Given England’s World Cup heroics against Mexico a few hours ago, here’s a question for you:

What thoughts give Harry Kane the best chance of scoring as he steps up to take his penalty?

Do you want Harry thinking about how his hair’s looking? Would it help if he was pondering how he should’ve practiced more penalties, the sponsorship deals he might get if he scores or what the Daily Mail will put on their front cover if he misses? 

Clearly not.

But get this:

I’d suggest you don’t even want Haz thinking if he should shoot left or right, whether he should blast the ball or if he should wait for the keeper to move.

What you want is Harry having practised a shit-ton of penalties, researched his opponent, decided where he’s shooting and then committing to that shot.

But in the actual moment he takes the penalty, you don’t want him thinking anything.

It’s no different to trying to catch a ball by calculating the wind speed, the ball’s trajectory or where you should stand. That’s never going to work. Instead, you catch on instinct. Your eyes track the ball, your body moves and your hand reaches out to grab it.

So what does this have to do with you?

Imagine you’re in a high-stakes meeting at work. You're well prepped and you know the outcome you want. But then someone throws you a curveball. They challenge one of your assumptions and ask a question you weren't expecting. 

What thoughts will bring you back on track?

We can probably agree a few thoughts which WON’T help. Thoughts like “I should’ve prepared more for this meeting”, “I’m ruining my career”, “Oh god, everyone thinks I'm an idiot”, “I’m blowing my one big chance”, “I knew this was a bad idea”…and so on.

So what thoughts CAN bring you back on track?

The answer is exactly the same as Harry’s penalty:

You don’t want better thoughts. You want fewer thoughts.

This is a very different take vs the usual corporate stance of trying to think your way through every tricky situation. But a clear mind is what lets us see what’s really going on. And when we see things clearly, our instincts kick in.

So our response doesn’t come from thinking our way to a perfect response but because a clear mind naturally knows what to do next. 

If you’re wondering how to clear your mind when it matters most, this is precisely what The Subtraction Method helps you do. 

If you’d like 1:1 support, more info here: 

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

To fulfilment,

Tom