So today I watched a Ted Talks video as I do quite often except rather than bring a tear to my eye or leave me with some interesting information or divine wisdom, this one may actually change my life. It’s by a man called Dr Alan Watkins and he talks about the difference between a positive adrenaline response and a negative one. Basically he says that the way we perform in everything we do in life is driven by our physiology which we often ignore and it is only by taking charge of our own physiology that we can truly succeed whether in sports performance, business or any other area of our life. The top two sections in the diagram to the left are the outcomes and everything is driven from our physiology at the bottom.
He explains that whilst many of us do not realise that our feelings and our emotions are different, men often do not distinguish between thinking and feeling either. Dr Watkins shows us how we can control the outcome of our physiology to better assist us whether we have a meeting with the boss or we are a sports performer. He shows us that breathing is the way to control this however, unlike many articles on the benefits of breathing he stresses that it is the rhythm of the breathe that is the key to success. Whilst 2 deep breaths may calm you down in the very short term, it is continuous rhythmic breathing that keeps you in control of your physiology and life.
I have recently been puzzled by the concept that if I meditate every day and calm myself down then I will no longer have the drive to succeed and I have been wondering where the balance is and Dr Watkins has answered this. You see, he explains that if you elevate your heart rate so you are pumped whether it be for sports or a business meeting as long as your breathing and heart rate is REGULAR then you will perform well. Currently most of us feel adrenaline and our heart rate and breathing will become erratic. This means that I can still get pumped and enthusiastic and excited but in a controlled way and hopefully my performance in life will be better.
Whilst I have summarised the videos in this blog, I really urge you to watch them as they are very interesting and I have missed a lot out. Also Dr Watkins has a very nice way about him and you can see an experiment with a real live person on the stage proving this technique.
Dr. Alan Watkins – Being Brilliant Every Single Day – PART 1
Dr. Alan Watkins – Being Brilliant Every Single Day – PART 2
Let me know your thoughts,
Phillipa