The phrase comes from pool, or billiards and refers to when the white ball is behind the eight black ball, and the player usually has no shot. In modern language it suggests a bad situation or in a losing position.
With my immune system taking a tumble and the MS flaring up, I had to take a break and slow down, and now I am behind the 8 ball. But is it a losing position? Whenever we find ourselves in this situation it is easy we become vulnerable to old patterns of negative thinking or to allow the worries to percolate, invading our focus.
I actually had time to think about being behind the 8 ball today to see if I could flip the whole concept on its head - it was a far more positive spend of my mental energy than worry about what was not getting done. I came to the conclusion that being behind the 8 ball is not a bad thing. For starters (ignoring the rules of billiards, but you can do that when you are being creative), in order to strike so that the 8 ball travels in a forward direction, the only place to be is behind the 8 ball. For one you avoid getting crushed by the momentum of the 8 ball, and to you have an opportunity to size it up, reassess your position and change tack if you need to.
There are counter-intuitive benefits of taking breaks. During a working day or when working on a project or specific task, taking breaks helps us to retain information and make connections. Have you ever tried to solve a problem and find that in being so focussed in trying to solve the problem that you just keep trying the same solution over and over again, convincing yourself that this time is JUST has to work!? When you are working on a problem and then take a shower, or go for a drive or a walk, have a guess what happens. A new and successful solution comes to mind. This is because the mind when not focussed on a specific task, has the opportunity to wander and make connections with those hidden gems of knowledge or past experience hidden in the recesses of of our brain.
A 2011 study reported in Cognition, found that when you work on a task continuously, it’s easy to lose focus. The old adage "you can't see the forest for the trees", certainly applies. A brief intermission, gives you the mental, emotional and energetic space to think more broadly about what you are trying to achieve and to reset manageable objectives which ultimately contributes to better performance. From an evolutionary perspective, our brains are not actually built for long term focus. Heightened concentration was only needed in short bursts, for example when we encountered a predator, our focus and energy would snap to attention, ensuring our survival.
So while I am taking a break and slowed down my activities for today, when I do get my feet back on the ground, the reality is that there will be increased pressure and tighter deadlines to meet my business commitments. So how do I find the positives in that situation? Did you know that most tasks will take up whatever time you allocate to it? Anyone who has sold a house knows this experience. All those things you were going to do to fix up the house over the years suddenly and almost miraculously seem to get done just before you have the first open house to sell. So in order to get back on track as soon as I am able, I am going to rely on my evolution ... heightened concentration in short bursts, allow my brain during this downtime come up with some creative ways to still deliver best results with less effort rather than just jumping in all guns blazing and just hoping that it will all work out.
The trick is that during this down time, I am going to make the most of coming up with a reasonable schedule to put in place as soon as my energy levels start to improve. I might be behind the 8 ball right now but in front of mind I will keep telling myself that I will be in a better position to strike to move forward .
Flying Solo Tip 044365 : Develop a pattern of daydreaming and heightened focus for optimal performance.