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As part of a high-performing team you want to collaborate, support each other, and be a team player… but in the same breath, you also want to hit your numbers, earn your bonus, and chase down your next promotion.
You try to be ‘positive’ but the projects, responsibilities, and requests keep piling up. And you try to be a team player but the gnawing feeling of your personal goals, results, and targets weigh on your shoulders.
The default approach is to set goals, create priorities lists, and do your best to finesse your way through the company hierarchy.
Unfortunately, this can foster a lack of communication, a self-serving culture, and stressful work environment. We’ve all heard the clichés like ‘suck it up,’ ‘grind it out’ and ‘be a team player’ — which can help you get short-term results.
But, this approach is not sustainable nor optimal. Maybe it’s time to flip our approach. Instead of focusing all of our energy on what we want to achieve, we need to prioritize who we want to be and how we want to show up.
By ‘slowing down’ and gaining clarity on your inner world, you get grounded, centered, and ready to tackle the outer world.
This approach is how you optimize your individual performance as well as maximize your impact as a leader and a team player. It allows you to flip the switch from ‘what can I get from my company?’ To, ‘what can I do for my company today?’
In this insightful and interactive 60 min session, Dr. Cassidy Preston pulls back the curtain and shares the principles and strategies he uses when coaching professional athletes, surgeons, hedge fund managers, and CEO’s to show up at their best day-in and day-out.
You will learn how professional athletes break free from the weight of results, perform when it matters most, and be a team player. You will learn how leaders and CEOs build trust, resolve conflict, and create accountability in high stakes environments.
What about surgeons… Have you ever wondered how they handle the pressures of a life or death surgery? Or how they respond and interact with their team when unforeseen complications and adversities arise? Here’s a clue — they challenge the status quo and think differently about success and failure.
It’s time for you to flip the switch and train your brain like a professional athlete.
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What if worry, frustration, or feeling down are not the problem? Instead, they are symptoms based on your approach to sport and even life.
In our society, the way we talk about emotions is backward. We label ourselves and others as anxious, sad, or frustrated.
That is not who we are—it is what we are feeling, and the distinction matters. When you identify with an emotion, you've got a self-perpetuating problem.
More importantly, it's not true. Emotions are a feedback tool, specifically about your approach to sport and life.
If this resonates with you check out my breakdown of the 2 approaches to sport and life. Please note that this is not a catch all framework as there are surely exceptions and other factors to consider. But I encourage you to try it out and see if it works for you.
The Outside-In Approach
Most people easily get caught up in the “outside-in” approach.
This approach means we're allowing the outside world to affect how we feel on the inside, often identified by highs and lows in emotional states.
Specifically, they'll have charged emotions, such as worry or anxiety, and then go straight to careless and reckless.
Or they may go from deflated and frustrated to elated and thinking they’re untouchable.
In the “outside-in” approach, we oscillate back and forth because we're focused on the outside world first. The thought process around this approach looks like:
What's going on around us?
What are the results?
What do people think?
What's the situation like?
And how does that make me feel on the inside?
The answers to those questions then dictate how you feel on the side. In other words, your mental state becomes dependent on the external world.
This approach is fueled by needing to achieve external results.
Of course, the external goal or intent is to achieve the desired results, but it is a fantasy to think sport or life can be all sunshine and rainbows where everything's positive all the time.
This approach does not create reliable results and it generally makes sports and life way more stressful.
The good news is we can flip our approach.
The Inside-Out Approach
I want you to strive towards an “inside-out” approach.
This approach is about prioritizing who we want to be on the inside first - then we go and tackle the outside world.
Someone with this approach focuses on getting grounded, being intentional, and taking control of the things they have control over.
The thought process for this approach looks like:
Who do I want to be?
How do I want to show up?
What traits or mindset do I want to step into?
Reflecting on these questions helps us slow down so that we can take control of our mindset, attitude, and approach.
This approach isn’t without emotions and feelings.
But the emotions are more grounded and centered - like being in the flow state or having love, gratitude, and enjoyment.
There is some oscillation in these emotions, but they aren’t as emotionally charged and you will generally stay way more even-keeled.
Here are some ways to develop and stick to an “inside-out” approach.
Set Your Intentions
The first step is to set your intention.
This can be something you do every day for the rest of your life.
Take as little as one minute to reflect on how you want to show up at the start of each day. It is in that moment that you look within — taking the “inside-out” approach — and get clarity on who you choose to be.
This sets you to get grounded and centered before you tackle the day.
Reset Routine
Right in line with setting your intentions is building a reset routine.
This routine is about identifying and rehearsing what areas in life you are susceptible to an “outside-in” approach and resetting to an “inside-out” approach.
You can go check out our full video on how to build a reset routine.
Stay Adaptable
Once you develop your intentions and reset routine, the work isn’t over.
It's really important that you adopt a growth mindset that focuses on continued learning, adaptations, and constant evolution. As your landscape changes, you need to constantly refine your approach and set your intentions accordingly.
Final thoughts are to make sure to apply this to both your sport and your life. Make the “inside-out” approach the default way you operate in life and it will not only optimize how you show up and tackle the external world but, more importantly, you will find a lot more meaning along the way.
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Do you feel stuck in your own head, or is your mindset holding you back?
It's normal and okay to get stuck. We can't avoid challenges, pressures, and distractions in sports or life.
But we can learn how to use these events as growing opportunities. Specifically, this post will show you the 3 phases to transform your mindset.
I've been using this concept with many of my one-on-one clients because of the simplicity, clarity, and power it gives them.
The 3 Phases
First - in phase one, things are great.
Then, phase two - things get tough. Adversity, pressure, and expectations build.
Phase three is the product of growth from phase two.
The key is understanding that phase three is actually better than phase one.
The Practical Lessons
Lesson 1 - Don’t Resist Phase 2
When people are in phase two, they wish they could go back to phase one. This is a huge mistake.
It's not about trying to go backward but trying to move forward. Once you get into phase two, you can’t undo it. You can’t pretend like it didn’t happen and go back to phase one.
We can't change what's happened.
Stop resisting phase 2 - you need to go through it to get to phase 3.
When you embrace your journey, you are better able to accept, understand, and move forward into phase 3.
Essentially, this is all about breaking free of the weight of results. Letting go of the need to, have to, and shoulds. It’s where you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. You make the switch from an outside-in approach to life — letting the external world dictate your internal mindset — and move to an inside-out approach where you take control of your inner world first, then once grounded and centered you go and tackle the outer world.
I also refer to this as being Mindset First — it’s the whole premise of my book.
Lesson 2 - Don’t Identify with Phase 2
People fall into the common trap of identifying with a phase 2 mindset.
They may say something like, “I’m always too hard on myself. This is who I am”.
If you choose to identify with phase two, you aren’t going to phase three. There is no solution because your identity is stuck in phase two.
To avoid falling into this trap, I like to help clients reflect on their assumed identities.
For example, “are you really always too hard on yourself? 100% of the time? And who says that you are?”
Then to really hit the point home — “as long as you keep holding on to that belief, there is no moving to phase 3, so the choice is yours if you are going to keep CHOOSING that identity.”
Instead, I encourage them to use the language: “In the past, I was often too hard on myself. I have had a tendency to do so…” This change in narrative ensures they stop identifying with it and gives them the ability to more freely step into a phase 3 mindset.
Lesson 3 - Create Phase 3
The first two lessons help you let go of phase 2, but to seal the deal you want to create a clear phase 3 mindset. This is about being intentional about who you choose to be and how you want to show up.
Then make a stark contrast between phase 2 and 3. By clarifying what each phase looks like for you, the choice to show up in a phase 3 mindset becomes increasingly obvious.
Todd Herman’s alter ego strategy is a great tool to bring the contrasting identities to life.
Separate Mindset from Results
Just because you have a “phase three mindset”, does that mean you’ll get “phase three results”?
The answer is simply no.
Sometimes, you get “phase two results.” That's part of life and part of sport.
If you’re chasing a phase three mindset for phase three results, that means you don’t have a phase 3 mindset.
The phase 3 results will come, but you need to ruthlessly follow the practical lessons above and lock in your phase 3 mindset first.
And once the results do come, expect new adversities to arise. As they do, stick to the process, stay in a phase 3 mindset, and make adjustments along the way.
I hope you have found this helpful. I love using this framework with clients. It helps break down what we are working on and how we are working on it. It’s both simple and powerful.
And once they get it and start applying the lessons — they get results.
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Winning versus enjoyment: what matters more?
The tension between the two is one that many high performers struggle with. I got this question recently, and the person said, “it's not just about winning - but it's ultimately all about winning.”
This conundrum can create a lot of inner conflict without the mental model to resolve it.
You can be left oscillating between an unhealthy win-at-all-costs mentality that leaves you frustrated and consumed with the results. Or on the other end, you lose the competitive fire needed to perform at your best.
I share the mental models to resolve this age-old conundrum in this recent vid. I’ll briefly walk you through three concepts below (make sure to watch the video for more details and diagrams):
1) Internal Experience vs External Results
Comparing enjoyment versus winning is comparing an internal experience (e.g., enjoyment) versus the external result (e.g., winning, stats, etc.). They are not dependent on each other; the goal is to have both. They are very different, and we want to treat them differently.
This is why that question of enjoyment versus winning can inherently just be misleading. Nonetheless, the goal is to help you process and decide your priorities.
2) Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
The mistake athletes and high performers make as they climb the ranks is to confuse their external goals and results for why they play. You can have intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, but the best athletes in the world stay connected to their intrinsic drivers.
3) Choose Your Priority
You have to choose what your priority is. What is the number one thing?
Most people make the mistake of prioritizing their achievements (e.g., what I want to have, what I want to achieve, the results of the winning) and only focus on who they will be in the experience (e.g., play with confidence) to get those results. The paradox is this makes their mindset worse and less likely to achieve the results.
But when you flip the priorities, when you focus first on who you want to be, how you want to show up - aka Mindset First — that’s when you get clarity, that's when the actions flow and the results, well, they're not guaranteed, but the probability is now going to go up.
And the best part is you're more likely to enjoy the whole experience and the journey.
Who Do You Choose To Be?
There's an important point to clarify here. When you focus on who you're being (your mindset) and the enjoyment in that, you're not sacrificing competitive fire or killer instinct.
You're often heightening it because you intentionally choose to be in attack mode. By playing with more patience and aggressiveness, you will have more poise
The Big Trap
Most people will focus on their mindset because that will lead to better results.
But this is the big trap - you are prioritizing the results again.
Instead, I want you to prioritize the process for the sake of itself. This is where enjoyment comes from because enjoyment is not just dependent on results.
It is about who you are, the process, the game itself, and the experience. That is what evokes enjoyment.
This is a lot easier said than done. The results are everywhere - stats, social media, standings, cultural norms. People are talking and obsessing about results.
But when you can prioritize the process over the results - that's what I call the realm of the super-elite.
Make sure to watch the full video for more details and diagrams.
Please share this with anyone you think would be interested.
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For most athletes, traditional goal setting is holding them back. Yes you read that right.
Goal setting itself is not the problem.
The problem is being obsessed with results.
You can want and care about results, but the best athletes in the world are more obsessed with the process than results. This can be easier said than done.
I learned how big of a problem this is first hand. As a junior hockey player, I obsessed about points and my spot in the lineup.
The more I obsessed about results, the harder it was to achieve my goals. It was infuriating to want something so bad and work so hard, but when it was time to perform, I was in my own head, forcing plays, and underachieving.
I eventually realized I needed to let go of the results and prioritize my mental game.
Symptom vs Root Problem
What I didn’t understand, and most athletes don’t understand. is the difference between a symptom and the root problem.
The symptom you might be experiencing could be:
Overthinking Lack of confidence
Performance anxiety
Choking under pressure
Afraid to make mistakes
Worrying about what other people think
But the key to resolving the symptom is to clear your mental blocks.
Also known as getting to the root of the problem. And based on the thousands of mindset assessments we have conducted, it is unanimous that the most common and biggest root problem is an obsession with results.
The Process vs Results
Paradox Clearing this mental block, aka The Results Trap, can be challenging for numerous reasons.
First of which is the overuse of traditional goal setting that perpetuates this trap.
Second, is the Process vs Results Paradox - where by letting go of results and obsessing about the process, you will achieve greater results.
This presents a unique problem - if you try to let go of results so you can achieve results, then you have not let go of the results.
So you need a different reason to let go of the results, and I’m going to share that with you right now.
Here are the 3 steps to stop obsessing about results and start enjoying the journey.
STEP 1: Separate Your Goals from Your Why
The mistake most people make is they think the main reason they do something is to achieve the goals they have set.
Although there is ‘some’ truth to this, it will leave you in the results trap and it is not the full truth.
Although not all athletes are getting paid to play, the shiny objects of praise and results are what distract them as they climb the ranks.
You can have the goals and intentions to achieve certain results, but don’t confuse this for why you started playing your sport in the first place.
STEP 2: Intentionally Set Your Priorities
Now that you understand the difference between your why and your goals, you need to keep your why and your mindset your top priority.
Be ready for the sport structure and the people around to pull you back towards results as the top priority.
You will need to intentionally fight against this. All of the strategies we teach athletes will help, but one in particular is the personal scorecard.
When an athlete finally gets this and can consistently keep their mindset the top priority, then they can truly start to enjoy the journey.
STEP 3: Learn to Enjoy the Journey
One of the most common clichés in sports is Have Fun.
The problem is most athletes are not having fun - mainly because they are still stuck in the results trap.
When you are in the results trap all the fun is tied to achieving results.
But ALL the fun should not be tied to the destination. Rather, the majority of the enjoyment in sport is the journey.
This is why we say - the biggest benefit to mental training is not helping you achieve Consistent Elite Performance, but rather, enjoying the journey.
Instead of framing enjoyment as something you experience, we want to frame it as something you can learn to do.
I hope you found this helpful.
Please share this with anyone you think might benefit from this episode.
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If you want a sure fire way to quickly transform your mental game - you need to develop a personalized Alter Ego.
This strategy is not about putting fixed labels on who you are as a person.
Rather it is about creating a narrative about how you want to show up on the field of play.
The Power of Simplicity and CreativityCredit to my coach and mentor Todd Herman for writing the book: The Alter Ego Effect and helping bring more simplicity and creativity to the mental game.
Unfortunately most sport psychology strategies are:
Dry Boring OvercomplicatedAs an athlete you don’t want to be out on the field of play trying to remember to use positive self talk, thought stopping, breathing exercises and re-framing situations.
These strategies won’t get you repeatable and reliable results, instead they just give you more things to think about, when what you need to do is think less.
You want to keep it simple and just play your game.
Therefore, you need practical and personalized strategies that work for you.
That’s exactly what you get in our 1-2 punch of the Reset Routine and Alter Ego.
Here are the 3 steps to creating a personalized Alter Ego:
STEP 1: Develop a ContrastThink of the Alter Ego strategy as creating two contrasting narratives.
On one side you have your worst self, your shadow self, or your comfortable self. This is the self that holds you back, that plays safe, and that worries about what other people think.
On the other side you have your heroic self, your best self, or your courageous self. This is the self that embraces the moment, that is confident in their capabilities, and attacks the game.
STEP 2: Be CreativeThe quickest way to get started is to think of your favorite superhero. If you don’t have one, then think of someone that inspires you - it could be a relative, famous athlete, public figure, or tv show character etc.
You might even have two or more people you lean on to help create your Alter Ego. The more creative and playful you are in this process - the better.
The person or people you pick should represent the traits you identified in step 1.
For example a hockey goalie that resonates with Batman could see the overlap as such:
Before the game/the battle - he is calm and collected
Taking shots against/in the fight - he is agile and trusts himself
After adversity/gets knocked down - he gets back up
STEP 3: Map It OutThe last step in creating your personalized Alter Ego is literally drawing it out on a map.
This step is crucial to simplifying your Alter Ego. You want to be able to boil it down so it is easy to understand yet still holds a powerful narrative that clicks for you.
Drawing it out on a map helps add another layer of tangibility to the process.
You can see clearly how you want to show up in the various key moments of impact on your field of play. You can color code it and use it as a cheat sheet summary of your Alter Ego.
The goal here is to keep it simple - it should not be over complicated or have too many words.
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Noah Cavanaugh is a professional soccer player from Seattle, WA, who currently plays for Flower City Union in New York. Over the past year, he's worked with Dr. Cassidy Preston to help give him a mental edge on and off the pitch as he continues to push up the ranks of pro soccer in the US.
In this interview Noah discusses how he has personalized his mental game to work for him. He touches on the challenges he has had to overcome as a professional soccer player - some of the key takeaways include:
The reciprocal nature of focusing on the process and staying centered Developing a 'me vs me' mentality and the use of his personal scorecard Taking a playful approach to the mental game and staying adaptable throughout a season Staying even keel through the ups and downs by letting go of the fantasies and nightmares Enjoying the game for the sake of itself and improving his mood after games regardless of his performance
Make sure to listen to the whole interview as there are a lot of other great takeaways and insights on how he has been able to win the mental game.
Along with his soccer career, he runs a YouTube channel where he shares his experience as a pro, tactical and technical tips, and boot reviews - check out those links here:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/noahcavanaugh
Website: www.noahcavanaugh.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noah.cavanaugh/?hl=en -
The ability to block out the ‘noise’ is key to having a clear mind and playing free.
But this is easier said than done - many athletes have trouble blocking out the ‘noise’ and end up:
Overthinking
Doubting their abilities
Worrying about things out of their control When you lack alignment within your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you end up losing the ability to play in the flow state.
The best strategy to clear and block out the noise is a Reset Routine.
The magic is not in the routine itself, but in what the routine represents.
Here are the ABC’s to creating an effective and personalized Reset Routine:
STEP 1: Accept
Most athletes get caught in the ‘need to, have to, and shoulds’ of performance - this leaves them:
Feeling the burden of expectations
Distracted by the results that are not in their control
Primed to be frustrated if they fall short of their expectations
The key to letting go of this noise is acceptance, but the problem is our society thinks acceptance is a weakness.
However, if properly understood and effectively used it is one of the most powerful tools to getting centered, grounded, and becoming the hero of your own story.
That is why this step is the most important - without it your Reset Routine will not be effective or reliable.
The Pink Elephant and the Bubble
One of the analogies we like to use is the pink elephant and the bubble.
If I say “don’t think of a pink elephant.” What do you think of?
A pink elephant…
This is not an effective strategy, yet that is exactly what most advice is for athletes:
Don’t worry about it
Forget about it
Be positive
These might be the results we want but they do not tell us how to get those results.
Think of your focus and awareness as a bubble, and what we want is to have a clear bubble - where you are dialed into the process.
But the problem is pink elephants show up - aka distracting thoughts and feelings.
The solution is to go to them, to understand them, to embrace them, to accept them.
By doing this the pink elephant is not necessarily gone forever, but it will move outside your mental bubble, and your mind will become clear and free.
Finding Your Pink Elephants
The hardest part of acceptance is knowing what to accept.
There are two common problems:
The pink elephant is in your blind spot: You can feel it but have a hard time seeing it and understanding it - which therefore makes it hard to accept and clear.
A lack of perspective: When you are too zoomed in on the situation, you often have a hard time seeing the bigger picture. It’s like only seeing part of the pink elephant, but you can’t clear it unless you can see and understand the whole thing.
This is a skill that takes a lot of practice. You use it every day so that you can continuously get better at clearing the noise.
STEP 2: Breathe
There are a vast amount of strategies on the importance of using your breath to help you get relaxed, calm and centered.
“An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body.” Dr. Edmund J. Bourne, Clinical Psychologist
Regardless of what strategy you use - breathing is a fundamental strategy for managing your physical and mental state.
STEP 3: Commit
Steps 1 and 2 will help you clear the noise and get centered, but the last piece of the puzzle is to direct your attention back to the task at hand.
If you don’t commit to the process you might end up letting another pink elephant get back into your bubble.
So in this step we often have the athlete close their eyes for a brief moment (if applicable) and imagine how they want to show up in the next play.
It is not just what they want to do, but how they want to feel while they do it.
Setting a clear intention of how you want to move forward helps activate the best version of yourself.
This is also a great time to use a totem.
A totem comes from Todd Herman’s Alter Ego work - which is about creating a personalized narrative that clicks for you.
The totem is then something tangible that you can touch, hold, or wear, and use to help associate that narrative. It’s a really powerful way to finish a Reset Routine.
Now remember the routine and the actions are not what make it work - the ability to accept is the key.
So if your routine is not working well - the solution is often about doing a better job of finding your pink elephants, getting to the root of the noise, and fully embracing it.
Make it a tangible routine that should only take about 10-15 seconds.
You can make variations that are shorter or longer.
The bottom line is you need to personalize it and find what works for you.
I hope you found this helpful. Please share this with anyone you think could benefit.
If you are interested in getting one of our Mental Performance Coaches to help you build your Reset Routine - visit www.cepmindset.com to get started.
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Confidence is arguably the most important ingredient in succeeding as an athlete, but athletes often struggle to find and keep this elusive trait.
The problem lies in that they have a skewed understanding of what confidence actually is and where it comes from.
Here are the 4 main reasons why athletes struggle with self-confidence:
Yo-Yo Confidence: Tying their self-image to external results or praise
Imposter Syndrome: Believing they are not worthy and/or don’t belong
Victim Mentality: Blaming others and not taking responsibility
Stop Focusing on Confidence Own Your Capabilities Build Momentum
Negativity Bias: Constantly beating yourself up and overly focusing on the negatives
However, you can overcome these limiting beliefs by following these 3 steps to play with confidence:
Step 1: Stop Focusing on Confidence
Telling yourself that you have a confidence problem is one of the most common reasons athletes continuously struggle with confidence. If you reframe it as a problem with owning your capabilities the solution becomes much more attainable.
Instead of relying on external results and praise to give you confidence, make the shift to focusing on what you can control - putting in the work and owning your capabilities. This is the difference between yo-yo confidence and having a stable self-image.
True confidence is about owning your capabilities, but the word confidence is tainted. It’s associated with external results and praise. So an easy first step is to just stop using the word and shift your focus to owning your capabilities.
Step 2: Own Your Capabilities
Owning your capabilities can be easier said than done. Often, athletes struggle to do this because they are too hard on themselves. So this step is about making the choice to start owning your greatness and stop
downplaying yourself.
If you believe that you are just the type of person that 'always beats yourself up' then STOP that narrative. You may have operated this way for a while, but you don’t have to keep it going. You have the power to change your inner narrative.
Healthy comparison can be used with a top teammate or competitor to get an accurate self-image. Compare yourself based on your capabilities when you are playing free, not based on results. The bottom line is if you have put in the work then your job is to own it.
Don’t let yourself have any excuses. It might be uncomfortable - that’s because you are not used to it. So try it out for a few days and you will feel the shift in how you carry yourself. Then soon enough owning your capabilities will become your new norm.
Step 3: Build Momentum
The first two steps are the 1-2 punch you need to play with confidence, but building momentum is the key for consistent confidence. Every game and every shift is the opportunity to build momentum for yourself, for your team, and for your confidence.
Unfortunately, most athletes rely on EXTERNAL factors like their teammates, coaches, or luck to give them momentum. Don’t hope you gain momentum, instead choose to be the spark plug and attack each game and each shift as a momentum builder.
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In summary follow these 3 steps to play with confidence:
If you found this helpful be sure to follow us (subscribe, join newsletter, etc.) for more tips on how to win the mental game.
If you know anyone that would benefit from this episode - we encourage you to share it with them. -
The outline of my first book is complete - check out the caption below to see the outline!
I’ve gained some great insights while starting the writing process - you can find those in the summary below.
The working title is - Play with Confidence: A New Way for Athletes to Mentally Prepare
The purpose of the book is to challenge the status quo on mental preparation and question the ‘accepted’ ways of thinking about confidence. It will debunk the fluffy clichés, cookie-cutter strategies, and ‘old-school’ beliefs entrenched in the sport culture.
If you dare to be different and embrace the new ways of thinking, then you will play with confidence, enjoy the journey and achieve Consistent Elite Performance.
Let me know which chapter you are looking forward to the most:
1) Challenge the Status Quo & Dare to Be Different
2) Stop Yo-Yo Confidence
3) Build Momentum & Snowball Confidence
4) Self-Talk: Name It to Tame It
5) Create a Confident Identity - aka an Alter Ego 6) Block out the Noise - Reset Routine
7) Redefine Success & Develop Your Personal Scorecard
8) Game Day Mental Preparation Routines
9) Specific Problems & Solutions
10) Tweak & Refine for Long-Term Success
What’s funny is that writing a book about high-performance takes being a high-performer - so I’ve had to personally apply the principles in the book as I’ve undertaken this new challenge.
One main adjustment for me has been that this is not a week-long project - just like being an elite athlete - writing a book is more like a marathon than a sprint.
The balance of patience and dedication has been important to overcome the moments of struggle when I question if I will ever get it done. I’ve also had to battle my own demons about “will this book be any good?” But, trying to predict how many people will read it and find it helpful is not my job.
My intent is to have a lot of people read it and for it to have a significant impact - as such, I’ll be diligent and strategic in how I write. I will also surround myself with allies to help optimize the book and the subsequent distribution process.
Whether I sell 100 or a million copies is not the point. That is a result and my job is to focus on what I can control. If I put my heart into it and give my best effort (which I will) whatever the result will be - I can live with it. It’s just a result and form of feedback.
What matters most is doing something I believe is meaningful. And because this book is meaningful to me that is the WHY I am putting my heart into it and giving my best effort. Likewise, elite athletes need to stop worrying about results and predicting the outcomes. The paradox of it all is that athletes optimize their results when they focus on what they can control and stay connected to their intrinsic WHY - which is often some form of the love of the game that gives them meaning!
That’s all for now - again I’d love to hear what chapter you are looking forward to the most.
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Performance anxiety is one the leading reasons athletes struggle to consistently perform at their capabilities.
Learning how to channel your nerves is key to performing at your best when it matters most. Unfortunately most athletes focus on the threats of high-pressure situations.
Pressure can Provoke a State of Fear
As a result the pressure provokes a fear state that leaves the athlete tense, overthinking, and underperforming. Here are 3 other common reasons athletes don’t perform under pressure:
Zoomed In on the Context
Overly focused on the context and making the results seem more important than they are is a sure fire way to feel the burden of the results weigh heavily on your mind.
Survive Over Thrive
Are you focused on not screwing up or are you focused on going out there and having an impact? This is the difference between a fear mindset vs attack mindset.
Need To, Have To, Should Mindset
Creating an unhealthy relationship with your desired results often leads to a decrease in performance. The sport culture perpetuates this language with coaches often saying “this is a must win game” but this narrative often provokes the fear state.
The good news is you can overcome these limiting mindsets by following the 3 steps below - as a result you will be able to perform at your best when it matters most.
Step 1: Plan to Cope
Coping planning is essential to stress management for all areas of life. And it works particularly well for handling high pressure situations. In short - Planning to Cope is simply what it means. You are planning for how you will respond (cope) when a stressor (pressure) is presented. It is like studying for a test - it works way better when you study before the test - not trying to figure it out in the thick of it.
Step 2: Mental Rehearsal
Most athletes think imagery and mental preparation is only for focusing on what you want to do and being positive. But one of the best benefits of imagery is to mentally rehearse how you plan to cope with stressors.
By mentally rehearsing how you are going to respond to a pressure situation makes you way more likely to respond that way.
So not only do you want to study and clarify how you want to respond then you want to hammer that into your brain.
Repetition is the mother of learning!
Step 3: Measure Your Progress
By getting steps 1 and 2 down pat you are well on your way to start performing at your best when it matters most. This step helps lock it in and ensure you really hone your ability to perform under pressure. Here is example of what this looks like:
1. Identify What to Measure: E.g., I want to zoom out, feel relaxed, ready and excited before performances.
2. Track Your Progress: Reflect on that number after each game and see it go up!
3. Adjust & Learn: When the number dips or when it stops rising, reflect on what is holding you back and refer back to Step 1 - find which coping planning strategy will help the most. This also could be a key time to getting a mental performance coach to be a third party and help you improve faster and more effectively.
I hope you found this helpful. Let us know if you have any questions. If you know anyone that could benefit from this podcast - please share it with them.
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Getting injured is one of the biggest challenges in sport.
So having the mental strategies to overcome this adversity will help you:
● Stay motivated despite not being able to play or train within the sport you love.
● Have the resilience & grit to persevere through the recovery process.
● Remain confident in your abilities and trust yourself as you return to play.
● Focus on being a great teammate and becoming a better leader as you look to contribute to the team in other ways.
Strategy 1: Reflect On Your Mindset Daily
It is so easy to get caught up on what you can’t do and all the things not going your way. So you want to focus on what you can do – mental training, being a leader, rehab, catch up on other areas of life. Then you need to reflect on how well you are focusing on what you can do and making the most out of it versus being negative – blaming, complaining, and focus on what I can’t do. This is not about being positive – that won’t work. Instead, it is about staying centred or neutral.
Step 2: ‘Scuba Dive’ to Make Progress
The hardest part of being injured is watching everyone else continue to train and compete. Playing your sport is like surfing, but when injured, you are not able to surf – so you are just stuck in the ocean taking waves to the face. It sucks and it is overwhelming. So the solution is not to swim away, but actually to put on your scuba gear, stay close by, and keep making progress under the water.
Strategy 3: Find New Ways to Contribute – aka Be a Leader
If you apply the first two strategies, you are already getting into a better mental state and will be primed to step into being a leader.
This strategy has two major benefits: Here are a few key ways you can continue to contribute to the team without being able to play:
Provide 1-on-1 Encouragement: Think about which teammates are struggling or could benefit from a helpful reminder to trust their capabilities or that they can get the next play.
Be a Beacon of Light: Bring upbeat energy, keep it light and have some fun – although you are not playing you are still affecting the culture of the team with both your body language, what you say, and how you say it.
Coach Individuals or the Team: I don’t mean to replace the coaching staff but instead focus on how you can give feedback that helps athletes keep learning and growing.
I encourage you to share this with anyone that is dealing with an injury – I’ve experienced the mental struggle myself as an athlete, and we see it daily with the athletes that come work with us at CEP Mindset – so if this video can help a few more athletes out there – then that is a win – so thanks for sharing.
If you are injured and/or want some 1-on-1 Mental Performance coaching then click link below to learn more.
https://cepmindset.com/
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You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint – and in the same manner you shouldn’t work on your mental game without doing an assessment.
Here are the 3 steps to using the CEP Assessment to build your Mental Game blueprint:
STEP 1: Identify the Mental Skills to Build One of the biggest problems with working on your mental game is that it’s hard to make tangible progress - so in our assessment we break it down into 7 Mental Skills to make it clear what you are working on.
We assess each skill by reflecting on the percentage of time and energy you spend in that state compared to when you are not.
STEP 2: Clarify the Mental Blocks to Clear This step is where we uncover any limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. By pinpointing the mental blocks to clear you can improve your mental game much more quickly.
STEP 3: Personalize the Mental Tools Accordingly Now that you a good foundation set for your blueprint - the last step is to bring in the fundamental tools and personalize them accordingly.
This is where you start to take action and bridge concepts to strategies. You need to embrace the creative process and find what works for you.
If you are ready build your mental game with your own personalized blueprint - then click here to get started now: https://cepmindset.com/book-now/
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As an elite athlete, you have put in a ton of hard work to develop your capabilities, but until you develop a rock solid mental game, you won’t perform consistently when it matters most.
You have probably tried the fluffy and cookie-cutter advice perpetuated by sport culture:
- Be Positive
- Forget about it
- Don’t worry about it
It is easy to promote these fluffy and cookie-cutter hacks. But when you build your mental game by patching together all these quick fixes - it’s like building a house out of straw - it is not sustainable and will fall apart in the face of adversity and pressure.
Instead, you need to build your mental game - like you would a brick house - out of practical & personalized strategies that deliver reliable and repeatable results.
Listen to this podcast for our 3 Step System to Win the Mental Game - aka how to build your brick house:
1. Blueprint Breakdown
what you are working on and identify your top priorities
2. Personalize Tools
Build your brick house with practical tools that are personalized for you
3. Upkeep & Upgrades
It’s a never-ending process of adapting, refining, and doing the work - there are no quick fixes
It is the system that has helped 10,000’s of elite athletes and high performers get into the zone and achieve Consistent Elite Performance.
If you are interested in building your brick house quickly and effectively, then you may be a good fit for our 1-on-1 coaching programs.
The first step is to get on the phone with our admin team.
Click the link below to get started: https://cepmindset.com/book-now/
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Imagine someone on a dock, they are hesitating to jump in.
They are worried that it is too cold, so they dip their toe in.
The even jump in, but they get right back out.
This person is not swimming and certainly not enjoying themselves.
Alternatively, what you want to do is get on the dock, run full speed, jump in, and enjoy swimming.
This is a relatable analogy that I use to simplify the mental game.
Instead of being the person that is hesitating and has a head full of inner conflict, you want to clear the noise and ‘jump’ into the zone.
You either do it or you don’t.
The challenge of being on the dock is there can a lot of inner chatter - including:
Self-doubt Overthinking Worrying about what others think Holding on to the past, or Worrying about the futureThe bottom line is if you lack alignment within your thoughts, feelings, and actions, you end up losing the ability to just be in the flow.
So here are 3 steps to align your thoughts, feeling, and actions, so that you can ‘jump’ into the zone and achieve Consistent Elite Performance.
STEP 1: Name the Noise
The key here is becoming more aware of your inner dialog. The negative self-talk or inner noise that holds us back is most commonly related to:
Results Challenges What Others ThinkOnce you get better at naming the noise, then you also want to measure it. This gives you a baseline to work from.
STEP 2: Prepare to Jump
Acceptance is the fundamental concept to getting centred and clearing the noise.
Accept that you might lose.
Accept that you might get uncomfortable.
Accept that you might not be liked by everyone.
It is a willingness problem, but when you truly get perspective and accept the range of results you optimize the probability to achieve the intended results.
The four fundamental tools our athletes use to prepare to jump include:
Unique Alter Ego 10 Second Reset Routine Personalized Mental Scorecard Imagery with Coping Planning for AdversitySTEP 3: Jump into the Water
This analogy boils down to being aware, then choosing to jump in.
You can feel the difference.
When you are stuck on the dock you have an internal conflict between your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
But when you jump in the water you can feel the alignment. You are in a mental state that is:
Connected to the love the game Appreciates the opportunity to grow Prepared for the ups and downs of competitionYou are fully in the water.
If you have any questions, want 1-on-1 coaching to help you ‘jump’ into the water, or you are interested in mental performance coaching program visit www.cepmindset.com
Remember to like, subscribe, and share!
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Elite performance comes from being fully immersed in process; It’s what we call being in the moment, dialed in, or in the zone.
But the challenge is that the external scoreboards of sport and life can consume our focus and distract our attention from the process.
We all know the cliché, “focus on what you can control,” but the problem is that it is a lot easier said than done.
In fact, the root cause for most mental blocks stems from getting caught up in society’s definition of success – the external scoreboards.
For example:
Struggle with confidence? Then you probably tie your confidence to results. Get nervous & tense? Then you are probably worried about results. Struggle with resilience? Then you probably beat yourself up after negative results.To make matters worse, it’s hard to escape the external scoreboards. There are literally massive signs with bright lights in your face all game.
Follow these 3 steps to develop your own personal scorecard and you will learn to focus on the things within your control, be immersed in the process, and achieve Consistent Elite Performance.
STEP 1: What to Score
They key here is clearly identifying what matters to you. These should be highly within your control and meaningful to your performance.
The two main categories you should include are:
Mental State ProcessSTEP 2: How to Score It
For mental state, we encourage using a percentage based on a contrast.
For example, 70% attack vs. 30% fear mindset.
The goal should be to hit 95%+. This is not about perfection, but doing your best to be fully committed to the mental state that matters to you.
When measuring your process, you can use percentages as well, but the key here is that that it depends on the standards you set for yourself. We call this EPS: Executing my Process to my Standard.
We recommend using a three tier system to measure your EPS:
Well: At or above you standard Meh: Close but not at your standard No: Not even close and was likely a mental mistakeWhat most people get wrong here is that they start tracking the result, like successful plays made. This is not what we want to track here.
Instead, it’s about how you actually executed your process. You could execute your process well but get an unlucky result, or execute poorly but get a lucky result.
So on your personal scorecard, we want how you executed your process to your standard, not results.
STEP 3: Get the Most Out of It
All of this can be ruined if you don’t stop checking, let alone obsessing over, your stats or results.
What we look at and focus on matters.
That’s the whole point of the personal scorecard. So you can thwart the main purpose of it if you keep going online and filling your mind with external scoreboards and comparisons.
On the flip side, it’s really helpful to add a column for 5 things you did well each day. This helps keep you focused on the little wins and not overly focused on the mistakes.
You can also use your personal scorecard as a type of checklist to ensure you are using some of your other mental tools or keys to performance:
10 Sec Reset Routine Detailed Imagery Script Getting 9+ hours of Quality Sleep Nutrition or any other healthy habits Connecting to an Intrinsic Why (i.e., the love of the game)Your personal scorecard is something you will continue to iterate and adjust. Finding someone you trust to give helpful feedback can greatly improve the impact.
The bottom line and the paradox of the whole thing is:
Your personal scorecard is something you will continue to iterate and adjust – finding someone you trust to give helpful feedback can greatly improve the impact.
The bottom line and the paradox of the whole thing is:
If you follow the above steps and consistently use your personal scorecard, then you will see the results on the external scoreboard – although you shouldn’t be looking!
If you have any questions, want 1-on-1 coaching to work on your personal scorecard, or you are interested in mental performance coaching program, contact us today.
Remember to like, subscribe, and share!
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Fear can be paralyzing.
Fear of mistakes, fear of failure, fear of letting others down, or fear of not meeting expectations; Whatever it is, it holds us back from just trusting our capabilities and attacking what we want.
In most sports, and other areas of life, it pays to have an attacking mindset:
In sports like hockey, soccer, and basketball, this often means taking the puck or ball and attacking the net While in tennis, golf, baseball, or softball, this means not being afraid to fail and fully committing to the shot In life, this means having that important conversation, putting yourself out there, or doing anything else related to going after your dreams.Follow these 3 Steps to go from a Fear Mindset to an Attacking Mindset:
STEP 1: Differentiate Fear vs. Attack vs. Reckless
You want to move from a fear mindset to an attack mindset, but you don’t want to end up being reckless. Here is a breakdown of the key traits within each of the 3 mental states:
1. Fear Mental State: Afraid to make mistakes, doubting ability, worrying about results.
2. Attack Mental State: Willing to make mistakes, trusting capability, being in the moment.
3. Reckless Mental State: Carelessness, over-compensating.
We suggest you write out what each of these mental states looks like for you to make it clear how you want to show up.
STEP 2: Going from Fear to Attack
To go from the fear to attack mindset, you have to align your thoughts, feeling and actions. The following two concepts are key to helping you get that alignment:
1. Attack Mistakes > Fear Mistakes: You are going to make mistakes regardless of what mindset you are in, but the attack mindset will generally not be as harmful of a result, not look as bad, and it will serve as a learning opportunity.
2. Thinking Long-Term: The fear mindset could be better in the short-term, but the attack mindset is better in the long-term.
While reading this, you might cognitively understand these points, but you need to have the emotional feeling to match or the behaviours won’t come consistently. So don’t just read this and nod your head. Make sure you reflect and look at your game; Look at when you are playing in the attack mindset vs fear mindset. Truly reflect on which mindset serves you better.
The goal is to feel yourself break through the fear and fully arrive in the attack mindset.
STEP 3: Lock it In
To lock in the attack mental state consistently, you need to be aware, set a high standard for yourself, and have the tools to get into the state.
Awareness comes from reading this and reflecting – not just once, but consistently.
You should be aiming to be in the attack mindset 95% of the time or more. It’s not about perfection, but about doing your best and being fully committed to the attack mental state.
The tools to develop and use to help get you consistently into this state include:
Unique Alter Ego 10 Sec Reset Routine Personalized Scorecard Detailed Imagery ScriptIf you have any questions, want 1-on-1 coaching to work on your mental tools, or you are interested in mental performance coaching program, contact us today.
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Confidence is a key to high performance. Unfortunately, confidence is often misunderstood and people overlook the most important part - self-worth.
Most people struggle with self-confidence because the self-talk in their head is their own worst enemy. Here are 4 other reasons why people struggle with self-confidence:
Yo-Yo Confidence: Tying their self-image to external results or praise Imposter Syndrome: Believing they are not worthy and/or don’t belong Victim Mentality: Blaming others and not taking responsibility Negativity Bias: Constantly beating yourself up and overly focusing on the negativesHowever, you can go from being your own worst enemy to being your own best ally by following these 3 steps to strengthen your self-confidence:
Step 1: Start with the Roots of the Tree - Self-Worth
Step 2: Grow a Well Rounded Tree
Step 3: Put in the Work & Own Your Capabilities
Listen to this episode for a full explanation of each step.
The most important takeaway from this episode is that you are in control of your self-confidence. Start by strengthening your self-worth, then grow a well-rounded tree by developing your self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy.
Self-confidence is a skill that can be developed if you’re willing to put in the work and own your capabilities.
Be your own best ally, not your own worst enemy.
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Any draft day can be emotional!
If you're an athlete (or parent/coach of one) who is entering a draft - then you're going to want to read below and watch the video.
Be sure to use a “Critical Lens” when thinking about the draft. It is not a make or break moment in your career like you might think! The draft might be important, but the results (positive or negative) DO NOT predict the trajectory of your career. It's just a day, it's just a result, it does not determine your future. For example, only 60% of OHL first round picks even get drafted into the NHL.
It is important to OWN your story, regardless of what happens. If you get picked that's great, but that does not mean the work is over, it's only just the beginning. Do not get complacent and stop putting in the necessary effort. If you don't get picked, use it to your advantage. Look at the aspects of your game that you can adjust and use the result of the draft as motivation to improve! Be the hero of your story and take initiative in writing the next page of your life by staying grounded, centered, and true to yourself.
Remember to stay connected to your love of the game. As you rise the ranks and hockey becomes more serious, it is so easy to lose sight of why you started playing in the first place. When you were younger you didn't start playing to get drafted, make lots of money, and become famous. You started playing to have FUN! The more you block out extrinsic motivators, and start focusing on things such as your love of the game, embracing and enjoying challenges, and having fun - the better you will perform.Yes the draft might be important, but it is not everything. Do not let it skew your perception of who you are as an athlete or person!
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We know how frustrating it’s being in yet another lockdown in Ontario & having to take a step back from the sports we love. However, we also know this doesn’t mean your progress should stop.
For those of you that are in another lockdown - this is a mental challenge and it can make you mentally stronger, as long as you lean into it and make the most out of it. In fact, the mantra we adopted since lockdowns have begun is Obstacles Make Us Stronger!
To help you lean in and to ensure obstacles make you stronger we made a new CEP Mindset Talk video - here are some key takeaways:
1. Be the Bonfire: A candle is blown out by the wind, but a bonfire requires wind to grow. In this analogy the wind represents challenges and obstacles and the choice you have is whether you are a candle that gets blown out by the wind or you grow to be the bonfire that uses the wind as fuel.
2. Adapt to the Situation: The extra free time from lockdowns gives you the opportunity to spend more time and energy on your mental game. It’s not about being positive, it’s about neutral thinking and creating structure in your days.
3. Take Action: Mental inputs lead to performance outputs. What are you spending your time watching, listening, and reading? What will you get from it?
Three fundamental actions: Meditation, Imagery and Reflection - もっと表示する
