THE CONSCIOUS EFFORT, A CASE FOR P.R.

Following the idea of "taking ownership", there is no question that you may find yourself ready to own up to the challenges of your goal or dreams. How can you go about living it? Before I proceed let me define some terms to better explain the details of which will help you understand the importance of this next step toward higher levels of performance. Then I will end with a literary description of this action as it pertained to a professional athlete and his success.
TERMS OF POINT:
EMOTION: A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love. A state of mental agitation or disturbance: spoke unsteadily in a voice that betrayed his emotion. The part of the consciousness that involves feeling; sensibility: “The very essence of literature is the war between emotion and intellect” (Isaac Bashevis Singer). (sourced via answers.com)

CONSCIOUS: Mentally perceptive or alert; awake: The patient remained fully conscious after the local anesthetic was administered. Capable of thought, will, or perception: the development of conscious life on the planet. Subjectively known or felt: conscious remorse.
Intentionally conceived or done; deliberate: a conscious insult; made a conscious effort to speak more clearly. Inwardly attentive or sensible; mindful: was increasingly conscious of being watched. Especially aware of or preoccupied with. Often used in combination: a cost-conscious approach to further development; a health-conscious diet. (sourced via answers.com)

EFFORT: attempt: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try" use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion"campaign: a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort" deed: a notable achievement; "he performed a great deed"; "the book was her finest effort" (wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn).

Based upon the above definitions we can say 'The Conscious Effort' is a deliberate, mindfully attentive, physical, and mental attempt.... in this case to pursue a system or task to attainment.

I've taken the time to highlight the definition of emotion, because it seems to clearly oppose the exact direction by which I am suggesting is a course of action to improved performance. Yes, our emotions are spontaneous reactions, that trigger physiological, and thus potentially mental responses that may lead to grave losses of energy. A big limitation to consider is the idea that with the physiological responses to our spontaneous emotional reactions comes patterns of moderate addiction or habit and thus creating a greater limitation to over come. Consider conservation of energy your task to achievement of your goal. Yes, Energy is the resource which can be depleted and will hinder your performance if allowed to diminish, so what does this have to do with conscious effort? Well, it implies the importance of decisively determining the path to be taken to minimize distractions. Because this area of conversation involves a much great system of management, I want to get back to why we are here.

Consider this, "A growing body of research suggests that as little as 5% of our behaviours are consciously self-directed. We are creatures of habit and as much as 95% of what we do occurs automatically or in reaction to a demand or an anxiety" (James Loehr, et. al. 166). Take a few moments and consider this statement. Now, consider what you have heard before, "winning is a habit, therefore so is loosing." I'm going out on a limb here and am going to say the same for any degree of success. Whatever the course, building a routine that helps you to perform more effectively to achieve what you are preparing for is integral to your success. In the past 10 years I have undoubtedly solidified this concept with proof, but it is the athlete which must take the steps and believe. So, the ball is in your court and it doesn't take much evidence aside a few definitions, and a few simple facts to realize the importance of making a "conscious effort" of commitment toward your goal. That is the first step, the second step will only be highlighted here, because it is a post in and of it's self. Step two is establishing positive rituals into your day to day life. Before I accidentally begin to expand, here is evidence of this success of both these steps, but in my mind no better evidence of the power of "POSITIVE RITUAL" setting.

(This is an excerpt from chap. 10 of The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz)

Ivan Lendl was far from the most physically gifted tennis player of his ear, but for five years he was the number one ranked player in the world. His edge was in the routines that he built. It is no surprise that Lendl practiced long hours on the court, ore even that he did so at very precise times. What set him apart from other players on the tour was that he followed similar routines in every dimension of his life. He developed a rigorous fitness regimen off the court, which included sprints, middle-distance runs, long bicycle rides and strength training. He did regular ballet bar exercises to increase his balance and grace. He adhered to a low fat, high complex-carbohydrate diet and ate at very specific times.
Lendl also practiced a series of daily mental-focus exercises to improve his concentration-and regularly introduced new ones to assure that they remained challenging. At tournaments, he gave clear instructions to friends and family not to burden him with issues that might distract him from his mission. Whatever he did, he was either fully engaged or strategically disengaged. He even meticulously scheduled his daily afternoon naps and regularly scheduled massages. On the court, during matches, he relied on another set of rituals to keep himself centered and focused, including visualizing entire points before playing them and following the same multiple-step ritual each time he stepped up to the line to serve. -end of except.

OK, so there you have it the impact of positive rituals as it pertains to the conscious effort, energy conservation, and success. Let me put "the nail in the coffin by listing these facts: "Positive energy rituals are powerful on three levels. 1. They help us to insure that we effectively manage energy in the service of whatever mission we are on. 2. They reduce the need to rely on our limited conscious will and discipline to take action. 3. Finally, rituals are a powerful means by which to translate our values and priorities into action-to embody what matters most to us in our everyday behaviors." (et. al. pg 166)