New Way to Perform Well Under Pressure....

Today's Post:  Friday, 5-10-2013

(This post is below our brief announcement:

If you'd like to support our efforts to help real people lose fat and stop the obesity crisis and the cost of the related diseases, check out this link:

If you'd make an effort to lose fat if you knew you would lose it and keep it off, check out this link:

The Indiegogo.com crowd funding for our fat loss support site is here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-the-worlds-most-effective-fat-loss-support-site-using-proven-methods/x/2390951      It will only be up until Friday, 5-31-2013.)

New way to perform well under pressure !

Whether you are stressed by something outside of a job, task, or performance -- or are stressed by the job, task, or performance itself,

      people tend to do less well when stressed.

Saying an affirmation such as "I'll do this well" is often ineffective.  It's often a case of telling yourself you believe something that you know you have no evidence is true.

Oddly, research found that asking yourself "Will I do this well?"  improves performance more.  Why?  Because if you want to do that task well, it leads to the question, "What can I actually do that could lead to me doing this well?"

Noah St John teaches to start there with "How will I do this well?"  or "Why will I do this well?" first.  He calls this style "Afformations." 

Personally, I've not found his other ideas or advice that good.  But his Afformations questions do work!

  >>>>  But what if there was an even simpler technique that could enable you to do 100% as well on a task under pressure or while stressed as you would if there was no pressure or threat and you weren't overstressed?

Yesterday I was delighted to find there is such a technique.  And, in their test, using it completely turned off the performance drop from stress!

Medical News Today had the story.   Research from Carnegie Mellon University, published in PLOS ONE.  It was done in their Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

They tested two groups on a set of timed problems to solve that required some creative solutions.

One group was stressed and one was not.  They stressed group literally did half as well. 

Then before the next round the people in the stressed group took a list of common values and listed them in the order of how important they ranked them.  Next they had to write two reasons their number one priority ranked that high for them.

Then the two groups each took another, similar test.

The stressed group did better.  How much better?  They did just as well as the non-stressed group!

That means ALL of the stress drop off in performance was turned off by this technique!

What caused this effect?

Two things did it. 

1. Even stressed people can do the exercise but it does require some thought.  This starts up their real problem solving skills and acts as a right now reminder that they do have those skills.  It's like a warm up and a reminder they do have those skills at the same time.

2.  People who focus on what values they have and why feel deserving, worthy, and virtuous. 

Everyone has a highest and best self that's worthy and capable.

So this exercise focuses their mind in a way showing their highest and best self that's worthy and capable is real.

Then, when they do the test, instead of feeling threatened, they tend to feel empowered and that they have the resources to do well.

You can do this exercise exactly as they did.

Or, you can do a slightly more focused version if you have time.

Think of a value you have that doing well on this task will help you have or will help support that value.

If you have a related goal, doing well on this task will help you achieve, remember it.

Then remember a real skill or two you know you have that will help you do well on the task or have a good chance to do so.

The wonderful news is that this exercise not only helps you perform well under pressure, but my guess is that it turns off or down your physical stress levels too!