Monday, December 27, 2010

Mindset Monday 12/27/10- Mental Toughness

Mental Toughness is plain and simple- never giving up no matter what.

In my Personality Psychology class, we learned that Character is revealed during difficult times, not easy times. This may make intuitive sense to many people, but there is also a good amount of scientific research to support this idea.
You just can’t ever give up on yourself. The world will provide plenty of surprises, adversity, and difficult circumstances.

Life may knock you around, but no one can make you quit. Quitting is an intimate personal decision. Many people blame quitting on circumstances, but when it comes right down to it, it is a choice, and it is your choice.

I have a survival in the wilderness book that gives great useful information on what to do in the event of being stranded on an island, at sea, in a cave, etc. etc. They have a “Pyramid of Success in Survival” and as you would imagine, the foundation of the pyramid is the “Will to Live.”

I like to start Mental Mastery with the topic of Rationality and Unconditionally accepting yourself. Many people wonder why I do not start with Confidence or Goal Setting. It is because one day you will lose, adversity will strike, circumstances will get worse, and you will need the skills to persevere. All the Mental Skills and Physical skills are meaningless if you do not have a strong will to persist no matter what.

This probably sounds like my most preachy post. It may sound like something from a motivational speech, but this lesson is well worth revisiting.

*Read biographies of successful people. They didn’t have it easy all the time.

*Have a reason to succeed which is larger than life. Make your mission spiritual, however you may personally define spiritual.

*Write your reasons to succeed down. Read them daily.

*And finally, take some time to watch Ants. Put your foot down in their path. Watch them. They will go around it, under it, over it; they may even try to go through it. The bottom line is that nothing derails them. Have you ever seen a bug in a pool as it struggles for survival. It never lays there and gives up. There is no quit in an Ant and if you want to be successful, there can be no quit in YOU either!

Everyone gets knocked down, common people stay down, great people get up.

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, December 20, 2010

Mindset Monday 12/20/10- Communication is Crucial

People do not have superhuman powers. So why do we think coaches, teammates, family, and friends can read our minds?

One of the best practical pieces of advice on performance success is to communicate. Communicate with the people around you about your needs, feelings, ideas, etc.
How do you like other people to deal with you the day of competition? The night before competition? At the competition? After practice? During practice? We all have different ways we like to be approached and dealt with. Step 1 may involve figuring out how you like to be handled. Step 2 then is communicating this message to the people around you.
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You will need to be corrected sometimes. People will not always agree with you either. How do you like to be corrected? How would you like criticism and disagreement framed toward you? Do you like direct, blunt critique or would you prefer it framed more positively? You must know your own sensitivities. Do you have any words or phrases that your parents or coaches use that you just cannot stand? Do not wait for them to say it, talk to them about it in advance.

It may seem obvious that you can perform at your best if you create an empowering and positive environment that suites your individual needs. We must not be afraid to communicate our needs to the people who will be in close contact during the season and at our competitions.

The people around us are not mind readers. They use strategies that have worked on them and strategies that have worked for them on others. But, we cannot expect them to know exactly what best suites us. This makes communication crucial. We all like to be dealt with in different ways. And it is crucial we learn to express ourselves to those around us.

There is a productive way to communicate with people- truthful and tactful. We must express ourselves honestly and with regard to the other person’s feelings and viewpoints. We should do it at the right time- in private- not in the middle of a practice or an argument. And we should speak in a positive tone without yelling. While we communicate, the last thing we want to do is trigger a defensive reaction from the other person.

It may be difficult for a young adult to express him or herself to an adult, parent, coach, or friend. But this is a very mature action and one that will almost certainly be more than worth the minor awkwardness or embarrassment you may feel. If you are looking to be successful, you will barrel through anything and take action to improve.

Lastly, we cannot expect that people will always listen to us when we share how we feel. Our job is to communicate openly, honestly, and with tact. Their agreement and their reaction is on them. Do not be disappointed or angry if the person does not react exactly how you want them to. (Do you know how they like to be dealt with? This further illustrates my point).

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, December 13, 2010

Mindset Monday- 12/13/10- How important is the mind? Ask the BEST!

My friend, wrestling coach, and mentor Donn Ernst gave me two pieces of advice on decision making:CONSIDER THE SOURCE and LEARN FROM THE BEST. These are two tenants we all can live by.

That being said...How important is your mindset to your success? Please, don't take my word for it...Ask the best...

Arnold Schwarzenegger
“The Secret is to make your mind work for you, not against you.”
(Arnold’s approach to bodybuilding was more mental than physical)
http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding_60/69_fitness_tip.html


Michael Jordan
Michael's biggest strength was his mental game. Jordan held a decisive mental edge over his opponents throughout his entire career. It was his mental toughness... Jeff Janssen, M.S.
http://www.teamarete.com/ificouldbe.html


Wayne Gretzky
…he (Gretzky) was not very strong physically, but he made up for that in the mental edge he held over opponents.
http://www.lycos.com/info/wayne-gretzky-hockey.html


Tiger Woods
Tiger's biggest club is his mental strength –USA Today
His mental game is every bit as good as his physical game. –Bob May
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2004-02-10-tiger-toughest_x.htm

there’s another quality even more important than skill. It’s his mind, and that very well could be his greatest weapon.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/09/sports/sp-mindgame9


Michael Phelps
His strongest asset is relaxing & focusing in competition. He can take himself mentally to a place. That’s what separates him from his competitors. –Coach Bowman
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/bowman-on-phelps-mental-strength/3003143297


Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a master of psychology…his mental toughness played a great factor in many of his fights. There was no one stronger mentally then Muhammad Ali.
http://greatestofalltime.homestead.com/muhammadali.html

Dan Gable
“Mental Toughness is the key of all keys…Mental Toughness is the foundation.”
http://www.briancain.com/articlesbybriancain/Dan%20Gable%20-%20Brian%20Cain%20CBN.pdf


Coach John Wooden
“I am constantly trying to make players realize the mental side.”


Coach Vince Lombardi
“Mental Toughness is essential for success.”
He was always working on both the minds and bodies of his players. The guy was a beautiful psychologist. – Jerry Kramer (former player)


Coach Bobby Knight
“Mental toughness to physical (toughness) is as 4 is to 1.”

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, December 6, 2010

Mindset Monday 12/6/10- Starting from Scratch

If you were going to start from scratch, what would be different about you?
If you could shape yourself exactly into anything you want, with no past experiences, no past heartbreaks, no memory of setback, what information would you put into your mind? Very few people approach their mindset from a creator’s point of view. We tend to operate as slaves to our genetics and past experiences. Most people look at their mind as a fixed entity, a final product.

You do not need to continue down this path. One of the gifts that humans have is a conscious mind that, if used correctly, can correct itself. More and more, research is finding that our brain can in many ways rewire itself and manifest it’s vision on the outside world. Many scientists believe that we have barely scratched the surface into the power of the mind.

The point of all this is to empower you to become the creator of your new mind. Decide what you would put in your head if you could choose anything. For me this includes- never fearing rejection, absolute confidence in all my abilities, discipline that cannot be broken, unbelievable positive thinking about life, courage to face all of my fears, etc.

We must remember that we can always choose to approach our mind as a creator. There are tools available to help you attain this mindset, if you would just be willing to learn them and step out of your comfort zone and try them.Have the guts to create your own reality! Very few people will do this, but the ones who want to be champions will. Create a list on a piece of paper of exactly what you would be, if you could mold yourself into exactly what you would want (think along the lines of what traits you would need to accomplish your goals).

Make the list as specific as possible and read it daily and give it your full attention, don’t just blow through the list as you read it. Use a process cue after reading it every time so you will have a movement associated with the Ultimate You. Read the list while listening to music that captures the feelings you are trying to create inside you- empowerment, confidence, faith, and guts.
This is an investment of about 5 minutes every day, which is relatively small. Choosing to do this or not comes down to one crucial personal decision- How important is it to you that you make the most of yourself and your life? Framed other ways, How good do you really want to be? Do you really want it?

Also, get into meditating or just taking some quiet time on a regular basis thinking about the new reality you have created for yourself. As the image of your new reality grows stronger, you will begin to see results in the real world. Don’t be surprised when this happens, remember I told you this would happen.

Keep in mind that like any physical training, you must do this repeatedly for real results. Don’t quit on this process in the beginning if you do not see results immediately. Trust the process. And, when you do start achieving success, continue to do look at your list and meditate on your new reality. Life will do all it can to pull you from here, your center. Remember a body builder does not discontinue training when he starts to grow muscle. This should be lifelong mental training.

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