More on the "Zone"

You cannot make yourself enter the "zone" Best you can do is set the scene. This includes hard work, both technical and mental training, pre and post-game routines, and passion (for the game)

The following are not my words. Rather they are the words of a psychologist by the name of Csíkszentmihályi (pronounce it “chicks send me high” :)). I include the link toa public lecture he made in Sydney a few years back.

http://austega.com/education/articles/flow.htm

He identifies the following nine components as accompanying an experience of flow:

1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities). Moreover, the challenge level and skill level should both be high.
2. Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action and awareness merging.

If you only have room for ONE Goal

In a previous post about quieting the mind, I talked about the captain ship and its crew. When the captain is focussed on captain's matters, the crew gets the job done. Likewise, your captain's mind must be on the cards and only on the cards.

SO

If you cannot be much bothered to keep track of your own performance (after all, it is only a game!), then only keep track of ONE thing.

But do it every every time, whether you are playing a practice match, playing a friendly match or playing the real McCoy.

Your performance goal = 80% (or whatever number above 50 you want to start at)

1. Stop thinking about past and the future and become immersed in the now.
2. Stop predicting (going into the future in your mind)
3. Focus 100% on the cards.

And after every game, give yourself a score of 1 to 3.

1. why did you get up this morning
2. next time will be better
3. you were in the zone
   

When you get to a hundred, add it all up and divide by 3 and you get your achievement. Then start another set.

PS: If you always get 100%, you may need a reality check

Was it L-U-C-K ?

I have been watching the Spingold with much interest. A lot of interesting hands with a lot of opportunities to do the right things.

One hand in particular in the semi final seemed to illustrate the concept of luck as Luck Under Current Knowledge

All the other 3 tables all played in the 4H. At one table, East opened 1S, competed to 3S and defended 4H by North making 10. The two other tables were in 4H by South (after a 3S bid by East) and made their 12 tricks.
Clearly you could say that EW was very unlucky on this hand at this particular table.
But my question is:
If it was plain old luck, when did this bad/good luck start
Did E open a windown of opportunity and brought bad luck with the 3S bid and did NS capitalise on it by bidding a "lucky slam"
At the other table, was the 1S bid made by East a bit of L-U-C-K?
Any opinions?