3 tips for developing rituals for re-centering

Peak performers develop rituals for re-centering. The actor follows their favourite routine before stepping on stage. The golfer practices their stroke before making a putt. The mediator takes a short break to regain composure when negotiating between warring parties. How do you keep calm when events knock you off-centre? Here are three ideas to consider when developing rituals for re-centering.
* Relax.

“Be calm, controlled and centred,” is the advice. Sounds easy in theory, but it can be harder in practice, especially in the heat of battle. A key element of ‘anger management’ programmes, for example, is educating a person to stay calm when provoked. This involves three stages.

a) You look ahead to anticipate difficult scenarios.
b) You choose a technique for staying calm in the situation – such as using a keyword that becomes your ‘mantra’ and enables you to ‘count to 10’ before reacting.

c) You role-play the actual scene and learn to walk away from trouble.

“I have a ritual for emptying my head and relaxing when thinking negative thoughts,” said one person. “I put my hand to my head, grab the ‘thoughts’ and ‘throw them away’ into the air. Sounds crazy, but I find it clears my head and makes me more open to positive thoughts.”

What is your way to regain composure? Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by thinking of a potentially challenging situation in which you would like perform at your best. Then complete the following sentence.

The specific situation in which I would
like to relax, re-centre and refocus is:

*
The things I can do to relax in this situation are:

*

*

*

* Re-centre.

“The key is to see things in perspective,” said one person. “Faced by a difficult situation, I do several things. First, I return to my personal values. These provide a compass – a centering mechanism – for making decisions. Second, I focus on my long term goals. Third, I then choose my way forward. Looking beyond the moment, I ask myself: ‘What are the real results I want to achieve? What are the possible ways forward? Which of these routes do I want to follow? Will it help to achieve my long-term goals?’”

How can you re-centre? How can you see things in perspective? How can you then make good decisions? Looking at the potentially challenging situation, try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to re-centre in this situation are:

*

*

*

* Refocus.

Peak performers choose their strategy - then re-focus on the ‘now’. They find a technique that will enable them to ‘snap into action’ before pursuing their chosen strategy. Then comes the hard part. They must be fully present in the moment - yet also keep their eye on the end goal. Sounds impossible? Eugen Herrigel describes pursuing this quest in his classic book Zen in the Art of Archery. After years of practicing archery, he finally learned how to relax his body until the moment of the bow's release. He wrote:

"Bow, arrow, goal and ego, all melt into one another, so that I can no longer separate them. And even the need to separate has gone. For as soon as I take the bow and shoot, everything becomes so clear and straight forward and so ridiculously simple."

How can you snap into action? How can you be fully present in the moment? How can you then pursue your strategy towards the end goal? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to refocus and
be fully present in this situation are:

*

*

*

You will find your own way of concentrating on the process and the prize. Sometimes you will get knocked off-course - and will return to your inner compass. You will then relax, re-centre and refocus. Developing these rituals will increase the chances of success.