ADVANTAGE: INDIVIDUALS & CORPORATE ATHLETES
"The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character and will...An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence." -- William James, American philosopher and psychologist, "The Principles of Psychology," 1890
Attention is a skill that is under-appreciated, under-trained, and under-utilized.
It is under-appreciated as a driver of our happiness, regardless of whether we define that happiness in terms of achievement, reducing stress and suffering, or enhancing and increasing performance and fulfillment.
It is under-trained out of a failure to realize it can be improved, a lack of understanding how to improve it, and an unwillingness to put in the time and effort to do so.
Finally, attention is under-utilized in the sense that its power is not fully understood nor employed in a way that will directly impact happiness.
Shinzen Young identifies three distinct and trainable skills of attention that when used together can be leveraged for optimization:
- Concentration: the ability to focus on what you deem is relevant at any given moment
- Sensory clarity: the ability to track your sensory experience from one moment to the next in real time
- Equanimity: the ability to have that sensory experience to come and go without manipulating it
That attention is critical to optimal performance and other forms of happiness became increasingly apparent to Advantage Awareness founder Jim Grabb first as a professional tennis player, then even more so during his time navigating the trials and tribulations of the 2008 financial crisis at an investment firm.
When attention in this form is strong, individuals/performers can better deal with stress, communicate more effectively, lead with greater strength, make better decisions, and perform at their highest levels.
Advantage Awareness employs a very methodical approach to teach clients how to cultivate this type of attention so they can:
- Search within to help understand what sustains, motivates and energizes them
- Align their deepest-held values, beliefs and intentions with the way in which they invest their energy
- Find complete presence while performing whatever roles they are in
- Reduce stress and the other perceived bummers in their lives
- Identify and derive more enjoyment from the sources of their fulfillment
Armed with this tool kit, all "athletes" can find greater understanding, meaning and performance in their experiences.
Each individual athlete is unique. Please contact us to discuss how we can create a bespoke program to optimize your personal performance.