Let’s consider two situations.
Situation 1. The team loses, the coach takes a time-out and yells at the team, actively gesturing. Subsequently, the coach gives an explanation for his behavior — I realized that the guys needed a shake-up and knew that my behavior had a positive effect on the key player, he would try to correct the situation and it was he who would lead the team on his energy.
Situation 2. The team loses, the coach takes a time-out and yells at the team, actively gesturing. Subsequently, he gives an explanation for his behavior — I was outraged, we talked about it so much in training, and they repeat mistakes over and over again!
A question for you: in which case is the behavior of the coach conscious? And one more thing: by what criteria did you define conscious behavior?
I’m ready to share my thoughts.
To an outside observer, the behavior of both coaches is very similar — both shout in response to the unsuccessful actions of the team. However, they thought differently at that moment.
In the first case, the coach consciously controlled the state of the team, and such a coach has a chance to change the course of the game. The key points of his explanations — I realized that a shake-up was needed (realized the situation), knew how to do it (realized my actions), suggested what would happen next (realized the consequences of my actions). His cry is a conscious choice. Such behavior is called conscious — a person changes the situation by choosing the most appropriate actions for this (shouting, for example), he controls the situation and internally remains calm, he controls what will happen next.
In the second case, the coach reacted to the situation without realizing the consequences of his actions; he had much less chances to change the course of the game than the first one. It would seem that he is shouting, and he took a timeout to change the course of the game (he realized the situation), but resentment comes through in his actions, which means that at this moment the coach thinks about himself, and not about the team (did not realize the consequences of his actions ). Such behavior is called unconscious or reactive — a person reacts to an event. The situation and his emotions control him and his behavior.
So, in conscious behavior a person is always internally calm and he has a clear understanding of what he is doing, why and what are the possible consequences of his actions.
Acting consciously is not always easy, but it is quite possible; like anything else, it’s just a matter of practice. If you have the desire and time, start exercising. To be specific: choose a day to practice mindfulness and throughout the day, before you do something — say or do, ask yourself questions:
- Why am I doing this?
- What result do I want to get?
At the beginning of the workout, everything will happen like in slow motion — with pauses for reflection. However, you will soon notice that the pace is accelerating and it is getting easier for you to make the right decisions and choose the best course of action. One of the criteria for your success in mindfulness training is inner peace in situations that previously caused excitement.