Vinson Cunningham on Portraits:
One of the great joys [..] of looking at a portrait is the imperfectible act of reading a face. Is that a smile or a leer? Anguish or insight? Focus or fear?via Humans of New York and the Cavalier Consumption of Others by Vinson Cunningham.
to compete there needs to be a certain level of conditioning reached through quantity and targeted intensity while maintain integrity of movement effectiveness and harmony.From which he expands:
Now there is heaps in all that but suffice to say if you do the work, row effectively and are ready for the event then it becomes easier.Been following Drew's Blog (*) since March 2007 and through it I have watched him through two Olympic Games, three World Championships, back surgery after Beijing, a short and successful bike road racing career and his comeback to rowing.
Thats not to say its easy to do but rather the flow, process and deliver can be uncomplicated and then the depth of effort can be reached which can put athletes into that state. The state where it takes everything they have while the realisation emerges that it was less hard and not as difficult as previously thought or perceived.
So simply work to make it easier. Focus to help it flow and push to let it happen. Under do it and you feel guilty, over do it and frustration appears and so to get it just right is the key. The flexion point between effort and ease, tension and relaxation, concentration and letting go, its all a fine line and to learn & master is where art form meets science.
Finally then with out the work your not in the game. With out the efficient your unable to make the most of the opportunity. Then with out being ready for the nature of the big event all can be lost in the blur and intensity of what rises on the day. To seize the day requires all three elements to be developed, stimulated and firing.
Intention? That has to come from you. But I would suggest that, as a functional person, you no doubt find things in life that spark you up. Give you pleasure, satisfaction, happiness. That inflate your will to live. Distill down to those things and make them the base of your art. Then the intention will drive everything else.From Developing muscle memory and fluid technique is almost as important as developing a sense of purpose (Kirk Tuck - Wed 28 Sep 2009) (*).
The warrior of light is a believer.From the The Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paulo Coehlo.
Because he believes in miracles, miracles begin to happen.
Because he is sure that his thoughts can change his life, his life begins to change.
Because he is certain that he will find love, that love appears.
Now and then, he is disappointed. Sometimes, he gets hurt.
Then he hears people say:'He's so ingenuous!'But the warrior knows that it is worth it. For every defeat, he has two victories in his favour.
All believers know this.
Oh, it doesn’t matteror
To be honest, I didn’t really want it that much.He accepts defeat as defeat and does not try to make a victory out of it.
I fought for something and did not succeed. I lost the first battle.These words give him renewed strength. He knows that no one wins all the time and he knows how to distinguish his successes from his failures.
"All you have to do is stay calm and go as hard as possible from the start to the finish. It's quite simple, [..] You are only riding a bike from point A to point B."But as we all know through our own sport and experiences over the last nine months, there is more to it than that. He expands:
"but in terms of technique there is so much in terms of peddling and breathing, and there is the corners. Just concentrating on riding out beyond limit is very taxing."In closing, just like Cadel, I want you to realise that you are an elite sports person. You represent your country with "Pride, Power, Intensity and Passion". You are at the top of your sport at this very moment in time.
Being clear minded should be an important objective going into the Games [Championships]. Once again though, it is critical to feel focused and occupied and to avoid falling into the human tendency to start overanalyzing. It has been suggested that "nothing never happens"; in the absence of a constructive focus our minds sometimes start "over-thinking" or "over-perceiving."He concludes with the following:
- Enjoy the emotional spectrum that is part of life.
- Accept and experience feelings, let them go, and channel the energy into growth and effective responses.
- Respect the power and positive and negative significance of emotions on your system.
- Manage relationships and time so that you do not become emotionally drained at key times in your life, especially when working hard physically and mentally.
- Let go of irrational beliefs and perspectives.
- Reaffirm your mission, values, and perspective.
- Live. Never have to say, "I wish I would have ..."
An athlete should be confident in mental skills going into the Games [Championships]. Responses to stress and boredom should automatically be constructive, and time and relationship skills should be crisp and effective. Creative simulations, quality training sessions, and lead-up competitions can help ensure the rust is off attention and competitive skills during the countdown.
I would say to each of our Olympic athletes: Walk away knowing you gave it your best shot and exulted in the opportunity to test yourself in one of the most prestigious and emotional environments in the world. Accept that you can never totally control your emotions that is part of the challenge of being human. With emotional preparation, practice, and management we can often come closer to our situational potential.Definitely worth a read. Take from it what you can for your own mental preparation.
Compete with passion, perspective, and preparation and be all you can be as you pursue your Olympic destiny. I wish you physical prowess, a clear mind, and an unburdened heart. Citius, Altius, Fortius! [The Olympic Motto]
"engine" is a Nike film about LIVESTRONG.
The film finds Lance Armstrong climbing a mountain on a training ride.
Around him, fuelling him, are a peloton of voices.
These voices are the words of people all over the world making efforts in the spirit of LIVESTRONG.
As Lance Armstrong rides, the voices tell of people facing challenges, facing cancer, coming to grips with what's next, getting up and improving their lives, inspiring others and making amazing goals come to life all over the world.
In the end, the "engine" in the film is both Lance Armstrong and the meaning of LIVESTRONG in all these people's lives.
It's what can be accomplished together with the idea of living better and supporting each other all summed up with Nike and its message of human potential:Just do it.
I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I've lost almost 300 games.
26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.
I've failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why I succeed.
This may seem odd, but it is central to the belief system of most top performers. Remember the Nike advert where Michael Jordon says [the above]?
Many were bemused by the message, but to Jordan - a living, breathing testament to the growth mindset - it expressed a deep and urgent truth: in order to become the greatest basketball player of all time, you have to embrace failure.'Mental toughness and heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have,'he said.'I've always believed that.'
Process, get absorbed in it and revel in it because process is the secret!
Focus on the process and the outcome will take care of itself.
To win a championship or a gold medal is a process, it is not a one off event.
You win championships and medals a little bit at a time, bite-by-bite, chunk-by-chunk, a series of small wins and forward moving baby steps.
We see the leaps and bounds in performance because they are so big and very visible but it is the small things the details that make the difference.
It is the small things executed with focus and purpose that make the big leaps in performance possible.
There is no secret; the devil is in the details executed with consistent effort directed toward the ultimate performance goal.
Don’t make it complicated.
Keep it simple and straightforward.
Make it measurable and manageable.
Focus on the process and the outcome will follow.
