Unconscious Competence of your Authentic Self
It’s still extraordinary to watch Tiger Woods play golf. Through an alchemical transformation, Tiger takes hundreds of minute technical details and magically melds them into a fluid, seemingly effortless motion. Tiger’s poetry of the links echoes the brilliance of a Mozart concerto or a Monet impression.
In performance terminology, Woods demonstrates “unconscious competence” on the golf course. Unconscious competence occurs when one excels at a given activity without needing conscious awareness of his actions. This doesn’t mean Tiger is unconscious when he swings his seven iron—his intense focus simply transcends the details.
When you enter a state of unconscious competence, you connect with your natural, rhythmic flow. Your thoughts resonate with your body. Your movements become flawless. Your words become poetic. Your consciousness momentarily elevates to a degree of enlightened clarity. In that moment, you meet your authentic self.
Our authentic self, however, is often out to lunch, buried beneath an infinite number of momentary distractions. Disharmonic breathing combines with inconsistent actions; dissonant thoughts combine with disempowering belief systems. The resulting performance is usually less than stellar.
To reach the level of unconscious competence, you have to do what you love to do and do it often. Focus on ways to become better at it and make it a daily discipline—practice, practice and practice some more. Then, trust the Self and let go.
We have all the resources we need right now, if not for the stumbling blocks we unknowingly create within us.
Observe your thoughts, monitor your beliefs and watch your actions—all three provide you with clues for unleashing your true self. Galileo Galilei said, “We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves.”
Where in your life can you unmask your resistance—and find your authentic self?
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