We all face an endless series of decisions throughout the day that need to be made.

Guest blog written for ThriveGlobal.com.

We all face an endless series of decisions throughout the day that need to be made. Most of those are easy since they involve relatively inconsequential events, and happen primarily on a subconscious level. However, when it comes to deciding important financial matters, serious personal interests, and family issues, making the right choice is not easy, especially without a functional strategy. If you do not have one, or would like to try a different one, here is a process that I’ve taught on Wall Street to senior equity traders for Merrill Lynch that significantly raised their profits  over a three-month period.

The decision-making strategy involves using different parts of the brain and mind in a precise sequence.

The left half (or hemisphere of the cerebral cortex) thinks sequentially in words and numbers.

The left-brain analyzes and computes in binary terms, like zeros and ones, using black-and-white thinking. This side of the brain is capable of processing verbal and mathematical information at high rates of speed known as Beta. Beta is like a committee meeting taking place inside your head, with many people talking at once. The more voices you hear, and the faster they speak, the higher the Beta frequency. The high Beta can cause confusion, lack of focus, and prevents access to your right-brain.

The right-brain perceives through images, sounds, and feelings.

This verbally quiet side of the cerebral cortex is the source of our artistic abilities, imagination, and intuition. The creative right-brain perceives simultaneously in multiple dimensions of sight, sound, and sensation. It can see beyond the black-and-white thinking of the left-brain to the colors of the visible spectrum. The right-brain can hear the opposite positions or points that the left-brain can argue, as well as comprehend the important nuances in the space between.

Optimal decision making begins in the left-brain.  

It starts with the processing of all the problem and relevant facts, data, and figures, identifying and weighing all the pros and cons, and making verbal arguments on behalf of the opposite positions. You also need to thoughtfully consider the dilemma and the real consequences of reaching a conclusion that turns out to be wrong or against your best interests, or those of your customers, clients, or employer.  

In deciding what you will have to eat for dinner, your left-brain needs to consider all the relevant details. These include possible recipes or items on the menu, as well as where, when, how, and with whom you dine, not to mention the costs or who’s picking up the check.

After reaching a rational understanding of the problem and evaluating all the relevant details, you need to switch to your right-brain in order to gain a different perspective.

You can do this by first closing your eyes, or at least softening your gaze to a general area in front of you. Then take several slow, deep breaths until you are focused only on the sensation of your breath going in and out. After you are in your right-brain, allow your creative mind to freely explore all the possibilities. Give yourself the time to look beyond the black-and-white facts and figures to see possibilities and solutions between and beyond the different positions. These must be taken into account.

Your right-brain can help in your ultimate food selection in several ways. Take a moment to picture what looks most appealing or makes you feel your mouth water. Imagine what it would taste like, how it would satisfy your appetite, and what you would feel like after the meal.    

Once you can envision several options, you should check in with your gut or sixth sense using the right brain.

This will to help you determine which ones feel right at this point, even if they do not make rational sense. Your right-brain intuition is able to know things without you rationally understanding how you know or came to know the information. If you look back on your decision making history, you will likely realize that your intuitive sense has been right most if not all of the time, often in spite of legitimate, rational arguments to the contrary.

Besides picturing the various food presentations and different tastes, you can take a moment to sense what you really feel like eating. Allow for this, even if you cannot rationally explain why you want to eat such food or justify the expense of the meal.

After gaining a subjective right-brain perspective, it’s time for you to move back into your objective left-brain.

You need to do this before you reach your final conclusion, especially when other people or institutions are involved. After your decision, you will need to be able to justify your ultimate choice based not only on the available facts and figures, but also on your experience, knowledge, and intuitive sense. In the meantime, try this strategy as you make your next important decisions at work or home.      

What are you going to eat for dinner tonight? Before you decide, try this strategy. See if it helps you make the right decision—one that satisfies your appetite, at an acceptable cost or price, and make you feel good after the meal. 

Presenting to a group can be highly stressful, especially if you hold some common misconceptions about public speaking.

Guest blog written for ThriveGlobal.com.

Making a speech can be one of the most stressful events in an adult’s life. It doesn’t matter whether it is a brief talk with your boss, a presentation at work, or offering a toast at a wedding. Just the thought of having to do this causes much stress for many people. Public speaking has been rated the number one fear among adults in the United States. It’s something that we are often called on to do, but our fear can prevent us from participating in this part of everyday life.

I can relate. I struggled with this fear for most of my life until I understood presentation stress and learned practical solutions to cope with my fear. Since then, I have enjoyed being the keynote speaker at several national and international conferences as well as on live television. I am excited to share some of my findings in hopes to help others that are in a similar place.

Presenting to a group, regardless of the size, can be highly stressful, especially if you hold some common misconceptions about public speaking. Note that these thoughts have no rational support; however, if you believe them, they will make you even more nervous and negatively affect your performance. Let’s start by clearing up these misconceptions.

Everyone will see that you are nervous.

This is a common concern for many presenters, known to researchers as the illusion of transparency. Scientific evidence has proven that audience members do not pick up readily on speakers’ anxieties. No matter what you may think, even the intense inner feelings you may experience are too subtle to be detected by others.

Everyone will judge what you say and how you look. 

Researchers refer to this as the spotlight effect. There is considerable evidence proving that presenters overestimate the extent to which others are judging them, or even paying close attention to their words, message, or appearance. In spite of what you may think, many of your audience members are going to be preoccupied with their own thoughts and appearances.

You are not going to present well because you are nervous.

Research conducted at Yale and Harvard has demonstrated that the effects of high stress are largely dependent on how the symptoms are interpreted. If you feel some of the normal physical effects of stress, like a racing heart or shaking hands, and think that it means that you will not do well, you will not. However, if you interpret the symptoms as positive excitement rather than anxiety, and learn how to use the extra energy, you can become a much more effective presenter.

Recent research at the University of Western Australia studied 230 college students who were all due to give group-based presentations. About half of the students were randomly assigned to the control group, which received no training. The remaining students received Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) in three phases.

The first phase of SIT was conceptual, advising the student presenters that it would be a stressful event. The second phase involved acquiring new skills, where the students learned a variety of relaxation techniques including: deep breathing, mindfulness, meditation, cognitive behavioral strategies, and visualization. The third phase applied these skills in practice presentations. The entire goal of SIT was to clear up the three main misconceptions about public speaking.

In the results of the University of Western Australia study, the group of students that completed the SIT training, compared to the control group, reported significant improvements in three areas: lower levels of anxiety in the time leading up to their presentation, fewer physical manifestations of stress (such as dry mouth, trembling voice, and perspiring), and improved thought processes about their public speaking fear by interpreting their presentation-related anxiety in a positive way.

As a peak performance psychologist, I have worked with thousands of performers, athletes, and musicians to help with challenges ranging from managing performance energy, focusing, building confidence, strengthening courage and more. While the solutions are wide-ranging, I can offer some very actionable tools you can put to use right away.

Before your next presentation, I would recommend that you:

• Clear up your own misconceptions about making presentations to groups. If needed, write down any worries you have and read them back to yourself to point out that these worries are not rational thoughts.

• Learn a relaxation technique that works for you (Centering, meditation, deep breathing).

• Take the time to practice your speech in your mind until it is right, and you see it going well.

• Rehearse it in front of a mirror. Next, record yourself on video and watch it. Finally, give it in front of an audience of one, then three, and then five people until it flows comfortably. Now you will be ready to go! 

I am very excited for you to apply these skills to your next presentation. They have helped me tremendously. Good luck with conquering your next public speech!  

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.