Author: Rachel Rice

An Express Train to Higher Performance

As a senior level executive I was always looking to up my game. I read books, I worked out, I meditated and I sought help from professional executive coaches. I found incremental value in each of these approaches. Most of what I learned were cognitive behavioral techniques aimed at helping me identify where, when and how to do things differently. Each required me to pivot my own thoughts and actions mid-stream just like one might in a tennis game. Difficult to do on the spot and it takes tons of practice. If someone consistently applies a new desired behavior, “success” can be achieved in about 21 days. Personally, I wanted a faster and more reliable way to get to peak performance.

express train
Take the express train to peak performance

 

What if it didn’t have to be that difficult or take that long? Tapping (aka Emotional Freedom Technique) is an approach to behavioral change that has been around for about 30 years. Although some call this approach “woo woo”, results from this technique have been remarkable and dramatic for many individuals. War veterans who have been suffering from PTSD for decades have found relief within days with tapping. It has helped many who lived through the Newtown shooting and Bosnian genocide move forward with their lives. Others have gotten relief from phobias, addictions, weight issues and more. So why wouldn’t we consider applying similar techniques to sports and work performance?

What if we could optimize our own work performance so that we stopped procrastinating, worrying and hedging? What if we could clear our own limiting beliefs that are getting in the way of outrageous success… beliefs that may have started in childhood like “I’m not enough,” “If it isn’t perfect, I’ve failed” or “I’m afraid of presenting in front of a group,”

How does tapping work exactly? It involves tapping on acupoints on the body (points along the meridian system, an energy transport system in the body). As we tap on the body, tension is released and the body starts to relax. If we tap while thinking, feeling or talking about a symptom, behavior, emotion, event or belief, the brain feels the body relaxing and starts to integrate the previously stressful experiences in the context of newly relaxed state, enabling the brain to get a fresh perspective. Once the integration happens, we can think about the stressful event without being triggered. Then, new positive thoughts or desired behaviors can be introduced.

What would your career look like if you were able to quickly release the thoughts, feelings and events that are holding you back? What actions would you take? What would your earnings potential be? How well would your company do if everyone on your team were able to clear old, non-productive thought patterns and limiting beliefs?

Stand in Your Power
Be at Your Peak Performance

 

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Grounding is Not Just for Houses

Recently one of my clients asked me to help her to communicate more effectively in front of a group.  She told me that she wanted to be able to handle questions from tough clients in a group setting without getting ruffled or feeling defensive.  In the past, she had experienced freezing up when she was confronted by a client with an aggressive tone or posture.  She wanted to be able to move through future experiences with more grace, ease and comfort.  A key aspect of being able to withstand the storm of confrontation, questioning, judgement and public evaluation is grounding.

Grounding absent

We have all seen leaders who are grounded. They are able to make thoughtful decisions and stick with them. They seem unruffled by unexpected events and disgruntled clients or employees. They are able to be present with people in each interaction, seamlessly shifting their attention from one conversation to the next without skipping a beat.  They walk with ease.

Leaders who are un-grounded, on the other hand, are more emotionally volatile (sometimes bursting with anger at employees or at missed deadlines) and are more easily impacted by chaos that surrounds them.  They have a harder time bringing clarity to situations, have more difficulty keeping things in perspective, have scattered thoughts and have more trouble focusing and prioritizing. They may also have difficulty moving forward.

Energetically, grounding is a function of

  1. our own electro-magnetic connection with that of the earth (like magnets that are attracted to each other)
  2. the flow of energy between us and the earth through meridians (e.g. energetic pathways). Energy flows down from our body into the ground and up from the ground into our body.
  3. the flow of energy between us and the earth through an energetic vortex that sweeps energy up into our body and spills over and back down to the earth.

Losing our grounding happens with acute or on-going stressors, when we’re exposed to electro-magnetic devices, when we’re on a plane and or in a car for long periods of time, when we wear rubber soled shoes or work in a high-rise building.

The good news is that we can reclaim our grounding with some relatively simple Eden Energy Medicine techniques.  These techniques get the energy moving more effectively between our bodies and the earth, thus creating a stronger connection and flow, and enabling us to stand more firmly in our bodies.  This leads to more effective and confident communication. Try it and see:

  • Massage your feet, especially the spaces in between your metatarsals (toe bones). Gently squeeze each toe and toe nail and pull the energy off of your toes. Try this on one foot and stand up. See if you can feel the difference in how this foot feels on the ground relative to the other foot. Now try it on the other foot.
  • Massage your hands, especially the spaces in between your metacarpals (finger bones). Gently squeeze each finger and finger nail and pull the energy off of your fingers. Try this with one hand and then see if your hands feel any different. Now try it on the other hand.
  • Spoon your feet.  I know that this sounds silly but it is tremendously effective (it re-aligns the polarity of your body to be more connected with that of the earth and leads to grounding).  Get a spoon that attracts a magnet. Move the spoon along the sole of your foot and sides of your foot.
  • Massage the front of your shin along the outer edge of your tibia down to your 2nd toe (the one right next to your big toe). If you find a tender spot spend some more time there until the tenderness dissipates (the tenderness is often a sign that energy is stuck). This technique helps energy move out of your body and down into the earth which assists with grounding (like a grounding wire in a house).
  • Stand on wet grass in bare feet

grounding through feet

Being grounded can make an enormous difference in how connected, emotionally stable and effective we are.  How different would your interaction and presentation style be if you were grounded?

 

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