We were just starting the workout. The player had completed his warm up routine and the lead coach was explaining the first phase.
Then the player threw the ball at me.
“Wake up, Bret!”
I was in la la land. My responsibility in this particular workout was going to be minimal so my mind began to wander to new ideas and different things I could create to help.
The player realized I wasn’t fully engaged in the moment. So he brought me back.
That’s a good teammate to have.
People used to count how many times Steve Nash high fived a teammate during a game and practice. They lauded his leadership and team attitude.
Diana Taurasi does the same thing. Watch a Phoenix Mercury practice and no one is left out. I heard her explain her approach this way: She wants to see if everyone is engaged. Are you here now, in this moment? Or are you wandering, thinking about something else, worried about stuff that doesn’t matter to what we are doing?
Your best work is done when you are fully present, fully engaged.
I wasn’t engaged because I didn’t feel like I was needed. I naturally drifted to something more challenging, more exciting.
Sometimes we get lost in what’s going to happen next, or what happened last, and fade out of what is happening now.
Sometimes anxiety of our self-image keeps us from being fully engaged.
Sometimes fear distracts from the moment.
Take note of when you become disengaged. Where did you wander? What were you hoping to find, or hoping to escape?