explore techniques for achieving this mental clarity, including the establishment of routines and the minimization of distractions. 

Ultimately, we assert that the ability to concentrate and immerse oneself in the present moment is crucial for success in any endeavor.

 Topics discussed in this episode:

Join our profound exploration into the intricacies of mental preparation traveling into the emotional and psychological landscapes that affect our daily endeavors, be it in elite athletics or commonplace life challenges. 

We begin our journey with reflection on the significance of not traversing life's arduous paths in solitude, an assertion that underpins our collective journey. 

With the metaphor of a 'journey of the mind' as our guiding principle, we articulate the necessity of mental fortitude in various contexts, such as preparing for pivotal moments like job interviews or competitive sports. 

The dialogue seamlessly transitions to the role of motivation, illustrated through the lens of motivational posters that adorn our workplaces—an examination that invites listeners to contemplate their efficacy in fostering genuine drive. 

As we navigate through personal anecdotes and insights, we dissect the multifaceted relationship between motivation and focus, underscoring the necessity of cultivating mental preparedness to achieve success and fulfillment in our pursuits in both our professional and home life. 

Walkabout takeaways:

• Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their mental preparation techniques, regardless of whether they are athletes or job seekers.
• The discussion highlights the necessity of clear focus and motivation to achieve success and enter a state of flow.
• Practical strategies for improving focus are suggested, including minimizing distractions and establishing a conducive work environment.
• TC & Maddog share personal anecdotes regarding the challenges faced when maintaining focus in high-pressure situations.

More about E-Walkabout:

To learn more about Electronic Walkabout visit us at   www.ewalkabout.ca.

If you want to read more “Thoughts of the Day” check out TC’s Book at Amazon:

“St. Mike's Fortunes” https://a.co/d/j5dGhBK 

A special thanks to Steven Kelly, our technical advisor, who keeps trying to teach these old dogs new tricks when it comes to sounds and recording!!

“Remember to take advantage of the moment before the moment takes advantage of you!”

Electronic Walkabout. No one should have to walk through life alone. We share the good times, the bad times, and the best times.

Everyone needs a little direction now and again. And TC and Maddog are here to show you the way. A podcast where we talk about the important things in life. Come journey with us.

The Electronic Walkabout. Well, Mad Dog, we're going to call this journey Journey. A journey of the mind. Just the other night, I was watching the Stanley cup playoffs.

Have you been watching?

Not at all. Not at all.

You know, it is Canada's game.

It is. But I seem to be saving myself from disappointment. By the sounds of it, there is.

Still a Canadian team in the playoffs.

Is it the Oilers?

Yeah, the Oils.

See, as a native Calgary. And I can't get on that bandwagon. Nope.

Right. Okay.

Anyways, during the intermission, Kelly Rudy was kind of sharing with the panel how he was having a conversation with one of the goalies prior to the game. And the topic of the conversation was, how do you get mentally prepared to play one of those games?

So he didn't share exactly what the conversation was, although we can both just imagine how much pressure that would be to. To somehow find that je ne sais quoi to get to your head in that game. And that's really what we're going to talk about today.

And it doesn't matter whether you're an elite athlete or some of this going to their first job interview. How do you get your head in that game?

Yeah, it's a open ender. I'm looking forward to diving into this one.

Oh, yeah. But first, the thought for the day. The only time it's okay for the tail to wag the dog is when you see the dog is the world.

Okay. Wow, you're. I don't know what. Where you're getting this stuff from, but it's. It's deep and. And I like it. It's just catches me off guard once a while.

I have to think.

Well, I tried to find something light, but I'll. I'll. I'll. You know, next time, I'll. I'll take a little time to do that. But. And now just. Just based on what I'm saying, we're gonna. We're gonna start.

I'll say mid-80s. You'll see where I'm going with this in a second. Okay.

So over the years, we've hit a business culture, peppered with motivational posters all over the office to get people in the right frame of mind to succeed. So do you remember Those motivational posters, you see people climbing mountain work.

Yeah, yeah, I remember. I can't tell you what they said, but absolutely, you know, down hallways of offices or, you know, in your boss's office. Yes.

Just those daily reminders to set your brain in that direction, I guess.

Well, yeah, and there was one for teamwork, there was one for integrity, and you could go on, on and on and on. But let's, let's, let's be honest about this. How much do they affect your motivation?

Motivation, I say. I would say. Not that, that's not, that's not my motivator. I don't know if it would be.

Anyways, it's a great reminder and a great, you know, kind of subtle thing to read, but I don't know if that's a motivational aspiration, if you will.

It's, it's kind of like throwing a, a line in the water without any bait, as far as I'm concerned.

Okay, yeah, I see that.

Because, I mean, I can go ahead and read that, let's say whatever that motivational poster of the day could be. But did it, did it get me going? Did it help me get into that, that mental preparation that, that Right. Headspace succeed? I'm not so sure.

No. No, I don't think so. Your, your child needing something that's much more important might be a motivational factor versus a saying on a poster.

But, but, you know, if that's what people identify with and it helps them kick off their day, then, hey, more power to them.

Yeah, more power to them. So what kind of activities should we consider? We're talking about mental preparation. What comes to mind for you?

I don't like. I go back to the boys provincial football game. I was so stressed to watch that game. I couldn't imagine what the players were going through. Right.

I'd never played to that level before.

Okay, and, and just how do you cancel, counsel your kid when the game is stressing you out just as much as it is, you know, obviously more for their aspect, but it's, Yeah, I don't know how you train for it, like whether it's something that you, if you're coached it, you, you know, with your parents giving you different ideas as to how to get your mindset in order. But I'm not sure how that happens, like organically.

I don't, I don't know if it does happen organically. It does come with some, I, I, I think some, some thoughts, some structure, maybe some personal insight as to what's going to Work for you.

And over time you develop some kind of a routine or whatever it is so that you know that, okay, so we've run a playoff game or for that matter, we've. If I'm a, if I'm a surgeon, I've got a surgery due next day. My head's gotta be in the right space. What do I need to do to get my, my head.

Yeah. So let me flip the switch and throw the question back to you. Given your, your, your career that you were in.

You know, obviously there was a lot of challenging situations and you know, it's, it's very on the fly, I would assume, right? Just constant change. But like, how did you set your, your mind to be able to effectively tackle your job?

So that's a really, really good question.

Cause I know that when you were sharing the championship game, what popped in my head was like, I don't know how many times I've, I've gone from, let's say, one call to the other and had to be calm, had to be in the moment, had to do the right thing. And it, it did come easier as time went on.

But if I take two steps back, that was the whole point of that, that six months of intense training that, that would help you kind of build up that intestinal fortitude to really deal with anything you could.

Yeah, yeah, I guess they, they do teach you the basic things to kind of work on.

And I just, and it's funny now that we're talking about this, you know, my son is just becoming a firefighter with the city and they're going through all of these different scenarios and stuff and it sounds cool, but it's just a very top level way to get them exposed at a, I guess a non impactful level where there aren't lives at risk. Because sure, that stuff does happen as they move forward.

Well, and you, and you hit the nail on the head because I'm also thinking when lives are at risk and there's really no room for error whatsoever, and I could dial it down or dial it up a few notches if I can share with you a couple scenarios like that I never personally experienced, but talk to others that have. If you're a bomb expert and you know how in the movies say, is it the green wire? Where's the red wire? But it's, it's much more than that. Right. So.

And you talk about some other situations where we now have these chemicals that are, if you inhale them, like literally you're dead. So if you find your the signs of being in a contaminator.

You got to suit up and make sure somehow you decontaminate and make sure you do it in a safe way, not only for everybody else's life, but for your life as well. So that mental preparation, that's the same thing, right?

Yeah. It's like the ability to shift your mindset in different gears based on the incident you're responding to. Really?

Yeah.

So interesting.

But let's dial it down to. Let's say that person that's going for their job interview and they want to be.

Let's call it in the zone, because that's what we're going to talk about.

About.

Because the motivation thing, I think. I think it's important, but let's. Let's think about his motivation to get into the zone. Or some people like to call it flow these days, right?

Yeah. Yeah, it was funny, even.

I think there are a lot more resources nowadays to help people get their mindset again, just because it's so recent in happening. When my son was going through his interviews, he hired an interview coach, and I was like, what? You know what I mean? Like, that's. I was like, what?

He's like, well, yeah, I want to get some practice and, you know, the experts at it. And I'm like, I never would have done that. Good for you for doing it. But that resource I never heard of, you know, before.

So I think there's just a lot more avenues for people to help them get their mind into the right place nowadays.

And again, I hate to say this way, but I think it's absolutely true. Like, for. For you and I growing up, it was just a question of feeling around in the dark.

And somehow the door would open, we'd see a little bit of light, we grab onto it, and we figure, man, we hit bay dirt now, as you say. I mean, you can hire people to help you, put you in the right frame of mind, get you to relax.

Even your breathing these days will help you get in the zone.

Yeah. So I think youth are a lot more set up to be able to adjust their mindset easier than us old crusty people that are stuck in our ways.

Motivation, focus, or how. How do they relate to other. To each other, do you think? And then I'm going to ask you kind of a tricky question afterwards.

Motivation versus focus. Well, I think the motivation is the why you would do something. And the focus would be probably more of the how.

If I were just to kind of guess, because, you know, I. Let's say it's my family that motivates me to do better at work every day.

And then, okay, now I'm at work, now I need to focus, which is the, the practical part of, of being able to provide for my family and look for. So I think they definitely work hand in hand.

If you had super focus with no motivation, what are you doing or feel, you've got 100% motivation and no focus while you're going to be in the same spot five years from now. So I definitely think they work together hand in hand.

And speaking about working together, would you rather work with someone that has focus or motivation?

Ooh. Okay. So I am an extremely organized, focused person with work. And I'm trying to think of what. Well, I think it's.

If you look at it, let's put it in just a sports analogy, I would rather take somebody who was. Had a heart of gold that wanted to try but needed to learn the sport.

I would much rather work with that than somebody who's really good at the sport but doesn't really give a crap and, you know, might not really be that motivated to do things. You can't, you can't force motivation like, you can't. It's, it's.

I don't know if you were coach on that team about a few years back and you know how the teams get full, the registration gets full, and there was one, one kid that certainly didn't have the, let's say the high football iq, the experience, but that focus was there.

And because of that focus, I mean, certainly noticed by the coaches and he was given that opportunity to get on the field and play some football and it does make a difference. Right.

So, yeah, yeah, you'd much rather put your time and energy into people that want to be there than those that think that they're entitled.

So somehow when I, when I see that the, the difference between working with someone that's motivated and someone that's focused, I see that motivated person as maybe chase chasing shiny things sometimes. And you have to somehow bring them into the focus.

Yeah, right.

So which in itself is a bit of a. I'll say an undertaking, depending on. Sure is too.

And on the flip side of that, you can have somebody that's so hyper focused that it is a very small thing that they're focused on as well. But maybe 10 of the things pass by the wayside. So yeah, they both have their challenges.

But so can you honestly say there was ever a time, whether it be in sports, business or even your personal life, where you were totally in the zone, you had that focus and basically there's nothing that was ever going to stop you.

Yep. Yeah, it was my, My. My employment with Nestle. I was bound and determined. I was with them for 14 years and I was going to retire with them.

And then they merged with Starbucks and they let all of the Nestle leaders go. And it was like I was motivated. I loved, loved what I did, but by no fault of my own, based on restructuring, that was the end of it.

Starbucks.

God, yeah. Yes, I have words. But, you know, that was a. That was a corporate decision made by people in Switzerland probably a year previous.

So it took me a while to get over it, but I didn't need Moto. I loved my job and I. I didn't need motivation. It was. It was. I shouldn't say I didn't need motivation. The job provided me with that.

Fair to say, all of a sudden there was a shift of focus.

I would think so. Yep.

And how long did it. Because at that point, the focus was different. It might have been an ounce of survival, too. Right. But you did find your way and found a new focus.

I did, yeah.

And, you know, I think as you go through life and, you know, you go through the troubled times and, you know, sometimes you do end up in a better place. You just weren't expecting to get there that. That way. And that's what happened. I found a much better job and I'm way more motivated.

So, yeah, you know, it was just. It was a bit of adversity that I had to face.

And was there anybody you went to just to help you find that focus, or was it just something that somehow came to life that you had all the time? Right.

No. And I think. Excuse me. That's where part of that was what my mom's role was for me. She was my motivator.

And when she passed away, I never really replaced her, if that means, you know what I mean, with somebody else.

Because, you know, when you've got somebody that's, you know, a parent and a cheerleader and, you know, your biggest supporter, that there's only two of those people in the world. And my dad's like Archie Bunker, like I've said before, so he could do it, but it was a little more genuine coming from mom, so.

But, yeah, no, I don't.

And obviously, sorry, my wife, obviously, I can't not say that she's a big motivational factor for me and helps clarify, you know, what direction I'm going in. So.

Well, she fine tunes. Your focus is that what you're saying?

Yep.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay. Hindsight being 20 20, and I. And I know I, I, I probably worked from home between two and three years, and no one wanted to go back to the office.

How hard do you think it was to maintain any focus when you were working from home?

Ooh, it's. That's a discipline that I learned the hard way.

When I moved out here, I went from a big office building with lots of people to working out of my basement. And I found that, you know, I could get distracted easy. I wasn't out in. So I had to become very, very religious with my schedule.

And they said no from this time. This time I had to do this. But it was very challenging religious.

And you came up with some rituals to help you get through that, right?

Pretty much, yeah.

For myself. And this was before COVID because I used to work from home now and again.

But what I found was that I'd get up really, really early, so the house would be quiet. Everybody would still be asleep.

And it just so happens it kind of worked well because I'd be working with colleagues that were on the other side of the country. And it's a different time zones, you know, so sometimes you could have a meeting with them, and it worked out really well that way.

And by the time the family was starting to get up, you were pretty well on your way to finishing your day. Yeah. And it was so easy to get in the zone. There was no distractions.

Correct.

So. And that's key right there. Distractions and how. And we get back to that. I just want to remind you, it is our game hockey.

So they were talking about, at least through this playoffs, and I would say for any playoffs, that the home ice advantage and having those fans that are excited making that noise in the stands, in the arenas. And how do you keep your focus with all that distracting noise and get to the point where you're in flow on the ice?

Well, I'd hope by that point, these days, being professionals, that the motivation of the crowd takes over everything. They know what to do that's ingrained in them. It's muscle memory. They got their job to do. But I absolutely agree with the hometown ice advantage.

There's. There's you. Let's call it electric for the sake of conversation. It's going to get you motivated. It's going to help you get the zone.

But at one point, is it. Is it fair to say that the only thing that's going on right now is myself, a stick and a pocket that's it.

And there's nothing else going on around me.

That's it.

And then I kick it up a notch. Guess what? I got a few teammates. They're in the same area as.

I am sad to say that the jets are no longer in the playoffs, but the game before that, they were certainly in the zone. They had flow.

As a matter of fact, media referred to them as precision because I don't think when it came to making a pass that there wasn't passes any crisper than that.

No.

And coming out of the zone, they were just like one machine moving as one.

And sometimes the other team just happens to be better. But, you know, they were. They were dialed in.

Yeah, they were dialed in. So.

And it's funny you say that like it's. You know, when Dyer was in that provincial game, I just. I. It's funny that these things come up when you remind me of them.

But, you know, he was nervous, and I said, dude, I know it's a massive building and there's two massive teams going together, but there's only one guy across from you, and that's all you have to worry about. So knowing the plays and focusing on that one guy, it's easy to get lost in all the. Oh, look, I'm on the jumbotron.

Oh, look, everyone's running, screaming. So. So, yeah, it's. That was the little bit of advice I could give, get through that time.

Yeah, that's good advice for sure. I mean, you. You have to break it down, and that's part of it when you're trying to get to that. That state of flow.

And actually, you can actually pay big money. People will help you at will to get into the state of. I'm not going to pay money for it. No, no, no. But here's.

Here's something that I just heard recently. I was having a conversation with a colleague, and we're talking about contracts. So you want to hire me, let's say, to do a job.

So, as we get down to the brass tacks of negotiating this contract, it comes down to, well, how many hours is it going to take you to complete this job? Let's say it's going to take you six months. But truly, the flip side, and the way they're looking at it, at least some people are.

It's not a question of hours, because if you're a focused individual, you're able to get into the zone and you have no problem getting that job done. It'll be done in, let's say, less than six Months and in an effective, efficient way. But can people conceptually kind of switch it to that?

And first of all, have you got that individual that knows how to get into the zone and get that job done?

Yeah, it's many layers to this. Yeah, I've got a, you know, in my line of work, I have a couple of people that are automatic switch flickers where they can just turn it on, Vince.

And then there's a couple that are like a little more nurturing a little. And they're just a little bit younger. So. Yeah, and I think that's the, the trick to successful managers.

You got to be able to figure out how to identify and manage your, your people's, you know, how, what their type is. Right. Some need big motivation. Some need to be the controller, some needs to be, you know, X, Y, Z.

So let me ask you.

It's not one of the questions, but it just popped into my head, but have you ever sat down with your people and said, hey, what, what, what gets you in the zone? What, what, where, where do you find your flow from? Because I've never been asked that, but it seems like a good question, you.

Know, you would it. Would I come from it differently.

Like it's, it's more, you know, if I'm taking over a new team or whatever, I'll have one on ones with all of them and just ask, what are your frustrations? What are the things that you like and, and take notes from every single person, see if there's similarities and whatnot.

But yeah, I don't know if I've ever actually asked that question per se, like in that manner, like, what lights your fire?

Yeah, what lights your fire? That's it. What gets you going?

I mean, but it sounds just by listening to you, like that may be an appropriate question for some of your people, but not everybody. And just by mere fact of you knowing what type of individual you have. But that in itself is the, the challenge of being a manager too, is a leader.

Sometimes it's just being a leader, not a manager.

That's it too.

Right. So unfortunately, the flow that we're hearing right now is not being very interruptive. Interruptive flow.

When we think about any kind of success, focus should come to the forefront. With focus, we gain clarity amidst chaos, make it easier to set priorities and make informed decisions.

If we can tap in how to focus, it opens up a new door. Focus allows us to enter a state of flow, a mental state characterized by deep immersion and effortless concentration.

Sounds easy.

Sounds like some kind of drug you're talking. It's not.

No.

And here's some things that can help you create your very own focus. First of all, set clear goals. And we kind of mentioned all these things during this conference conversation, for sure.

Prioritize tasks, break down tasks. Here's one we've talked about. Minimize distraction. And that's easier said than done, even at the office.

But if it's as simple as closing the door, go ahead and do it right. So practice mindful and presence. So there's an element of meditation that somehow you have to tap into to get us into that zone.

Focus on the presence. And here, here's an interesting one. Take breaks and recharge. Get you back to that state. Create routines and rituals.

Optimize your environment and assess and track your peace cake. Nothing to it.

Nothing but good words of advice.

Good words. You just got to break it down.

And quite frankly, when I sit back and I look at any kind of success, there's elements of any one of those things I just mentioned that help me to get there.

No, you have to have those elements moments to be successful, for sure.

And yes, motivation is nice. And those posters, they were kind of nifty looking too.

They were, but somebody made a dollar or two.

Remember to take advantage of the moment before the moment takes advantage of you. To learn more about E Walkabout, please visit us@ewalkabout.ca.

Ra.