How to achieve high performance under stress.

Link to the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EETDwk0_ErQ&t=7s

Play Video

The name of the speaker

Jannell MacAulay

Speaker's experience/qualifications

Dr MacAulay, military leader and pilot, academic, educator, and mother of two, relied on her experience, education, and training to achieve high performance. After an unconventional wake-up call spotlighted her performance vulnerability. She is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and the director of Human Performance and Leadership for the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. She is also an instructor at the Air Force Profession of Arms Center of Excellence. She previously led the joint 305th Operations Support Squadron, which had 400 members. She graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a master's degree in exercise physiology and a doctorate in strategic health and human performance. Dr MacAulay is also a wellness, yoga, and mindfulness educator who holds a diploma in plant-based nutrition and is the founder and president of Healthy Body Healthy Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation. She has 3000 hours of combat experience in the C-21, C-130, and KC-10 aircraft.

One (1) paragraph describing the video content (what it was about, who was it targeted etc.)

We all want to be the best we can be in every aspect of our lives. In truth, each of us aspires to preserve or even improve our professional success without jeopardising our personal lives, particularly our health and relationships. However, in practice, it is incredibly difficult to achieve. She realised how much of her day-to-day life she was missing out on, and how it was harming her health and capacity to succeed at work and at home. How many of us are faced with the same problem? Dr MacAulay explains how she achieves great performance under stress while simultaneously learning how to care for herself and recover.

One (1) paragraph personal reaction to the video (was it valuable to you? Which part of his/her talk do you remember the best? How did that affect you?)

In the video, the speaker also said that we should start putting on our oxygen masks. We also can use our breath to live more in the present moment increasing our productivity and our efficiency and actually giving ourselves time back. Besides that, we can use it to harmonize our hard work and our labour with the joys in life. It’s about being in the present moment instead of wasting our time succumbing to mind wandering and distractions and ultimately the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves with our inner dialogue. In my opinion, Dr MacAulay did an excellent job of tying together crucial aspects of mindfulness and military performance. I can only imagine how tough it was to break down barriers with mindfulness's taboo nature, particularly within the military. You're a terrific example of a thought leader and an inspiration to people who want to make a conscious shift in order to connect with others.

If you don’t practice self-awareness, you might feel bummed about being stuck in traffic. And that would be that. Your day would be negatively influenced by this traffic, and as a result, you become angry and agitated.

Now think about the same situation, but then with an added sense of self-awareness.

Sure, you still don’t like being stuck in traffic. Being self-aware will not magically create an eternal smile on your face. But it allows you to look further than just the direct effect of being stuck in traffic.

When you are fully aware that being stuck in traffic is not something you enjoy, then you have the opportunity to change the way you react to it. You can actually decide that being stuck in traffic will not bother you. You can decide to focus on the positive things that are still happening in your life.