Tapping for peak performance w/ Erik Tait (Pod #616)

Wanting to belong is a basic human desire. For our ancestors thousands of years ago, belonging to a tribe was a matter of life and death. Without the protection of a tribe and its strength in numbers, death was a real prospect, so this desire to be accepted is part of our genetic heritage. Even today, on a subconscious level, belonging equals safety and not belonging equals death, though intellectually we know that is no longer true in most situations. We evaluate whether or not we belong in many ways. Are we included in activities? Do people ask us for our input and listen to our contributions? Do others share and celebrate their success with us? Are we given a warm welcome when we arrive? Those are clear indications of invitation and inclusion, but there are more subtle signs too. When I am working with clients and students, one of my favorite ways to unearth times in their past when they felt excluded is to ask the question, "In the past, when were you told you were too much of something?" These types of being "too something" include being too loud, too emotional, too closed off, too dramatic, too quiet, too serious…and the list goes on. Being told that you are "too something" can bring up subconscious fears of being wrong, and therefore excluded from your tribe. This week in the podcast we explore how and why the word "too" feels corrosive and as if it undermines our experience. I also share a tapping process you can use to transform those times when you were told you are "too something" into an asset and empowering resource. If you have ever been told you are too something, then this is a must-listen. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Android | Google Podcast | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio

Erik Tait is a world class magician and someone I love to see perform. He has spent over two decades performing as a juggler, standup comedian, and magician. In 2020 Erik decided that he wanted to compete in the 2022 FISM, which is the world championship of magic. Even though he is comfortable on almost any stage in the world, in preparing for the competition he realized he had some deep-seated fears that were affecting his performance. His fear was so acute that it would cause his hand to shake uncontrollably, which is the last thing a card magician wants. Erik's therapist taught him tapping and he credits it (and other tools) with helping him to overcome his fear and win third place in the competition. This made him only the fourth American to accomplish this, and the first American to stand on the podium for card magic in two decades. In this week's podcast, Erik shares how he was first introduced to tapping, how he used it to overcome his fear when preparing for FISM, and how he still uses it today. Even if you never want to perform on stage, Erik's insights are valuable for anyone interested in improving their performance in any arena or endeavor. ALSO, if you want to be blown away by world class magic, you can watch the act we talked about during the interview here: Erik Tait's FISM performance Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Android | Google Podcast | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube Guest: Erik Tait Contact: web @ ErikTait.com; instagram @eriktait About: Erik Tait has won awards for both standup comedy and magic throughout North America, appeared on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and was the 2018 International Brotherhood of Magicians Gold Cups Close Up Competition Champion. He took home third place at FISM Quebec 2022, the world championships of magic, in the category of card magic. Erik is only the fourth American to accomplish this, and the first American to stand on the podium for card magic in two decades. He graduated with honors from the prestigious Humber College Comedy Writing and Performance program, which means Erik can academically prove why he is hilarious. Beyond that, Erik is the only magician in the world with a degree in funny. He has put academic theory into practice on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including The Magic Castle, Second City Toronto, and the Hollywood Improv. His client list has some of the most recognizable brands in the country including Honda, Macy’s, and Bark Box.  

There is a natural human tendency to want to make sure everything is "exactly right" before we take action. That's because when everything is exactly right, we can be as sure as we can be of getting the results we desire. Our subconscious mind takes this idea to the extreme because its key driver is the need to keep us safe. In addition, it has a tendency to overreact when things go wrong. Here's how it goes: The subconscious wants us to be safe Any small thing that goes wrong is not only unsafe, the subconscious mind judges it as catastrophic The easiest way to make we are safe is to do everything "perfectly" As perfection is generally an unrealistic and unattainable goal, the subconscious holds us back from taking action while waiting for ideal circumstances that never come On the surface, this logic makes sense except for the fact that things will never be perfect. That leads us to over-thinking and failing to take decisive action. This week in the podcast I share a simple concept and how to incorporate this concept into your tapping so you can avoid getting caught in this unproductive trap. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support [player] Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube  

One of the reasons I love art is because it gives us the ability to communicate meaning in ways that we aren't always able to do when simply talking about our lives. We have all heard the expression that "a picture is worth a thousand words", which is true, and it is so much more than just that. The genres of science fiction and fantasy offer us the opportunity to explore the human experience without the political and cultural baggage of our modern world. Recently, I have been listening to the audiobook version of Frank Herbert's Dune. One of the underlying themes is how our emotions impact our ability to make good choices in moments of crisis. There is one particular litany that the main character Paul recites multiple times in the story to calm his fear in the moment. In this week's podcast I explore how that litany and Paul's journey to conquer his fear has impacted my tapping. I even built a tapping script based on the book's text. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube  

One of the reasons I love tapping so much is that it can be used for so many types of issues. It can be used to: Provide emotional first aid Break down a limiting belief Heal a past memory Manage pain Clear a substance sensitivity For me, it is super important to know why I am tapping in each given moment. Am I simply trying to calm myself when I feel overwhelmed so I can take action OR am I dealing with emotional resistance to taking action because I fear failing at my next task? When I know what I am trying to accomplish, it makes it easier for me to stay on track so I can better evaluate my progress to see if I need to keep tapping on the issue. Over the last few months, I have come to realize there are two different types of tapping issues that I had conflated into a single issue. I was approaching how I feel in a moment and what state I am in as if they are the same thing. These are two distinct areas to tap for, with each having a different approach and different goals from the tapping itself. In this week's podcast, I break down the difference between tapping for an emotion versus tapping to change your state, when you should be tapping for each, and how to tap to change your state. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

Late last year my friend Brad Yates reached out to see if there was some way we could use our platforms to encourage more people to tap for peace and to become more active peacemakers in the world. After a number of conversations and with help from lots of our tapping friends, we relaunched the Tapping4Peace.com website. The movement is simple. If you sign up to participate, you will receive a short email every week. The email will remind you to do some tapping for peace AND if you aren't exactly sure how to do that, the email will contain a link to a tapping resource from a different practitioner every week to help you to do exactly that. After signing up to join us, a number of people suggested that it would be fun to gather live and do some tapping together as a community. It was such a great idea that is what we did last Sunday. People from all over the world joined us live. This week in the podcast I am sharing some of the tapping we did, so that you too can tap with us to create more peace in the world. Please tap along and join the Tapping For Peace Movement here: Tapping4Peace.com Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support

I love the fact that tapping can be used to clear and transform so many things that are negative. It can be used to: Release a negative emotions Heal a past memory Transform a limiting belief Reduce (or even) eliminate physical pail Quiet our critical voice Did you know that in addition to being able to transform the negative it can also be used to reinforce the positive. This week in the podcast I share a simple step by step process that you can use to reinforce and enhance positive feelings and positive states. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

Tapping is deceptively simple. It is so easy to teach the basics of tapping that I have done it before in under five minutes with a quick drawing on a bar napkin. But hidden behind its simplicity are the subtleties of the art of delivery. Each issue, person, and resource state can require a different approach to get the maximum effect. With this in mind, it is easy to fall prey to trying to find the exact best way to tap for an issue. Searching for the very best approach can lead us to overthinking the process, which may result in us not tapping at all. This week in the podcast I share a simple tapping approach to counter this type of overthinking. This approach can be your full tapping session, a way to get unstuck in the middle of a tapping session or you can use it to start a tapping session. It is so straightforward to add to your tapping tool box that you'll be able to start using it right away. Handout: https://tappingqanda.com/no-agenda Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio  

One of the most important parts of the Tapping Action Journal is the instruction to spend time writing down notes at the end of each tapping session on what just happened. You are encouraged to write down: what surprised you what you learned any insights you gained any tailenders you unearthed Tailenders are the responses our subconscious mind gives at the tailend of a tapping phrase. For example, I could tap on "I am going to make at least five new sales this week." As soon as I tap on that phrase, my subconscious would respond with "No you are not. You failed before and are going to fail again!" In other words, tailenders are your subconscious mind's rebuttal to what you are saying and tapping on. I love tailenders because they tell us exactly what subconscious resistance is standing in our way of moving forward and they provide a road map for what to tap on next. Last week, one of my students asked the question "I know I am supposed to tap on tailenders, but how exactly do I do that?" In this week's podcast I share a simple four-step approach to choosing the right tailender to tap for next, and how to tap for that issue. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/supportSubscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube

Something I really love about the people I work with is their tendency to see the bigger world outside of themselves. They recognize the people in their lives who are struggling and in pain, and they also want to do something about it. As wonderful as it is to want to help others, it can mean that we become known for being a helper, and the requests become increasingly frequent and demanding of our time and energy. The next thing we know, we are helping everyone else to the point that we neglect our own needs and our lives, meaning we need to do the tough work of creating stronger boundaries. If you are someone with an empathetic nature, creating and maintaining boundaries is even harder. This week in the podcast, we explore how being a helper can turn into a full time job, how to create new boundaries, and why putting boundaries in place is particularly difficult for empaths. We also spend time tapping to make it easier (even for empaths) to create boundaries. Support the podcast! Http://tappingqanda.com/support Subscribe in: Apple Podcast | iPhone | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | YouTube