Tuesday 22 July 2014

Having a winning mindset

As we get ready for the start of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow I am hoping that just as at London 2012 Olympics we will have commentators, athletes and retired athletes talking about how the mind can effect sports performance and talking about it openly.  Coaching and training the mind is not just for when you have an issue it is very much about enhancing performance.  

So what can we learn from the beliefs held by elite athletes that we can take into our own sporting, life or business arena.


'I don't own winning, I wanted to win' - Carl Lewis

'Top athletes perceive pressure as a privilege' - Tom Bates

'...pressure so high at that point, all things being equal it's the person who handles that moment and the pressure at that particular time best, that's going to have their best performance' - Michael Johnson

'I'm about to go to battle' - Michael Johnson

'Four years preparation for a few moments of action' - Matthew Syed

'Control the controllables' - Sir Matthew Pinsent

'You can only control how you perform' - Michael Johnson

'Thoughts become things and what we think affects the way we feel and the way we feel ultimately affects the way that we behave and ultimately in the sporting context - performance' - Tom Bates

'Find something that works for you' - Jonathan Edwards

'That minute difference between victory and defeat on the biggest stage of all is often to be found not in skill or effort but in the recesses of the mind' - Matthew Syed


Take a moment to think about a situation or activity you have coming up where you want to be at your best.  Pick one of the quotes above and think about your situation as if you hold that thought to be true - what does it tell you now about how you see and feel about the situation - what will you do differently?  What will you do the same?

Whether you are an athlete or in business, competing in any arena you needs to have mind and body working together and mental coaching techniques will help you achieve your goals and perform in the most competitive of environments.

The model below I use with athletes so they can see the different areas that coaching can work with - these are as relevant for business as they are for sport.  Using this model means we can  pick an area to work on, rather than 'everything' - which can feel overwhelming





So which area do you want to concentrate on and what winning mentality will you have today?

Annie
Live, Laugh,Enjoy

No comments:

Post a Comment