After you learn and practice this recovery strategy, you will be able to rebound from mistakes so quickly and effectively that you may stop being afraid of making them.

Guest blog written for ThriveGlobal.com

In my experience with Olympic and professional athletes, Wall Street traders, and Juilliard students, I have observed that they often tended to respond to costly mistakes in similar ways. Unfortunately, these reactions can often delay the recovery from the error, or even worse, set up another mistake. In some cases, this can lead to a train wreck. What is needed to preclude that is an effective strategy for getting back on track without delay or further damage.

Here is the strategy that I have found to be effective with my clients to help them recover faster from mistakes:

(1) Accept the Mistake

Yes, you screwed up. Get over it – immediately. Let it go. There is no sense in denying what really happened. Resist the temptation to analyze the error or figure out how to correct it. This is not the time. You have better things to do.

(2) Take a Few Breaths

Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Focus on breathing slowly and deeply into your lower abdomen, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

(3 ) Relax Your Muscles

Mistakes frequently cause people to cringe, making their muscles tighten. Drop the tension in your forehead, jaw, neck, and upper body.

(4) Get Back into the Present

Bring your mind back into the here and now, not the past mistake. Focus on what you need to do right now, to be performing competently in this moment.

(5) Perform at a Reasonable Level

Using a few tricks to organize that brain processing power, you will become more efficient at work and at home.

Guest blog written for ThriveGlobal.com

Have you ever heard the old saying that we only use 10% of our brains? The good news is that brain scans now prove this myth wrong. The brain is firing and active all the time, no matter what you are doing! However, what you may be blown away to learn is that by using a few tricks to organize that brain processing power, you will become more efficient and productive at work and at home.

Your brain is divided into two hemispheres, known as the left and right brain. Each hemisphere has specific functions and limitations. The left brain thinks in words and numbers. It is good at analyzing, calculating, reasoning, and logic. These functions take extra attention and effort. The right brain perceives through sounds, images, and physical sensations. This side of the brain is good at art, music, and creativity. These functions also take focused attention, but they can be accomplished with less effort or cognitive strain than the left-brain expends.

Both the left and right hemispheres are involved in most, if not all, work situations. Think through your own job. What are some daily tasks you have to complete? If you were to break those tasks down, each step would be accomplished more efficiently by either the left or right hemisphere. For example, decisions involving numbers, like proposed budgets, would be best to start in the left brain with the appropriate calculations and analyses. Then, you would check in with your right-brain to see how the numbers fit within the big picture before confirming your final decision as rational and logical.

Another example would be tackling complex projects. Begin in your right-brain by freely imagining all the possibilities without any restrictions. Once you have explored the possibilities, use your left-brain to laboriously construct the steps and ensure that they are fiscally feasible and reasonable. Finally, check back in with your right brain to decide the one(s) that resonate as correct with your gut or intuitive senses.

So how do you implement the order of left vs. right brain processing at work? The first thing is figure out the requirements and nature of the task. Will it need more analyses, effort, and number crunching or more creative thinking? Determine the appropriate sequences involved in thinking effectively about the task and reaching correct conclusions.

It is also important to also consider at what times of day you have high and low energy. It is best to schedule most or all left brain activities during the time you have the highest energy. Right brain usage would then come before or after those activities or at times of the day when you have less energy. By coordinating the sequences of a project with your energy levels, productivity and efficiently will increase dramatically.

The next time you need to speak in a meeting or give a presentation at work, try this before-hand:

1. Start in your left brain by writing down the three most important topics that you will address in your talk. Also write out your opening two to three lines that you will say. 
2. Use your right brain to visualize yourself on stage or in front of the group, feeling very confident and hearing your opening lines just the way you would like them to sound. 
3. Move back to the left brain to write down all the important facts and figures that will support your 3 main points.
4. Then rehearse your entire presentation in your right brain several times with all the facts and figures until it all sounds, looks, and feels right in your mind.

Now go plan out your next project and get to work!

Flow is the mental state of a highly motivated individual when fully engaged in a chosen activity. The person is immersed in a feeling of energized focus and a sense of total involvement. Flow is completely focused attention; it is a single–minded absorption into an event. In flow, the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but they are positively energized and aligned with the task at hand. The hallmark of flow is feelings of spontaneity, freedom, and joy while performing a challenging activity at the peak of one’s talents and
capabilities.

In the interviews, people described their peak experiences feeling like water in a stream flowing smoothly. His own description of flow was “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.” Flow can be thought of as a state where focused attention, strong motivation, and a challenging situation intersect, resulting in a productive harmony of peak functioning.

Dr. C found that individuals with an “autotelic” personality trait were better equipped to enter into flow states and remain there longer. These traits include curiosity, persistence, and a preference for highly challenging activities that demand undivided attention. These endeavors cause individuals to transcend normal states of consciousness and ordinary levels of functioning. A person like this enjoys what they do to the max, especially when they’re in flow. The autotelic personality has five main characteristics, which he called the “five C’s”. They are: clear goal, continuing feedback, choice, commitment, and challenge.

Each interviewee started out with one clear goal that had many checkpoints along the way. For example, a chess player needs to know if every move is getting them closer to winning or losing. A musician may opt to play with a beautiful sound or execute a musical phrase exactly as they want. Continuing feedback is essential to keeping focused on the task at hand and remaining in flow. Choice indicates that you have chosen a task that you not only want to do, but you love to do. The fourth characteristic is the ability to fully commit: to give everything that you have to reach your best. An autotelic person will pursue increasingly greater challenges after achieving a peak experience, constantly seeking higher motivation.

Photo Credit: JESHOOTS

When people are engaged in challenging activities that require a high degree of concentration, they’re able to get beyond life’s daily frustrations, worries, and doubts. If they’re performing music, they can’t be worrying about their unpaid bills, or they’ll miss a note. If they’re rock climbing, and think about some problems at work, they’ll fall. They can’t afford to let their minds wander. When a highly challenging situation demands our total attention, less critical concerns quickly disappear. In the flow state, the attention that is usually split is merged into a single, highly concentrated laser beam of focused awareness. People who are in flow are much more efficient in their actions.

In flow, there is a merging of effortless action and awareness. People become completely absorbed in the challenging activity and what they’re doing in the here and now. The focus of their awareness is narrowed down to the task at hand and nothing else. Finally, there is a necessary surrendering or “letting go” to the experience, enjoying the bliss to the max for as long as possible. There is a lack of self-consciousness, namely a dropping of the ego. After flow experiences, people feel good about themselves and grateful for what they experienced after releasing their self-consciousness.

There is a critical balance between the level of difficulty and the participant’s ability to meet that challenge. When activities are too easy, not requiring full involvement or attention, people get bored and are easily distracted. If the activities are beyond people’s skill level, they get intimidated, anxious, defensive, frustrated, and often give up, or simply don’t enjoy the experience. In the flow state, you are always playing on an edge. It is an edge where control is possible, but not always guaranteed. You can fall off that edge if you lose your focus or if you don’t use your skills to their full potential. That’s what makes flow exciting and demanding.

Reaching flow state is the most desirable accomplishment in any endeavor. The accompanying joy and feeling of satisfaction can propel you to keep at a difficult task. I think everyone is capable of reaching that flow state if they remain focused and emotionally positive when performing. Sometimes the most secure performance comes from taking the greatest risks.

Photo Credit: Matt Bowden

Are you an adrenaline junkie? Do you enjoy the rush? I hope your answer is yes, especially if you are a performing artist. Everyone, in audiences as well as audition panels, wants to feel the excitement of an energetic, emotionally charged, and powerful performance. To carry that off takes a lot of energy. That is where adrenaline comes in.

I was about ten years old when my dad took me to Coney Island amusement park in New York. It was a magical place. I could not get enough of riding the roller coasters, like the Cyclone and Thunderbolt. It was my first exposure to the fight/flight experience, and I loved the feeling.

Many years later, my college diving coach took me to a pool where there was a ten-meter platform. Until then, the highest dive I had done was off the three meter “high” board. My stomach suddenly felt like I was on the Cyclone again, but I was just standing on the pool deck looking up. Way up. When we got up there and took a look down, my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I told my coach what I was experiencing, hoping that he would change his mind. Instead, he told me that it was that feeling that made him love diving. After a while, I actually started to enjoy the feeling I’d get every time I prepared to launch myself into space. 

My first jump in Army parachute training three years later was really scary. After that, it became fun too. So was repelling out of helicopters hovering at 100 feet. The thrill inevitably got my energy surging. I began to appreciate the adrenaline rush more than ever. 

Since then, I have learned that many people (including my neurosurgeon) do not share my appreciation for adrenaline and its power. Yet, I continue to believe that there is much to be gained from its effects. When there is much at stake, when it is serious competition amongst rivals with no guarantees for success, adrenaline often comes into play. Whether it is the Olympic Games, an audition at the Met, or a critical presentation to a hostile board of directors, that extra energy will most likely be surging through your system long before you ever begin.

You can try to push the adrenaline down or attempt to wish it away. You might try to cover over it with beta blockers or alcohol. Maybe in the past you’ve found that it does not always happen, just most of the time. That is when it can catch you off guard. You hope that it will not kick in this time, all the while worrying that it will be waiting for you in the wings. What are some ways you can preclude that from happening again?

You can begin by correctly interpreting the physical symptoms that accompany your adrenaline surge. Whenever we are subjected to very stressful circumstances, whether it is an audition, a big concert, or the first dive off a ten-meter platform, we will all feel the symptoms of the fight/flight response, like a racing heart, shaky hands, dry mouth, or butterflies in our stomachs.

At this crux point, you have the choice to interpret symptoms in one of two ways. You can see them as clear signs of impending doom. Or, you can consciously acknowledge those symptoms as indicators that your body is gearing up for higher levels of functioning. It is supposed to feel like a rush! It is a rush of concentrated high energy. It is like going on a roller coaster ride: You can brace and hold on for dear life or just buckle up and surrender to the ride.

Photo Credit: James Wheeler

No one wants to watch a top athlete holding back at the Olympic Games or an opera singer playing it safe. Audition panels are not impressed with candidates delivering the 100th cautious, measured rendition of a Mozart excerpt. They will likely say, “Thanks, next.” In spite of all of your technical preparation, you may discover the real problem is how you channel your energy.

The first step in learning to use adrenaline is playing around with the extra energy in relatively safe conditions; do not begin on the ten-meter platform. If you are new to experimenting with adrenaline, start out on your “low board” or basic level. Then work your way up over time to bigger and bigger challenges. Eventually, if you continue, you will get the hang of it.

Photo Credit: Seej Nguyen

You can practice getting your energy up during a practice session by running a few flights of stairs, doing jumping jacks, or drinking some extra caffeine. Choose a high energy, low difficulty start of a concerto, aria, or excerpt. Then, turning on a recording device and really go for it. Try to embrace and ride the wave of extra energy during the first part of the piece, until you feel your energy start to drop off. Then, stop and turn the recorder off. Do not listen to the recording until you’ve done this exercise at least seven times over several days. Then listen or watch, and notice the positive effects of channeling the extra energy into your performance.

The more you are able to accept, embrace, use, and enjoy the extra adrenaline, the better you will perform.

Do you ever find yourself peaking for your audition too early or too late? Do you feel yourself drained of energy before you even get to the audition? Or are you feeling so mentally and physically fatigued that you aren’t even motivated to prepare?

If so, you are reading the right article! There is a secret weapon that I teach called periodization, and it has been a game changer for all of my audition-winning clients. This periodization process involves training cycles with four distinct phases: preparation, tapering, execution, and recovery. Periodization is designed to peak the performer’s energy at just the right time (like during the finals) in order to win.

Preparation Phase

Photo Credit: Pixabay

There is a lot of great information on the internet about various approaches to winning auditions. Most of the websites and blogs are by musicians who have won orchestral auditions themselves. These authors are emphasizing the physical, technical, organizational, and musical aspects of the audition preparation and actual audition performance. They usually address only the first phase of the periodization process: preparation.

Preparation involves both physical and mental work. The physical includes the organization of practice, technical work, listening, score study, mock-auditions, etc. The mental preparation includes: Centering practice, mental rehearsal or visualization, and concentration exercises. Long before their auditions, I have my clients complete a thorough assessment of their mental performance skills. We measure their abilities in five main areas: performance energy, confidence, courage, focus, and resilience. After determining their individual mental strengths and weaknesses they can begin working specifically in the area(s) where they will make the most improvement in the least amount of time.

The mental training, which can replace some of the physical practice time, involves the Centering Process and positive affirmations. Centering helps control and channel performance energy before and during the audition process. The affirmations help to build self-confidence. Concentration exercises help musicians to focus past distractions and quiet the mind. They also learn how to become mentally tough and to recover quickly from inevitable mistakes. I don’t believe in perfectionism, especially at auditions. The idea is to continually strive for excellence which means doing your best under any circumstance.

Tapering Phase

Photo Credit: Tania Mousinho

A few days prior to an audition it is time to begin the second phase of the training cycle which is the all-important tapering process. At this point you need to spend less time physically practicing, as you increase your mental training even more, and begin to get more sleep and rest. In the last week before the audition it’s too late to cram (although many musicians do). If you don’t have all the excerpts or technical skills down by now you’re probably not going to master them in the next few days. If you try to do so it will be counter-productive.

Instead of fretting over musical things or playing through the excerpt list one more time, there are better things to do. Believe it or not, I often recommend sleeping in, taking short power naps (20 minutes), watching comedy, doing a mental rehearsal session, or having lunch with a good friend (either a non-musician or a friend who promises there will be no audition talk!). In the last few days, the idea is to stay positive and mellow as you bide your time wisely and build up your energy. This is not easy for most musicians who are used to years of constant physical practice. Although you cannot win in the days leading up to an audition, you can lose.

In addition to maintaining the right mindset and conserving energy it’s important that you carefully manage your heightened emotions in the final days before the audition. Due to the extra stress many performers’ nerves get raw and they become “testy” or “prickly” especially, and unfortunately, with those closest to them. For many musicians the looming audition can feel as important as a matter of life or death. Keeping perspective and a sense of humor can be an immense help. Remember that your audition performance is too important to take too seriously.

The most important night of sleep is two nights before the audition. In terms of energy, there’s a one day delay with the effects of sleep. So if the audition is on Saturday, you want to get a great night’s sleep on Thursday. Try your best to go to bed early, or sleep in, or both. If you feel very tired Friday afternoon, take a very short nap (10-15 minutes). After waking up I recommend that you get up, move around, and get some fresh air.

The night before the audition, try to schedule dinner in the late afternoon or early evening. It’s wise to eat something that’s easy to digest, without a lot of spices. Wind down before going to bed (no exciting action movies, musical events, or recordings). Turn off all musical thoughts in your head and get to bed at a reasonable time. Darken the room, lower the temperature, get into bed and find a comfortable position. If sleep doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, don’t worry. Just lie there and relax. Simply lying still provides 70% of the rest benefit of sleeping. Hopefully you will have been getting extra rest, naps, and had a good night’s sleep the previous night. That’s the energy you’ll be using tomorrow at the audition.

Execution Phase

Photo Credit: Chase Clark

The third phase in the cycle is the execution phase. The first thing to do is to get up with plenty of time to get ready to do your best. I recommend arriving at the audition site early, keeping your mind on the process of what you need to do to execute a peak performance. Avoid thinking about all the possible outcomes. When they come up just imagine your audition going well. Before walking in summon up your courage, stay in the moment, and focus only on the task at hand. Follow your performance routine. (I have watched many clients throw their performance routine out the window the day of the audition.) Trust the process and all of your hard work, talent, and training. Then go for it with everything you have!

Although many musicians try in vain to relax at auditions, I train my clients to channel that extra energy to blow away their competitors as well as the audition panel. In this process they use a variety of peak performance skills like Centering and mental rehearsal techniques. These help them do better in auditions because of the extra pressure and energy not in spite of it. While most of their fellow musicians are trying to calm down I want my clients to get their energy up. My training teaches them how to control, channel, and peak that powerful performance energy when it really counts.

Recovery Phase

Photo Credit: Sid Leigh

After the audition, the final phase is recovery. Take some much needed physical and mental rest away from the instrument and repertoire before you begin preparing for the next big performance or audition. Make sure that you feel fresh, rested, and recovered before starting your next training cycle. Regardless of the final outcome though, you need to reward yourself for the efforts you put in and the improvements that have resulted from those efforts. I suggest
something tangible and permanent as a symbolic reminder of your progress.

After you recover and want to get ready for an even better performance, make good use of the secret weapon known as periodization. Begin the four phase cycle with all the physical and mental work that needs to be done to prepare for the audition or concert. This is followed by tapering in the last days before the important event. Back off from the high level of training in order to build your energy so that you reach a peak in the execution phase at the audition or concert. Once again, you’ll deserve a few days off so you can recover as well another reward. In
the meantime:

● Ask yourself: Which phase of periodization do you struggle with the most when you’re getting ready for an audition or important concert? Be honest. Remember each of the four phases affect each other and the final result. Tapering and recovery are just as important as preparation and execution!
● For your next training cycle before a big performance, plan out your calendar, so you can schedule the four periodization phases.
● Repeat the four phases until you begin to feel like each cycle of the periodization process has improved, as well as the results. Go for it!