There will be a time in the near future when you will be stressed out.
The stress might come from the pressure of a sports competition. It may come from an exam. Or it may come from asking for a raise.
We can’t avoid stress.
But we can avoid being paralyzed by it.
There is a powerful technique I have the athletes I work with use when the pressure is on, and it can help you too.
Here’s what you do:
1. Take a deep, diaphragmatic breath, inhale through your nose for four seconds then exhale through your nose for four seconds.
2. Repeat.
3. Think of a game plan (no more than two things).
4. Visualize yourself carrying out that game plan successfully.
5. Just do it.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-01-30 23:39:462011-01-30 23:39:46MESSAGE #1286 STRESSED OUT? DO THIS
But I’m not one of those guys that has Sports Center on at my house 24/7.
There is, however, something that I can’t watch enough of…
Upsets in sports.
The Davids beating the Goliaths.
I love watching the little guys beat the big guys.
Why?
Because it shows that anything can happen.
It’s not the better player or team that wins, it’s the player or team that plays better that wins.
Yesterday at the Australian Open, fourth-seed, Robin Soderling of Sweden lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
On paper, Soderling should have won, but he didn’t.
Upsets are part of sports (and life) but many people are defeated before the competition even begins. They think, “Oh, he will probably win.” or “There is no way that team will lose.”
There is a way and it is possible.
So the next time you are the underdog and you come up against a tough opponent, a tough customer, or a tough situation, remember that anything can happen.
And go all-out!
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-01-24 08:12:562011-01-24 08:12:56MESSAGE #1280 WHAT I LIKE TO WATCH
The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself.
-MARK MESSIER, hockey great
Recently, there was a football kicker training at my sports center. He is only 13 but has “phenom” written all over him. He has been working hard, doing all the right things and developing quite nicely.
This past week he was training for a pro event, which is a very big deal and only a few days away.
Then something happened.
He started missing kicks he was making easily the weeks prior. He started looking and feeling nervous. He was not the same person.
What changed?
Nothing physically, but mentally he started over-thinking. He was focusing on how important this upcoming pro event is. He started trying too hard. The little negative voice inside his head began getting louder and louder.
This happens all the time in sports and life.
When the pressure’s on, many people fold.
But it is not pressure, it is perception.
There are two ways to look at pressure–you can either get frustrated or fascinated by it.
The choice is yours.
What would be my advice to this young kicker?
1. Understand that nerves are normal. Everyone gets nervous.
2. Take a deep breath to lower your heart rate and stay in the present moment.
3. Focus on the target, not the outcome.
4. Act as if it were impossible to fail.
5. Cultivate gratitude and have fun!
For a free 10-minute mental toughness consultation, email: or call 609.558.1077
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2011-01-06 17:02:512011-01-06 17:02:51MESSAGE #1262 A MESSAGE FROM MARK
Think about the last time you were under pressure.
Perhaps it was during an athletic competition.
Perhaps it was with a deadline at work.
Perhaps it was speaking in front of your class in school.
Physically, how did you react?
If you are like most people, your body tensed up.
How did you perform?
If you are like most people, you didn’t perform at your best.
Now think about the last time you performed effortlessly.
Physically how did you react?
Your body was probably pretty loose.
How did you perform?
Quite well, I’m sure.
A large part of peak performance is staying loose. Focused, but loose.
How do you do it?
Here’s one way:
Think of something funny before you perform.
It could be a joke, a comedy clip or video, maybe even reading from a joke book you carry around with you. And when things get tough, think of that funny thing.
Here’s an exercise: The next time you see a “big game” on television, watch how some of the players react with smiles and laughter.
Then watch what kind of results they get.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-12-28 18:51:182010-12-28 18:51:18MESSAGE #1253 IS THIS WHAT YOU DO?
Courage is not the absence of fear-it’s inspiring others to move beyond it.
-NELSON MANDELA
Fear is part of sports…and life. Let me share with you a secret:
Winners and losers feel the same feelings.
The difference is in the action they take.
Before the Super Bowl, the US Open, and World Series, the athletes are nervous. Some players even get sick in the locker room before the game.
But once the competition begins, they don’t ACT nervous. They move beyond their feelings.
That’s courage.
That’s mental toughness.
And you can do the same.
https://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/default2.jpg300300adminhttps://www.edtseng.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TsengLogo211-2.pngadmin2010-12-27 20:07:482010-12-27 20:07:48MESSAGE #1252 THIS IS COURAGE
Suppose you are winning a tennis match by a score of 5-0, and your opponent then wins the next three games. You start to think that the momentum has switched and that the person on the other side of the net has a chance to win.
STOP!
This type of thinking is normal, however, many people end up losing that set by focusing on the possible loss instead of focusing on HOW they can close it out.
The key is acknowledging that negative little voice inside your head and then moving on. Focusing on the next point. Your strategy. Your footwork.
Is this easier said than done?
Yes and no. Simple…yes. Easy…no. Mental training is just like physical training. You have to work at it.
Here’s an example of how you can shift your focus at any time.
Look around you and find three things that are blue.
Now quickly close your eyes and find something green.
Isn’t it hard to do?
Why?
Because it’s hard to focus on two things at the same time.
Today I had the fortunate opportunity to meet one of the most mentally tough athletes in history, Mariano Rivera, closer, New York Yankees.
Teammates have said that Mariano is very humble and is the same person that he was when he played in the minor leagues. I could believe that. He was such a pleasure to speak to and had such a great positive energy about him.
Rivera once said:
“When you start thinking, a lot of things will happen. Emotions take place, and you have to know how to control your emotions. If you don’t control your emotions, your emotions will control your acts, and that’s not good.”
Rivera told me today that during pressure situations, you need to keep your composure.
How does Rivera do it? He focuses on the catcher’s mitt. He acknowledges the pressure, then gets to work.
You may not have Mariano Rivera’s cut fastball, but you can have the same mindset and focus as him.
“Defeat is a state of mind.
no one is ever defeated
until defeat has been accepted
as a reality.
To me, defeat in anything
is merely temporary,
and its punishment is but an urge
for me to exert greater effort
to achieve my goal.
Defeat simply tells me
that something is wrong in my doing;
it is a path leading to
success and truth.”
-BRUCE LEE
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As promised, today’s message will include more of Bruce Lee, who would have turned 70 yesterday.
“If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is going to help you.”
-BRUCE LEE
Think about it. If you learn all the technical and physical aspects of your sport/job, that is good. But you have to put yourself out there to get “tougher.”
In college, you learn theory.
In the real world, you gain experience and first-hand knowledge.
In practice, you learn theory.
In competition, you gain experience and learn how to win.
Most people don’t like to be thrown into pressure situations, but it is there where you learn the most.
It is there where you grow the most.
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