Episode #9: Perfectionism of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast is the second of six in a series that examines the psychological and emotional obstacles that hold athletes back from performing their best, enjoying their sports experiences, and achieving their sports goals. This series of podcasts will also show you how to remove [...]
The Saturday Evening Post published my most recent column, How to Let Go of Fear of Failure. Fear of failure is epidemic in our culture among children and adults alike. This essay explores the debilitating effect that fear of failure can have on people. It also offers advice on ways that people can let go of [...]
Episode #6: Perspective of my Raising Young Athletes podcast explores the influence of perspective on how you as sport parents and your young athletes perceive, feel about, and react to their sports experiences. When I talk about perspective, I mean lens through you and your young children look at their sports involvement in terms of [...]
The fourth episode of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast focuses on how a threat attitude ensures failure and a challenge attitude sets you up for success. A threat attitude involves a cascade of psychological, emotional, and physiological changes that causes you to want to flee the sports situation and makes failure an [...]
I have three favorite sayings when it comes to being the best ski racer you can be. First, “If you want to ski like everyone else, be like everyone else.” In other words, if you want to be a decent ski racer among many, do what they do. Second, an old Texas adage says, “If [...]
The third episode of my Train Your Mind for Athletic Success podcast focuses on the costs of having an outcome attitude and the benefits of a process attitude. An outcome attitude involves a preoccupation with results, competitive success and failure, rankings, and comparing yourself to others. Contrary to what most athletes, coaches, and parents think, an [...]
I just read an interesting article about what it takes to be great. A different take on the notion of greatness and success and a worthwhile read. I agree with most of it: Being consistent, Doing the work that's boring, Instant success isn't the same as greatness, Success is never linear, Before you can be [...]
The 2018-19 race season is approaching its conclusion. The Nor-Ams, Regional Championships, and other big races are now in our rearview mirror. Many racers are heading into the final stretch of races hoping to continue a successful season of high results and improved points and rankings. This group looks back on the race season with [...]
When most people in the sports world think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping athletes prepare mentally to perform their best when it matters most. Mental muscles that help athletes strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help athletes to put in their mental toolboxes include [...]
When most people in our ski racing community think of sport psychology, they think of mental training, that is, helping racers prepare mentally to ski their fastest when it matters most. Mental muscles that help racers strengthen include motivation, confidence, intensity, and focus. And mental tools I help racers to put in their mental toolboxes [...]
