What do Roger Federer, Groundhog Day and Great Internet Marketers have in common?

I have just finished watching the Wimbledon final and I have to write about my hero, Roger Federer. Now I am a tennis fanatic. I used to play five times a week and regularly played club matches and local tournaments. I was a reasonable player and knew enough to apprecaite the sublime genius of Federer.

I saw my first final in the days of Laver and Newcombe and I have seen all the greats. Indeed I was fortunate enough to attend 4 finals in the 1990s and saw the great Sampras win three times including his extraordinary demolition of Agassi at his best in 1999. However, nobody comes even close to the amazing, stupendous Federer. In my book he is probably the greatest sportsman in history an possesses and elegance and beauty in his play that transcends sport itself.

He is also an incredible human being and the ultimate personification of what I call “relaxed alertness”, the quality that so many outstanding sportspeople, musicians, actors  and top performers in all fields possess. This is the ability to stay calm under extreme pressure, like he did in the tie breaks and final set against Roddick’s powerhouse serve, yet be completely alert and aware of the ball, the court, his game plan, his opponent and the state of hte match.

Then from this state of relaxed alertness, he executes his game plan and plays the optimum stroke at the optimum moment to achieve the highest possible level of performance. His complete mastery and integration of physical, cognitive and emotional intelligence provides the foundation for his unprecedented success.

In our lives, and especially in our work, the nearer we can get to this state of relaxed alertness the better. When we are relaxed and alert we perform more effectively. I have written about this in my book, The Magic of Groundhog Day, to describe Phil Connors’ last day in the time loop when he achieves extraordinary results in a single day moving effortlessly from saving a boy falling out of a tree to playing the piano expertly to making ice sculptures,  and being the most popular man in Punxsutawney.

Phil’s state of relaxed alertness is in complete contrast from the man who first  arrived in town. His final day in the time loop is probably the best of his life. It is full of passion, joy, and love. He appears and sounds different. He is relaxed and comfortable with himself, and with other people. He has replaced sarcasm with empathy, and bitterness with cordiality. When the movie ends, you can feel his extraordinary joy during that last magical day in Punxsutawney. Playful and empathic, he is reminiscent of the Laughing Buddha. He has a spring in his step, his body language is open, expressing his joie de vivre. Life is no longer a struggle. It is a magical dance.

So when I work in my businesses, and especially internet marketing, I always check my physical and mental state to see if I am relaxed and alert. If I am anxious or restless I focus on my breathing, slow down and let go of any distracting thoughts. I concentrate on being in the present moment and then I can access the resources I need to be successful – self-discipline, focus and resilience.

Over the summer I am going to release a new internet marketing program that integrates these mental strategies, as I believe the biggest reason why 95% of internet marketers fail is because they never develop the right mindset. Most have the talent, knowledge and skills to succeed but they fail to execute effectively as they never achieve the state of  relaxed alertness that supports peak performance.