As a major league pitcher in the movie For Love of the Game Kevin Costner’s character utters the phrase “clear the mechanism” each time he gets ready to hurl the baseball at the plate.  As a professional athlete who is trained to focus at a higher level at crucial moments during play, this phrase removes all sound, thoughts, and distractions from his mind.  He is ready to pitch, and the perfect game is the result.

When your focus is clear, the outcome is powerful.  At the start of your day, I imagine that you are bombarded with distractions.  Slow traffic, spilled coffee, sick kid, and more and more.  The momentum that builds at the beginning of your day sets up your reactions as the day settles in.  Your brain likes to dwell on the negative, and sets up excuses for your shortcomings.

I am a firm believer in always having something positive scheduled for the future.  That positive thing may be a dinner date on the calendar with friends, a good weather forecast for a weekend off, or even the opportunity to engage in a fun hobby or activity that very night.  Clearing your mechanism after experiencing the not-so expected, and driving your mind towards that positive scheduled activity moves you towards overcoming that obstacle with lightning speed.  When we are clear, we are focused.  When we are focused, we are clear, and the positive energy takes over.