Relax. Set goals. Focus on the outcome. Lose yourself to the Zone. All reasonable, sensible, rational words of advice when you are facing a performance challenge, be it a big presentation at work, a crucial point in the game, or a career-launching music recital. And all utterly, hopelessly, wrong. According to John Eliot, Ph.D., “Such self-improvement balderdash will do nothing but relegate you to a career in mediocrity. Overachievers don’t think reasonably, ...
