Regardless of your sport or the level you are competing (or coaching) at, there is one thing we are all in search of - the next level in performance. Performance is the bottom line. So I'm hoping that title catches your eye.

Attention is the currency of performance. With the athletes I coach we are constantly looking back at previous performances, and the clues to what led to a certain result are found in where attention was directed.

I want to make one distinction - attention is not thought. Attention is where you choose to place your focus. Sometimes that may be on your thoughts, but at other times your attention will be directed to how you feel, what an opponent is doing, what happened last hole/play/game, etc. Think of attention as a spotlight shining on where you choose to focus.

So with that in mind, here are some ways to practically apply your new knowledge:

1) Make time to reflect
Most of us will take some time to analyze what happened following a round/game/match, but you're missing out on valuable growth if you don't reflect specifically on where your attention was and how it affected your performance. If you want to take this to the next level, keep a journal of these reflections - the processing you do through writing will be invaluable.

2) Use your self-talk to direct and redirect your attention
Once you are starting to build your awareness of where your attention is, you'll want to have a tool to direct your attention where it needs to be. This tool is your self-talk. Simple, process-based cues like "target-focused" or "full extension" will put (and keep) your attention on what matters most - the process required to perform at your best. Attention is most effectively used when it is directed to the present, and these simple cues can be powerful tools to help you maintain contact with the moment.

3) Take judgment out of the equation
As your awareness of your attention grows, it will be tempting to judge the quality of the thing you're focusing on. As athletes we are fierce competitors, and we tend to be harsh critics of ourselves. But from a performance standpoint, we are at our best when we simply notice where our attention is and redirect it (without judgment) when necessary. Here's what this could look like on the golf course:

You hit what feels like a great shot exactly where you were looking, but the ball ends up short in a hazard because of a wind gust you didn't anticipate. As soon as you see the splash you feel a wave of frustration and anger about your bad luck. You realize your attention is on the bad break and the emotion that surfaced. Rather than beat yourself up for focusing on the wrong things, you quickly use your focus cue, "next shot", to direct your attention to the upcoming shot - where your drop will be, what your options are, what kind of a shot you can hit, and you're already looking forward to the challenge of getting up and down.