We're a couple of games into the World Series, and Chicago Cubs fans everywhere--including myself--are still having a hard time with being so close, but blowing it in grand fashion and not reaching the Series.

Sure, some people tried to blame it on the poor schmoe in the left field stands who tipped the ball that might have been caught. He actually made a better play on that ball than the Cubs' shortstop later that inning on what should have been a routine double play ball.

Although I didn't hear it mentioned much this year, a few media pundits mentioned the "C" word: choke. Maybe you, like me, can relate to the experience I'm talking about, certainly on a salesperson level: Choking. Clutching up. Losing it. Going blank. The wheels falling off. A train wreck. Verbal and mental gridlock. Performance paralysis. Whatever descriptive term you choose, I'm talking about collapsing under pressure.

Greg Norman, arguably the best golfer in the world at the time did it at the Masters Tournament in front of 100 million people a few years ago by squandering a huge lead. Jeff, perhaps in the cubicle down the row from you, did it with the prospect who would have represented two month's worth of quota.

How To Prevent Collapse

So what causes this and how can we prevent it?

Jack Stark, sports psychologist for the University of Nebraska football team, in an interview with the "Omaha World-Herald," said that activities such as golf, place kicking, free-throw shooting, job interviews (and let me add, sales calls) that require a burst of activity after down time are fertile breeding grounds for negative thoughts that can cause a polished pro to turn into a Jello-legged babbling Elmer Fudd.

Self-destructive thoughts ("Please don't hit it into the water, again, dummy," "I hope I don't say something stupid.") cause an adrenaline rush, according to Stark, that result in 1,200 chemical changes in one-tenth of a second. He says these changes inhibit our finer thinking and natural motor activity. That means instead of just doing what we're otherwise capable of expertly and repeatedly in a role play situation, or when no one is watching at the driving range, we lose it when it counts.

Focus To Avoid Choking

So what should we do to avoid turning into Gumby when faced with money situations? Stark teaches players a system that also works in any life circumstance. He calls it FOCUS, an acronym to help remember the steps.

• Forget. Start with a blank sheet. The past doesn't exist. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT let negative images or thoughts enter into your mind.
• Organize. Get your notes, product info, whatever you need in front of you. Position your body properly.
• Concentrate. Visualize the call in a positive light. See the ideal call. Hear the words being spoken--by you and the customer-as you want them to occur. Matt Oechsli, author of the "Inner Game of Selling," suggests using affirmations in the present tense:

"I sell huge accounts," instead of future or wishful thinking:

"I will sell this big account."

And as King Soloman said, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

• Unwind. Take a slow, deep breath. Loosen your shoulders.
• Shoot. Dial the phone. Place the call. Don't worry about how you're going to succeed. Let it happen. Thinking about how it will happen at this point is sure to throw you off. A long-jumper doesn't think about his jump when he's in the middle of it. He's thinking about the other side, the result.

The next time you're faced with a situation that raises your anxiety level, practice these ideas and you'll perform at the high level you're capable of.