Mindset Matters

In a world full of athletes that curse, overreact, and melt down in competition, it feels more and more like the ability to handle adversity or a loss is a super power. One's ability to control his thoughts and his reactions, just may be the most efficient way to become great.

According to a study from Bellevue University in Nebraska, men give nicknames as a way of being affectionate without compromising masculinity. So, in other words, men can keep their man card by affectionately giving nicknames to other men.

We can literally turn any loss into a win by focusing on the bravery and the courage of the moment. Good parents, good coaches, and good leaders know this secret: If you place value on the bravery and the courage that it took to play under pressure, they will be more likely to do it again, and again, and again. And more times than not, fortune favors the brave and the courageous.

Be like field corn. Get up today and grow where you're planted. You don't need anyone's permission to be great. And you certainly don't have to wait for someone to bestow the title of greatness on you before you can perform. Just go and do it. Do it today. Do it for you. Do it for the sake of being great.

So what can we learn from a robbery, a pandemic, and an effort to get better? There are a few things we can learn. 1) The great one's have a plan. They don't have a “sorta”plan, they don't have a “maybe” plan, and they certainly don't have no plan. What is your plan? Every great individual, every great team, and every great organization that I know will go through some sort of adversity this year. And they have a plan for it. Many teams even have things written down for when things get emotional. Things like, who will shoot the penalty kick. Will we go for two points or not? Or, what is our game plan if we are up in the game with 4 minutes to go?

To heal faster use these 4 tools. 1) Take personal responsibility for your healing. 2) Use Creative Imagery 3) Have a great team around you. 4) Use positivity and optimism to your benefit.

3 ways to combat the Covid-19 Blues 1--Routines, win the morning! Win the evening (gratitude journal) 2--Be intentional and deliberate with the shows you watch, the items you put your energy into. 3--Noting. Using a psychological technique called noting to help you though some difficult times.

Sleep is the easiest way to increase performance in the short term. How much sleep do you get each night? How much do you think you should get? Listen to this episode for further insight.

You've heard of growth mindset and fixed mindset. But do you know how to cultivate it? Listen to this podcast for tips on how to develop your Growth mindset.

What if? Why? These two phrases are negative in nature. How do we change our language to reflect a positive attitude? This episode can help.

Perfectionism vs Healthy Striving. Do you know the difference? The great one's do.

Self Care is key to our success. As I am observing the NBA playoffs today, it seems that these guys are doing a great job of taking care of themselves mentally over the course of these 8 games plus the playoffs. What could you do to make your "bubble" experience better? The following episode offers tips to improve your mental and physical health

Change the phrase, "I'm so nervous" to "This is exciting!" Change the phrase "what if?" to "even if." Change the phrase "Why?" to the phrase "Why not?"

Self-deception, awareness, cognitive dissonance. In this episode we discuss how important it is to see things for what they are.

What is your desired outcome? What is your process to get there? The great one's understand that the daily processes are more important than the daily outcomes. Be hyper focused on your process and the outcomes will take care of themselves. Champions act like champions long before they are champions.

What are you doing to produce? Production is about putting in the work. You can read all the books you want. You can listen to all the podcasts you want. But if you want to be good, you need to produce. What could you do to be more productive today?

What's your plan? Do you know? I have people ask me all the time what the biggest mistake people make in the mental game is...and i almost always respond that it's when people don't have a plan. All the great one's face adversity at one point or another, and they are fantastic at having a plan for when adversity hits.

Are you getting sucked into the drama triangle? Do you have friends that play the victim, the rescuer, or the prosecutor on a constant basis? Draw clear and strong boundaries. When needed, let your dramatic friends go. It is important to clear the noise when you are trying to perform at the highest level possible.

Not all of your thoughts are true. Be aware of the false mental chatter that sometimes take control of you. Ask yourself 3 questions about your thoughts. 1) Where did this thought come from? 2) Is it true? 3) How is it working for me. If any of those questions are problematic, throw out the mental chatter, right now!

Start. Start today. Start with your hands trembling. Start with your heart beating through your chest. Start with your hands sweating. Please, just start. The is joy and happiness and success at the end of this road, all you have to do is start.

Coach Wells was kind enough to stop by for an interview on Mindset, Mental Toughness, and Resiliency. His insight was thoughtful, powerful, and impactful. Thank you for stopping by...

Great interview with a national championship coach!

Great interview with a great coach!

Fascinating interview with a great Track and Field Coach!

A fantastic interview with my former teammate and friend, Ricky Brumfield. I can't wait for you to listen!

“2 aspects of leadership. You’ve got to build trust & get results. If you are not clear about what you are after it can be confusing...It takes clarity, accountability, & support.” —Morgan Scalley

“This game, whether we played in high school, college, or in the pros…it teaches all of us what we can do what we THOUGHT we couldn’t do.” —Jesse Sapolu

Is it hard to establish culture? “Culture is only hard to establish when you deviate from it.” –Derek Jones

“If you don’t make it your freshman or sophomore year, the worst thing you can do is quit. You just gotta work harder. “ –Jon Judkins

“It’s the story of cows & buffaloes. When a storm come a cow runs away from a storm. A buffalo always runs into the storm...we’ve got to be like the buffaloes & lean into the storm.” –Randy Rahe

Have players changed? “Yes. I approach things differently. D1 kids have such high expectations. Some are less willing to work & wait for the reward or results. Sometimes that can be challenging.” –Lance Anderson

On Mental Toughness: “Doing what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it. To be mentally tough I gotta go to work and get things done.” –Jay Hill

“You never know who’s watching. Every day is a job interview. Always be at your best. You never know who’s watching. You learn a lot about being a pro through sport.” –Barret Peery

“I talk athletes about thinking through all different scenarios & how to handle it. We try & help them mentally prepare for things so they don’t make split second decisions that may be incorrect.” Paul Pilkington

“We want to show players in our program what mental toughness is. Put them in and show them situations where they can be and are mentally tough.” –Paul Peterson

Mental Toughness: “To be able to stay consistent in effort throughout adversity. Sometimes coaches focus too much on outcome, and not enough on process.” –Jeremiah Larsen

“Intended or not, there is a culture in some college football programs that you can’t have fun. It’s based in fear. It’s unfortunate. I don’t think there’s any truth to it at all.” –Fesi Sitake

“I always wanted to win. I was willing to do the work. I had a cold, & had a decent meet. I told myself, ‘that was a PR for having a cold.’ Always feeling successful was a key.” —Tiffany Hogan

“In my opinion, these are the smartest group of players we’ve ever had. They need to know ‘why’ we’re doing this. If you don’t have that solidified in your mind, athletes can smell that pretty quick.” 2020 Mindset Leadership

“Being able to do your best in difficult circumstances. Being able to bring the best out of your talent when things are hard. Find a way to contribute & get the best out of the moment.” – @ErlingScott

“You can control your focus & effort & where you put energy. I was surrounded by Hall of Famers like Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt. You can overload yourself comparing yourself to others.” @KevinCurtis80

Episode #184 Interview with Roeland Brateanu, Head Coach, University of Utah Men's Tennis. #energy #enthusiasm #NCAA #mindset #mentality #mentaltoughness #sportpsychology #leadership #toughness #tenacity #success #confidence

Check out this interview with one of the best skiing coaches in the country. He has coached numerous world cup and olympic skiers. We know you are going to love it!

Another great interview with another great coach! Listen in for great insights from Coach Mary Kay Amicone!

Take a listen, Coach Canales will have you inspired and ready to play

This interview with Coach Velaida Harris of Weber State University is one of my all-time favorites. She speaks to so many important things about the mindset of an athlete. We are excited to watch her future success.

Use words like Brave and Courageous this week when you describe any failure of your own or someone else’s. For every time you fell short, notice how it was brave or courageous. Remind yourself that it takes guts to do what you did. Be authentic. Whatever your field, whatever your endeavor, whatever your career… do the best you can with what you have. Write a book, start a podcast, write an article, run a marathon, compete in a triathlon, or apply for the job that is way out of your league. Start today. Embrace that you don’t feel good enough.

Take your time as you learn these techniques and trust the process. Not all anxiety and stress needs to be considered a negative experience. A key component to anxiety is understanding it, and harnessing it for your own good. The used today have been proven effective with elite and world class athletes around the world. The key is practice and patience. As you get better at these skills, you will see performance increase, as your anxiety decreases.

Today we will use a visualization of walking into a pantry of mental chatter. We will take our thoughts off of the shelf and examine them, to find out if they are true. Generally asking ourselves three questions can help us determine if we keep a thought or throw it out. Where did that thought come from? Is it true? How is it working for me? If any of these three questions are problematic, throw them out!

A significant way to battle anxiety and stress is to stay in the moment. So often we fly into the future with “what if?” thoughts in the future that cause us anxiety, when really we could substitute thoughts of “even if” to reduce stress. We also seem to fly into the past with thoughts of “woulda, coulda, shoulda” that seems to give us feelings of guilt. The tool we give today is to stay in the moment, accept things as they are. Using questions like NBA (what’s my Next Best Action) or WIN (What’s Important Now?” can help us quit our novice time travel, and focus on the present moment.

In today’s world, may people talk about “controlling the controllables”. However, most of us don’t know what these items are! Today, let’s learn the difference, and learn how to leg go of those things that we can’t control that don’t really matter anyway.