I am fascinated by the "Zone".  Athletes know about "The Zone".  For an athlete the feelings of being in the "Zone" take place in the midst of competiton – the time that matters most to them. In order to provide a summary of hundreds of conversations that I have had with athletes about the "Zone" I will describe it this way:

In the "Zone" you feel a unified sense that skill, energy, emotion and thought have all connected and even though pressure on performance is considerable, you feel a great sense of freedom to be yourself and to fully engage in the moment at hand.

In the Zone you are:

• Fully focused
• Totally composed – Emotions are balanced
• Clear minded to the point where you "know" what will happen more than you are trying to anticipate what will happen. Everything is moving slow; there is no chaos.
• Completely at one with rhythm and flow – totally confident.
• Full of "love of the game" and love of the moment.

You don't have to be an athlete to feel your "Zone." You can take the 5 Rules of the Zone and put them into practice starting right now. Watch what happens when you do. You will start to "feel" a greater sense of balance, energy and clarity almost immediately and if you put the 5 Rules of the Zone into practice on a daily basis you'll feel the reward of more triumphant moments for yourself and for those that you are leading. Use the 5 Rules to be a better coach for you! Then "Coach it Forward" and help others become a better coach for themselves.

The bullets below are edited "snapshots" of perspective that people I have interviewed have about the "Zone."

• When I'm in the "Zone" I feel motivated, full of productive energy – I want to do what must be done.
  
  
• I think that when you're in the "Zone" you feel clarity –you feel at one with the ultimate vision you have for yourself.
  
  
• In the "Zone" I feel strong levels of intuition.
  
  
• It's your true self; it's the uncovering of everything you already know.
  
  
• The "zone" has to do with being completely engaged in the Journey that life is. 
  
  
• Sometimes the "zone" feels timeless and sort of disconnected, but the "zone" is actually the full and complete occurrence of knowledge and skills that we already have.
  
  
• When we are in the "zone" we have unleashed ourselves. When you reach that level of consciousness you feel like nothing can hold you back.
  
  
• When in the "Zone" I feel very resourceful; I feel like I can completely apply myself to the task at hand, I feel I can fully tap into all that I have learned. 
  
  
• When you are in the "Zone" you feel the ability to "try easy" and get things done, rather than feeling as if you are "trying hard" and getting nowhere.

We all have moments that matter to us just the way that athletes do. We all are looking to be consistently good and we all want to feel prepared for and confident during, the "big moments" that happen in our work and in our lives. We don't have to hope to be in our "Zone." We can create our "Zone." We can take ownership of our "Zone!"

Here's how. 

Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries.
(Sister Corita Kent)

We constantly face a choice to direct our thoughts towards what we love about what we're doing or to "hate" what we have to do and feel burdened by the tasks of our routine.

If you spend time filling your thought with negativity – if you are focusing on what is "so tough" or "so wrong" about your world then you will experience that emotion. It isn't the situation; it's how you choose to experience it.

So the right first move for you to create your "Zone" is to fully fcus on what you love about what is happening. Loving what you do is all a matter of choice.

To cease to admire is a proof of deterioration.
(Charles Horton Cooley)

It's hard to be "on top of your game" and perform in life at a level that you are proud of, examplifying the qualities that you want to be respected for representing, if you aren't crystal clear about what you want to be admired for.

Can you right now, if you were asked to, clearly and precisely describe what you want to admire in yourself "at the end of the day?" Are you comfortable describing what you want those around you to admire about you? By the way, what you want to be admired for should never change, whether it is self admiration, admiration from those that are in your personal life or admiration from those that you work with. What we are talking about here is integrity and character.

Being in the "Zone" is all about feeling perfectly connected to oneself. You can't get connected if you aren't being who you and what you admire.

Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.
(Tom Blandi)

This is a simple Rule to understand but very trying to put into consistent practice. The point is that to get into your "Zone" you have to take command of your thoughts and emotions. If you can take command of your thought you can more easily eliminate stress and worry.

You control your attitude and your work ethic. You control how you react and respond to things. You control your belief about being prepared.

Stay focused on not getting distracted about what you don't control. (Have you ever noticed that you often are stressed and anxious about things that you've got no control over?)

One thing for sure is that you control your thoughts; so take command and control them in a way that is productive!

In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

When you are learning from your life experiences, including the pressure packed moments, you are paying attention properly; your mind is open and you can truly absorb the moment.

The great Masters in life know that nothing is ever mastered. Therefore the Master only exists in the process of mastering. The process of mastering is the activation of the learner which resides in all of us.

To stop learning – to lose the focus of how to leverage learning – is to live on autopilot. If you don't have your "learning valve" open and you aren't awake to the possibilities of things, to the growth that you can achieve then you've stepped into a life of living on autopilot.

You can't be in your "Zone" if you're on autpopilot.

· Become more conscious of just trying to learn more from each day.

· Don't get any more attached to outcomes and results than you are to learning from the challenges and situations that are confronting you.

· Journal so that you're keeping track of what you are learning.

· Make the choice to work on your game. Tiger Woods does. Shouldn't you too?

You'll notice that the more you discipline yourself to focus on the chance to learn, the more energized and clear you'll feel. Energized and clear mindedness are key aspects to the "Zone."

We must give more in order to get more; it is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.
(Owen Swett Marden)

We've got to take responsibility for our momentum and our feelings of confidence.

The best way to create your own momentum – a sense of positive energy – is to give great energy to others. It's as simple as that. If you want a grip on great and positive energy then get good at energizing those around you. The reward is staggering. Because of what you give, you end up getting 10x back. That is the law of attraction. What you put out is what you get back.

The answer is not to become overly cheerleader like. The answer is to make the choice not to burden others with your emotions that might be doubtful or negative. Simple and easy; you've just got to decide to do it and believe that it will work. Be proud at the end of each day that you've done a solid job of making a positive contribution to your world because of the good energy that you displayed. There is no good reason for you to be dark, when you can be light. Light up the world for others and you light up the world for yourself. Light it up and live in the "Zone."