Last night I had a lucky strike. I bowled a “spare” in the first round, and then in round two, in front of all my friends, I knocked down all ten pins with my first ball. You can imagine how jubilant I was, and how impressed my friends were. Sadly I didn’t manage to continue the form: my performance was much more mediocre for the rest of the game.
There were six of us due to play on the lane, but one, Karen, had to pull out at the last minute because of an injury. Her name was entered on the computer that controls whose turn it is, so the rest of us took it in turns to throw her balls when her name came up on the screen. And do you know what? She won!
I think my good start and the fact that the phantom bowler got the highest score are expressions of the same truth: that we’re at our best when we’re relaxed. In the first two rounds, I didn’t think about what I was doing; I just walked up to the line and threw the ball. But after my initial success I started thinking about my foot position, about how far short of the line I should stop, about how I could knock down more pins. And it didn’t work. It was an example of how too much analysis can undermine performance. Karen’s high score was, I think, an example of the same truth at work. In contrast to how the competitive ones among us were during our own turns, we didn’t care how we did when we took her turn. So we relaxed and did well, with no forethought, no heavy analysis. Without knowing it, we drew on our natural ability and instincts.
Many of my clients complain that they spend too much time thinking, analysing, considering possibilities, and not enough time doing. In fact their analysis often prevents them from doing anything, or at least, from doing what might be best. If you’re stuck, doing something is usually better than doing nothing, at least to get things moving. But the trick is to learn to trust your instincts and intuitions to urge the right decisions, and then to practise making them. This is something that I’ve helped many who are stuck to do.
So if you find yourself prone to paralysis through analysis, get in touch to find out how I can help you. For now, picture yourself putting on a pair of bowling shoes, relaxing and striding up to the line, throwing the ball of your decisions with abandon, and with joy. Go and bowl that lucky strike!
