Consistency

How I play has much to do with my state of mind at the moment.  If I am patient and actually trying and seeing the entire board, I do pretty good 

If I am tired, bored and impatient trying stupid stuff without thought, I do pretty poorly.

Great chess players must not go through these ups and downs in state of mind.  They must be rather like a machine.  How do you stay consistent in your mind set?

The very top players must a gift for mental stability. To gain the title and keeping it demonstrates a mental control most people do not possess.

Now that I recognize when I am in a mess around and lose mood...I can just stop playing.

Even when they feel bad, their "autopilot" (their trained thinking process) still carries them to a decent level.