Stepping into the Circle of Excellence

Posted May 29, 2012

The Circle of Excellence is a simple technique that enables you to change your state of mind or mood so that you can remain calm, relaxed and on top of your game no matter what is going on around you or what you need to do.

The brain works through association or a series of links eg. I say Dog, you say Cat, I say Flexible, you say Yoga – so we went from Dog to Yoga in a few moments.

In the early 1900′s Pavlov discovered that we could associate different states or moods by connecting them or “Anchoring” them to something that could be triggered. I am sure you remember listening to a song that means something to you and it takes you back to that situation, you feel the feelings you had, you see the things you saw and it is almost as though you were there. This is what we call an “Anchor” ie play the song and you feel different.

When we do this on purpose easily ie we can create a trigger which helps us to take on a new state of mind / mood / feeling. We use events and experiences that you know make you feel good and when you need that feeling / state / mood all you have to do is trigger the anchor.

So when you’re in an un-resourceful state – scared, anxious, worried, concerned, upset, angry, when you have a big meeting to attend, a presentation to give and you don’t feel confident or resourceful then this is the tool for you … it will take you out of that state and into a different mind set a mindset that is resourceful and confident and focussed and energetic or whatever other state you desire.

Circle of Excellence Technique

• Imagine a circle in front of you – a spotlight on the floor a step away from you
• Imagine a time where you felt un-resourceful
• In the circle there is mirror image of you of a time in your past where you felt confident and self-assured or calm and relaxed or focussed and determined or decisive and clear
• Take a nice deep breath and step into the circle and take on those qualities – see what you saw, hear what you heard, feel what you felt and really connect with that time in the past
• Step outside the circle
• Now imagine someone you admire in the circle who has the qualities you want
• Take a nice deep breath and step into the circle – take on their qualities, see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel and really connect with them – you may even imagine standing like them, breathing like them
• Step outside the circle
• Now imagine the person you want to be in the future, the person you want to be after the event, in the circle confident and self-assured or calm and relaxed or focussed and determined or decisive and clear
• Take a nice deep breath and step into the circle and see what you want to see, hear what you want to hear, feel what you want to feel and really connect with that future self
• Step forward out of the circle with those qualities

This is a powerful technique but only if you use it … go on put it into practice and get yourself in the best possible state for anything you need to tackle.