What character do you want to play?

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Daily Insight Video

Today I want to share an insight I had while doing some research on Sport Psychology.

I was looking at research on emotional control. How can athletes go out on the field and control their emotion? How do they manage their stress? How do they change their anxiety into excitement?

All of these questions are at the forefront of research around athletes, and they all have a common answer: athletes develop a character.

This does not mean developing character traits such as courage or perseverance. The idea is to create a character that you would most like to be in that particular situation. It is very much like acting, where actors look at the character they are playing and try to become that person. Actors access different memories that can trigger the appropriate emotions, and they use those emotions to be the character and play that role.

Athletes use a similar practice and create characters who they can play on the field. This creates more than an athletic performance. By assuming the qualities and characteristics they most want to become, it becomes a performance and in emotional control as well. Doing this well takes practice, like any other skill.

Creating a character builds emotional control

I have been using this idea myself, in the business world, and have been looking at how it can be used to increase flow. When I am working and doing research, and I feel myself getting tired, creating a character has been a great way for me to find my way back into the present moment.

How can you apply creating a character to your life in order to overcome those inner, motivational hurdles you have during the day?

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