Leading into the Holidays, I thought to myself “what message do I want to send in my weekly Mental Toughness Tips email?”.  Immediately, what came to me was the message of inspiration, that anything is possible, that what limits us only are those limitations we impose in our own mind. Take Terry Fox for example: … Continue reading Some sport inspiration… →

Here’s an awesome story that I found when searching teamwork this evening.  It’s a great lesson: “It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded … Continue reading Teamwork by Hedgehogs – what? →

What a sporting weekend!  First, we went to see one of my athletes play at Michigan State. She battled hard (I was so proud of her), however her team eventually fell to a more confident Nebraska team.  Michigan State is a young and extremely talented team this year, which bodes well for their future.  The … Continue reading What’s your killer instinct? →

In a rare interview, Rafael Nadal’s Coach and uncle, Tony Nadal was asked the following question: “Recently, we read that you were saying [a quote from Pablo Picasso]: ‘When inspiration comes, let it find me working’…”To which he answered: “This is an essential fact of life. I do not think people who succeed or stand … Continue reading Rafael Nadal’s Coach shares the key to being a champion . . . →

As we always say at Mental Toughness Inc, “Performance Only Happens in the Present”. When you look back, you’re not present, so there’s no possibility for performance.  The trick is to keep bringing yourself back to what you need to do right now, then right now, then right now, second by second, moment by moment.  Only … Continue reading Don’t look back →

As winter team sports are about to start again, I thought I’d send out a little reminder from one of the great modern teams (Walsh-Ross): Teamwork makes the DREAM work! This is a great reminder both on and off the court – who can you partner up with to have your dream work?  It’s got … Continue reading Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work! →

It’s for you to play around with what exactly has you be calm in performance.  Maybe it’s taking a couple of deep breaths, maybe it’s reframing to an empowering MindFrame, maybe it’s visualizing the outcome you want.  Either way, it’s for you to explore what works best for you in each scenario. And, the more … Continue reading Keep Calm and Perform On →

Never let anyone tell you that you can’t reach your dreams.   NFL scouts and coaches told football player Derrick Coleman that he would never make it to the NFL because he was deaf . . . Derrick showed them! Don’t ever think you can’t.  Read Derrick’s remarkable story and watch his video . . … Continue reading They told him that he’d never make it to the NFL because he was deaf . . . →

Knowing your your WHY is extremely important as a winning athlete. WHY you do what you do. WHY you train so hard. WHY you compete. WHY you make sacrifices for your sport. Training is hard, there are as many bad days as good. Competing can be stressful, and sometimes you don’t get the results you want. So here are a few questions to help you get to your own special “WHY”:

In baseball, batting over 300 in a season is considered to be a great feat, as only the top batters make it there.  Batting over 400 is seen to be almost impossible. And, to bat 300, requires 7 failures in 10 tries.  7 failures!!!!  You have to be ok with not getting on base in 7 … Continue reading You must fail! What? →