Monday, June 28, 2010

Mindset Monday 6/28/10- Empowering Self-Talk

Self-Talk
The great wrestling coach Wali Muhamad once said, “All great athletes talk to themselves” and he couldn’t have been more right. We may not be able to hear what people say to themselves, but their behavior gives us a good indicator. While performing, successful people speak to themselves with Self-Talk that is (1) positive (2) empowering (3) rational (4) clear and concise.

Simple changes to improve your Self-Talk:
*Change WHY questions into HOW questions. Instead of asking “WHY can’t I do this” ask instead “HOW can I do this? WHY to HOW moves you from the victim to the victor!
*Change extreme irrational words like MUST, NEED to, HAVE to, SHOULD to less stressful words like WANT to, CHOOSE to. This takes pressure off of you and reminds you that your thoughts and behavior are your choice.
*Eliminate the word CAN’T pretty much altogether. Again, change this word to HOW CAN I do this?
*While performing or competing, eliminate the word “I” and “ME.” This is taken from the Zen Buddhist philosophy of oneness. When the self is lost and all that left is the action, a person loses themselves and becomes one with the experience. This facilitates the coveted FLOW STATE aka THE ZONE aka feeling like you can’t miss.
*As soon you find yourself blaming other people, circumstances, or things outside your control say to yourself “I take responsibility for myself.”
*During competition, give yourself SHORT and PRECISE directives. Avoid long drawn out instructions.
*Be a good coach to yourself. If you were giving advice to someone who looks up to you, you wouldn’t beat them up verbally over mistakes, you would probably talk them down and say motivational things to them- DO THIS FOR YOURSELF.

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 21, 2010

Mindset Monday 6/21/10- Developing Dominance

Developing Dominance
Before you have a Dominant performance you must first create a Dominant Self. Most people do not realize that Dominance is something you develop, not something you are born with. Developing a Dominant Self-Image is the first step to Dominating your opponent or event. The appropriate question is: How do I create a Dominant Self-Image for myself?

Answer:

(Step 1) Fire up your Unconscious mind with the help of your imagination.
Who are athletes in your sport or any other sport that are Dominant?
*watch their Dominant performances frequently- watch how they carry themselves (how they walk, talk, stand, and move) START DOING THOSE THINGS THAT THEY DO…this helps your mind and body remember what a Dominant mindset looks like.

(Step 2) Make an ongoing list of ANY time you were Dominant- in your sport GAME or PRACTICE, or anytime you can remember at anything. The goal here is to see yourself as the Dominator. Your confidence is largely related to things you focus on. Focus on time you lost- feel like a loser. Focus on times you Dominated- feel like a Dominator. ALSO- remember how you looked and felt when you Dominated- write it down and repeat your past Dominant Self-Talk and Body Language.

(Step 3) Anchor in Your Success. An Anchor or a Cue is something physical you do (ie. Leg slap, deep breath, hand clap, say an empowering word, etc. etc.) to remind you of a specific mindset. An example of how it works- after I do Step 1, I clap my hands. After I do Step 2, I clap my hands. I repeat Steps 1 and 2 three times this week before my competition this weekend. By the time the competition comes, my CUE or ANCHOR will be strengthened through practice. Before my competition I will clap my hands (my Cue) and my mind will remember that feeling of Dominance that I created.

Note- Like lifting weights, you must train your brain. You cannot expect to do curls one day and see results. You must do them multiple times a week for several weeks. Practice creating and Anchoring your Dominant Self-Image. Start today!
Be a Dominator!

Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One- on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/