Mindset Matters

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...

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...

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 t...

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 mo...

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.

According to the book “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.” 77% of all self-talk is negative or counterproductive. Wait, what? Did you hear me? It’s true. 3 out of every 4 things you say to yourself are negative or counterproductive? Do you believe me? Why or why not?

We are living in trying times. Never in the history of the world have we seen and had to adjust to something like this. We are jostled, we are uncomfortable, we are a little bit fearful, and we are being forced into some different habits. Let’s make those habits meaningful. Let’s use these habits to make believers out of others. Let’s make our daily routine impactful to ourselves and to others! Yo...

Remember, it’s never as bad as it seems, and it’s never as good as it gets. We want you to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. You got this. Ground yourself. Breathe. We are in this together!

Today let's talk specifically about breathing. We are going to walk through some breathing exercises to help reduce anxiety and stress. As you go throughout today, use 3 deep breaths to help control and manage your difficulties.

Who are the people who inspire you? Do they know that they inspire you? Have you let them know? You should. They will appreciate it, and it will make a difference in your life.

Science continues to show the effects of sleep on all performance. In the journal for pediatric medicine, they have demonstrated that sleep loss has direct correlation on sports injury. It shows that a person who averages 6 hours of sleep per night is almost 4 times as likely to get injured in sport than someone who gets 9 hours of sleep per night! Similarly those who sleep less than 5 hours are 4...

Sometimes the words we use matter. In this article I address counterfeit words that can drag us into a negative mindset.

When you fear. Make sure to think of all the training you have put into your craft. My guess is there have been a lot of lonely nights, some blood, some sweat, some tears, and some triumphs. Let those triumphs and trainings marinate in your mind. Trust those experiences. Have Faith in your abilities. Doubt your doubts. There are good things coming.

The science is clear, without rest and recovery…you are more likely to get fatigued. There is an increase of stress and tension. Overall, you will process things slower. All of these can lead to decreased performance. It can also lead to injury and illness. And we all know that in sport and in the workplace, your best ability is availability. Make sure you know and learn how to rest and recover. I...

You need to pick someone who is further along the path to mentor you. You need to find someone who is behind you on the path to teach and advise, and you need to find an equal to compete with to help you to reach deeper within.

Seek the good. Just like your diet, garbage in the body means garbage out. When you seek and find and put positive things into your mind, the result is going to be better self-talk. The result of better self-talk will be better confidence. The result of better confidence is better outcomes. And when you start seeing better outcomes, your motivation will feed itself.

Add an intention of enthusiasm to everything you do today. If you are working out, put a little more enthusiasm into it. If you are working, put a little more enthusiasm into it. If you are playing, put a little more enthusiasm into it. It will not only change you, it will change those that are around you for good.

In essence, the phrase “go first” allows you to practice being uncomfortable. Getting comfortable being uncomfortable is one of the best ways to build confidence. The phrase “go first” allows you to be authentic, vulnerable, and courageous. Going first causes people to want to follow you and to work with you. The phrase “go first” will allow you to have a positive influence on your teammates, your...

In times of adversity, there are many places to turn. There are quotes, scriptures, and books written about this subject that can be tremendously helpful. Seek them out. Read them. Embrace them. They help. All of them.

God can’t steer a parked car. So start driving. There is help, there is guidance, there are good things to come. Trust your training. Trust your gut. It may be the very thing that keeps your wings from being weighed down with mist and humidity, and the very thing that gets you to where you need to be.

Come home with your sword or on it. In other words, be all in with your actions! Leave nothing for the journey back.

Work hard at being good to yourself with good self talk habits. It can make all the difference.

Here are a few things that I think we can control. Attitude, effort, enthusiasm, nutrition, sleep, preparation, and maybe most importantly, we can control our reaction to our circumstances. We can control our breathing. We can control how we frame our situation. And ultimately, we have control of our gratitude. How cool is that? That’s it. It’s that simple. Control what you can, and let go of the...

Gratitude has a direct correlation to self-confidence. Confidence is directly related to performance. In other words, being grateful can improve performance.