There are many ways to live life. Some people borrow from a model that is used in sports but that can be applied in many areas. They choose to follow the positive, percentage or paralysis approaches in their lives or work.
Different people follow these approaches in different ways. Let’s explore how they may translate these into action.
The Positive Approach
This approach involves aiming to be positive, proactive and do your personal best. A person who takes this approach will prepare properly. Bearing in mind what they can control in situations, they will say:
“I can make things happen rather than wait for things to happen.”
Some sports coaches encourage the players to focus on what they can control. They can do their personal best but they cannot control if they always win. Going into their version of the arena, the players can then aim:
To do their personal best … To follow their principles … To work towards their picture of success.
As in life, sometimes it is okay for the players to take the percentage approach, but it is important to avoid falling into paralysis. The latter approach, such as continually looking at the clock when leading, can be a recipe for disaster.
Looking back on your life, when have you taken the positive approach? You may have done this when recovering from an illness, setting up a business, tackling a challenge or doing another activity.
What did you do to take this approach? You may have chosen to have a positive attitude. You may then have set specific goals, clarified your strategy and translated this into a clear action plan.
You may have followed a discipline and, when appropriate, found solutions to challenges. You may then have done your personal best to achieve the picture of success.
Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you want to take the positive approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.
How can you build on the principles that have worked for you in the past? What are the other skills you may need to add? How can you anticipate and manage potential setbacks? How can you do your best to achieve success?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
The Percentage Approach
Sometimes it can make sense to take the percentage approach. A person may take this approach to maintain stability, stay out of trouble or avoid making costly mistakes.
Playing safe is absolutely the right approach in some situations. It is particularly appropriate when managing your money, climbing a mountain or taking care of your health.
Sometimes the percentage approach is a way of getting back to basics. A golfer does this after hitting a poor shot. They aim to regain their rhythm and create a good foundation for the rest of the round.
A dieting person may choose to follow a sustainable diet. This is more reliable than going on crash diets that also lead to wild swings in their weight.
A football team that is closing in on victory may aim to keep doing the basics. These include keeping their shape, winning the ball and moving to give teammates passing options. This is more likely to be successful than remaining static and hoping to withstand pressure.
Pursuing the percentage approach may only enable you to reach 7/10. But it provides the platform for going on to be more positive and reaching 10/10.
One key point is worth underlining. The percentage approach can sometimes lapse into standing still and doing nothing. This can lead to falling into paralysis.
Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the percentage approach? How can you do this in your own way without lapsing into paralysis?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
The Paralysis Approach
A person may sit back and wait for things to happen. They wait for outside forces to shape their destiny. This creates negative energy and they can fall into a negative cycle.
Some people fall into paralysis because they are frightened. Some authoritarian figures also try to break the human spirit so that people feel powerless to do anything.
Some people are afraid of making mistakes and adopt negative self-talk. One sports psychologist explained this in the following way.
“Players who lose confidence often experience paralysis. Instead of using their strengths, they go into their shell. They may get into a negative spiral and feel everything is out of control.
“My first job is to establish whether a player wants to take responsibility for shaping their future. We spend a long time on that because some players look for excuses.
“We then move on to how they can control the controllables. I invite them: a) to describe the specific things they can do to take the percentage or positive approach; b) to describe the specific benefits of doing these things.
“The physical effects of this exercise can soon show. The players. seem to walk taller, look you in the eye and volunteer for tasks. They begin to take more responsibility, both on and off the field.”
Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to avoid falling into the paralysis approach? How can you switch into the percentage of positive approaches?
If you wish, try tackling the final exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
Leave a Reply