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A Need for Extreme Requires Finding Your Zone
from: Maxx Sports GuidesYou may have noticed that people who are into extreme sports are somewhat 'different' than most other people. Extreme sport nuts have that "darn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" attitude that is the opposite of the thoughtful, habitual way most people lead their lives. This is something they can't really help when they're in the "zone". This is the time when all that matters is thier mission . . . their entire life is no more significant than that moment of execution.
People who study the psychology of an athlete, call the "zone" a temporary state of mind when the adrenaline high, awakened by a high-risk situation, is (at least temporarily) the complete and dominant influence in their life.
The zone, as described, might appear to symbolize a period of extreme irresponsibility, but it's actually a time of extreme focus and near-maximum control -- a mental state similar to, but more intense than, taking that first dive from a high dive at the deep end of the pool. This can also be referred to as "the adrenaline effect."
Adrenaline is quite an important key to your body's reaction when under stress, or danger or anger. During those times, your brain's adrenaline increases, which increases your heart rate and blood flow. It also increases glucose production (glucose is the "food" your body burns when you exercise) as well as physical stamina -- in short, you feel invigorated. This entire process is called the "fight or flight response;" it gets your body "primed for action" . . . and it can be very addictive for certain people!
You could call these people "adrenaline junkies," and for extreme sports enthusiasts, it fits. These people crave to participate in activities requiring intense concentration and extreme performance such as bungee jumping, skydiving, hang gliding, and mountain climbing, to name just a few. These adrenaline junkies, dont' limit themselves to just extreme sports -- their entire lifestyles tend to be extreme as well.
These are the people who often make their living as a SWAT team member, or emergency response personnel as well as members of military Special Forces such as the SEALS and Green Berets. You'll also find that professional gamblers and even stock market traders tend to be "addicted" to situations that cause the potential for a huge win or a huge loss -- which certainly will make anyone's adrenaline flow.
By now you're probably wondering how you find your own "zone?" Actually, it's not as difficult as it may sound. Anyone who goes for and gets addicted to all kinds of extreme sports and the the adrenaline high they provide, are themselves an extreme example of someone in the zone. The bottom line is, the zone just means a high level of determination and focus.
You need to "psych yourself up" for a specific activity, from some type of action sport or just trying to pass your mid-term exams, by making yourself determined to finish your task and by focusing on learning everything you must learn, and doing everything you need to do. When you're in that mental state (that zone) you're so focused on your objective that everything around you becomes background noise. You picture the task and see yourself accomplishing it.
What's actually happening is you're starting to harness the power of your mind. Your body and muscles are doing the work, but it's your mind that's making the work easier, and doable. You could call this the extreme sports version of the "The Power of Positive Thinking."
Your mind has an awesome amount of power. It's like a super-computer programming itself every minute of your day with ideas, feelings, wishes, concepts, idle thoughts and desires. The key to success is to remain positive. There's an old saying amongst computer programmers -- "GIGO" -- which simply means "Garbage In -- Garbage Out" -- in other words, your results can only be as good or successful as your effort.
Experts tell us human being only use a tiny fraction of their mind's potential. The additional potential you could be using when in your zone isn't important -- what's really important is whether you're doing an action sport, trying to learn some poetry, or even write a book, that your focus and determination makes success a higher possibility. Our only limitations are self-imposed -- which is the secret finding the zone!
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