To execute on a successful Slant Route in football, a receiver practices in ways that incrementally improve his success rate and consistency. As Anders Ericson, the psychologist behind the 10,000-hour rule explains “You don’t get benefits from mechanical repetition, but by adjusting your execution over and over to get closer to your goal. You have to tweak the system by pushing, allowing for more errors at first as you increase your limits.” Jerry Rice, considered the greatest wide receiver of all time embodied this practice ethic. Anyone interested in personal development would do well to study Jerry Rice.
Oft times, when you see the slo-mo replay of a dropped pass, the receiver takes his eye off the ball to look upfield before he has secured the reception. This lapse in mindful intention is usually created by a slight variation to his practiced routine, perhaps a defender in his peripheral vision that breaks his focus. Jerry Rice may not have physically practiced every conceivable variable, but he would intentionally consider every possible variant mentally.
Several years ago I was with my dear friend Vic on our annual trout fishing trip in the Adirondack’s. I was in my canoe, and he was in his kayak. We were trolling the frigid and tranquil waters of Horseshoe Pond. I hooked a colossal Rainbow trout, the largest I’d ever felt. I would get this gorgeous beast close to my side when she would shake her head and run, stripping 20 yards off my reel. Four times I brought her in, four times she ran. On the fifth, I was getting frustrated and greedy. I wanted her. In each glimpse, I had of her as I brought her close her beauty shook me to my core. I let my impatience break my concentration. I made an ill-advised lunge with my net, and then catastrophe. I tipped tail over teakettle, into the drink, losing gear, my pride, and the biggest trout I’d ever hooked. I took my eye off the ball. Vic watched the whole thing and towed me in after I clambered onto the back of my overturned craft, shivering and damn lucky.
The following year, with a nod to Strategic Refinement, Vic bought me a long-handled net.
When transitioning from one activity to another, I routinely practice intention setting. First, I engage in a short meditation, sometimes only 30 seconds. Then I set my intention for what I am about to do. Before writing this BLOG, I released TENSION and set the INTENTION of completing the first draft in 30 minutes. I got it done in 18.
"Mindful Intention" is a bit hackneyed these days. Regardless, I can vouch for its effectiveness. This year when Vic and I are joined by August, Dylan, Juan, and John, I’ll be sure to properly set my intention before my paddle hits the water.
https://jamesclear.com/jerry-rice
https://coastalanglermag.com/ice-adk-brookies/
https://www.adirondack.net/lakes/regions/highpeaks/
