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EP007 For The Prize or The Love of It?

24 July 2021 By Larry G. Maguire READING TIME: 1 MINUTE

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In the pursuit of success, we can lead ourselves astray. Caught up in how we might be perceived, or in anticipation of the prize, we lose our focus. The work itself becomes less important than the material results. This is detrimental to high performance. High performance can only ever be seen in retrospect. In other words, it's only when the job is done do we get to see the fruit of our work. It's a paradox; we've got to forget about making it happen and get into the work for its own sake. Rewards will be a reflection of our degree of focus, and focus is self-activating – we can't force or coerce it. It is a case of the self becoming absorbed in the work rather than being an observer of it. All thought about our performance takes us out of the work. It is a consequence of the absence of the thinking self that success comes about.

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About Larry G. Maguire

I'm Larry Maguire, performance psychologist, writer and researcher. From an academic base in psychology, and 25+ years of experience in business & amateur sport, I aim to assist professionals and novices, improve their mental game and find clarity & direction in life & work. I hope you enjoy the content here. Find out more or get in touch

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