The Mindset of a Winner: What It Takes To Be A Champion

Whether you are a professional or recreational athlete, the winner’s mindset has to be there in order to yield success! Ok, the level of success might vary somewhat between amateur and top athletes, and this may be influenced by your genetic disposition, but the fact is you have to apply the key principles, and apply them consistently in order to reap the rewards.

A wise man once said……
You do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do.
So how do you maintain this level of consistency in your diet and training, does it come via the intrinsic (internally e.g. wanting to win Mr Olympia) or extrinsic (external e.g. incentives such as a personal trainer/drill sergeant) route, or from a combination of the two?
Picture a young Jessica Ennis running in her sports day at school; imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger preparing for the 1963 Steirer Hof competition in Graz, Austria, which surprisingly he was runner up in. How did these athletes go on to overcome and outwork their competitors, how did they hone in on their genetics and maximise the nature nurture phenomenon? The answer is……The winner’s mentality!

Arnold Schwarzenegger began his bodybuilding career with one thing in mind, to win the Mr Universe title. What lengths would he go to reach this, the answer is he would train in the basement of his parent’s home, developing the best physique utilising the only resources available to him. Soon he was noticed by Kurt Marnul (former Mr Austria), which allowed Arnold to develop his already well formed physique.
He was prepared to put in the work at the gym, he was willing to eat and drink with discipline, and he managed to visualise his goals and implement the steps required to reach them, even if it meant going to prison for it! Arnold joined the Austrian army in 1965, but in order to compete in a national bodybuilding competition he was required to obtain leave from the army….this was not granted, so Arnold went A.W.O.L and was subsequently jailed. Incidentally, Arnold won the competition in Stutgart giving him the title Jr Mr Europe.
He obtained his goal of Mr Universe by the age of 20!

So what does it take to be a winner? Using Arnold as an example, it seems a good place to start is to acquire/develop a steally grit and determination, an unwavering focus on your goal, and the ability to stay motivated and driven with your diet and training no matter what! Arnold did it, so why can’t you?

ΠΗΓΗ: Discount Supplements

Visualization For Better Performance

Visualization For Better Performance

Believe it or not visualization techniques can improve your strength training and athletic performance. Here’s how.

Preparing for any training session or competition is undeniably important. We’ve all heard a million times how important it is to get a proper warm up in before doing any athletic activity, but what people fail to talk about is the mental component. Today we’re going to discuss how getting mentally prepared is just as important to your athletic success and goals and getting physically prepared. Ready? Let’s do it.

It All Starts In the Mind

What you think about and how you prepare can make a big difference on how you perform. This starts right when you get out of the bed in the morning. Wake up with a bad attitude and you sure as hell going to have a bad game or training session later in the day. Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to attack the day and you’re going to nail it.

Here’s where the visualization comes in. Focus on what you’re going to do, how you’re going to do it and what’s going to happened. Don’t think about the “what if’s”, like what if you’re making a mistake, or what if you haven’t taken all potential scenarios into account. Focusing on the negatives or other uncontrollable variables will guarantee that you don’t perform up to your potential.

To prevent this from happening, picture the good things that will happened; what you’ll do successfully in the situations you’ll be facing. If there’s ever a negative thought that pops up. Say “cancel” out loud until you forget about it. If you’re doing this at the bus or train, people might think you’re off your rocker, but who cares! You’re the one who’s going to be smiling when you win the game or crush an old PR.

The Importance of Visualization

The vast majority of the best athletes in the world have some sort of routine that helps get them focused and prepared to perform at their best. This process usually starts with visualizing success.

If you play a sport at a higher level, or want to get to a higher level, this is something worth replicating. Everything in sports happens at high speeds and you need to act within a split second, or else it’s too late. If you’ve been through the actions your sport required in your head several times, you’ll know what to do and will react naturally to the situation at hand. But if don’t and have to take a second to think, then it’s already too late. You got tackled, missed the ball, or got beat by your opponent.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the term mind-muscle connection before. Say you’re learning a new exercise or a new movement that you don’t really get it at first. It requires a lot of focus and coordination. The easiest way to help with this process is to get your mind into it. Visualize yourself doing the movement, even if you’re at school or at work. Go through the motions and actions in your head. Now you can practice the exercise throughout the whole day, and when you step into the gym/field/pitch it will be much easier to perform. After all, it’s your mind that sends signal to the muscles to fire and what actions to perform.

Visualization Techniques

Start getting into a routine where you can optimize your visualization and preparation. This starts with a morning routine like the example below:

• Drink a big glass of water
• Take a 10-15 minute walk, put on some music or a speech that gets you going
• Stretch the hip flexors and glutes to loosen up
• Do some glute bridges, pushups, pull-ups to get the blood flowing
• Visualize yourself being successful, scoring that goal, saving that shot, making that sprint that could be the difference between winning and losing
• And you’re ready to conquer the day, dominating the competition

It’s no longer good enough to show up and expect to be successful. Being successful starts with visualization regardless of whether you’re in the gym or on the field. Use the techniques above this upcoming season and I guarantee you’ll see major differences in the way you feel and perform during any athletic activity.

ΠΗΓΗ: Oneresult

Using Your Past to Build A Better Future Performance – The role of Reflective Practice

Using Your Past to Build A Better Future Performance – The role of Reflective Practice

Reflective practice is – in its simplest term simply recalling memories, but more specifically it is recalling memories of your previous performances. This can be your most recent performance, including: a recent game you played yesterday or even a training session you had this morning. The difference between simply recalling memories and using reflective difference, although similar in definition, can be used to an entirely different and much more beneficial, constructive way.

Reflective practice can be an incredibly effective tool at analysing your own performances and using this self -analysis to aid performance improvement. The main use of this psychological tool is to reinforce ones confidence and here we shall look into the benefits of using reflective practice.

Positive reflective practice, as you can imagine is pretty self explanatory in its nature, but for the purposes of this article I shall provide a few examples to give you a better idea as to how to build self-confidence through positive previous experiences. Now for the purposes of creating a good example to work from let’s consider a previous performance you’ve had. This can be anything from the last 3-6 months, your best performance or even a particularly memorable performance you’ve had and have a firm grasp of the memory, making it vivid within your mind. Below is an example:

• A tennis player has just won a Quarter-final of a competition. They are not confident about the next game and are in a phase of doubt about their own performance. They will now look to review the previous performance.

1. Recall the performance in its entirety and note down the most memorable parts of this performance. E.g. A particularly good serve, or shot that made you feel good/won the point.
2. After having reviewed the notes you have made, now begin to outline the most positive parts of that performance.
3. Review these notes regularly and repeatedly recall the best moments of that performance within your mind.

Doing this will engage your brain in a positive manner and will also begin to reinforce positive memories. Engaging your brain in this manner allows for quicker decisions to be made during next performances when you wish to perform the same movement, pass, shot, etc. Quicker decisions allow for quicker movements, leading to better performances during competition. Also, I should note that this isn’t simply a case of remembering a good performance and then expecting a better performance next time. Reflective practice requires commitment, adaptability and regular reviewing to see where you are progressing and improving. Replicating these positive experiences within training to further reinforce confidence and facilitative processes within your brain and body then allows you to carry this into competition. Engaging the brain to review and process positive experiences more frequently allows for the body to recognise the signals associated with positive performances and can influence more positive future performances, which ultimately builds confidence.

Up to now there has been a large focus on the positive nature of past performances. As you may be aware, most if not all athletes will experience a dip in performance at some point. This can be in training or even during a competitive match, but this isn’t to say that you can’t reflect on these performances with a more positive perspective. An example of this might be a golfer who has teed off brilliantly, followed it up with an equally good shot but has then gone on to make a series of bad putts. A more negative person will review this performance as overall unsuccessful, however, reviewing the performance in its entirety will reveal that the first half of the performance shows real strength and confidence in the individual’s own abilities. The second half of the performance, again, might be seen as a negative, but using reflective practice in a positive manner would show the individual where there is room for improvement. This method provides an athlete with the ability to review performances in a way that does not reveal weaknesses and failures, but shows strengths and ways in which future performances would benefit by introducing improvements to the individual’s performance.

In summary, reflective practice can be a very useful tool and especially effective in aiding future performances and building confidence in an athlete’s own abilities.

ΠΗΓΗ: Thesportinmind

Improve Your Networking Skills -- Right Now

Networking is everything – it helps your chances of employment, increases your contacts and can help improve your business. Here are some tips and tricks to help improve your networking skills.

• Get off your computer -  feels obvious at this point, but we’ll throw it out there: you can’t effectively network solely from your desk. Yes, email and social media can be a good way to make initial contact, but if you want to really initiate true forward momentum in the relationship, get them in the 3D world as soon as possible. Suggest going to lunch or coffee or accompanying one another to an interesting industry event. However you do it, taking a new professional relationship offline as early as possible is the single best way to set yourself apart from the constant flow of internet noise.
• Forget you’re “working” - Whether you’ve just been introduced to someone at an industry event specifically for networking or you struck up a conversation while in line for coffee, once you’re engaged with someone in a professional conversation, allow yourself to become lost in the interaction. Thinking about how this new relationship might develop and become important to you and your business can distract you from the current moment…and being a distracted, dispassionate conversationalist is no way to lock someone into your network. It’s great to be strategic about meeting people, but once the interaction has been initiated, just talk. And listen. You know your business and your industry well enough to let the conversation happen organically. You’re almost assured to have a better time – and make a better, lasting impression – if you do.
• Set goals - Don’t focus solely on your big picture goals. It’s important to set smaller, attainable goals that measure the success of each piece of your business, all of which feed the larger overall goals. “Landing two new clients this month” is not a networking goal. Even if that is your end game, set benchmarks relating directly to your networking efforts (like, “I will get 5 business cards at this luncheon”, or “I will set-up 2 coffee dates with new contacts for next week.”) Watch how, when applied to all branches of your business, these mini goals not only fuel your sense of constant accomplishment, but quickly add up to fulfilling those overarching goals.
• Mind your manners - Networking might have it’s own additional set of rules and customs, but all of society’s normal, mannerly expectations still apply. Try to listen more than you talk, be thoughtful in your interactions and generous with your time when you can. Being perceived as professionally weak is something to avoid, but trust us – that never happens as a result of having good manners.
• Elevator pitches still matter -There will always be a reason to sell what you do in a very short window of time. It will always play in your favor if you maintain the ability to do that in a way that manages to cover who you are, what you do, and why it’s relevant. Try to come off as casual, efficient, and not forced or pushy. Easy, right? We know it’s not, which is why you should practice ahead of time. In a mirror. Repeatedly. And, like a resume, elevator pitches need periodic updating.
• Play to your weaknesses - Do you always mean to follow-up with people you meet, but by the time the appropriate follow-up window arrives, you’ve already moved on to something else? Factor this into your day-to-day organization. There are loads of apps and online/mobile tools that can bolster your networking arsenal. For example, if you know you’re prone to having a memory lapse about following up with new contacts, plan ahead. Set an alarm to go off the following week right when you first enter that person’s contact info into your mobile. And speaking of which…
• Don’t hang onto business cards - As soon as you leave a networking event or meeting or walk away from a chance encounter with a promising contact, immediately enter their business card info into your mobile device. Nothing sadder than a misplaced business card. Well, perhaps print shops don’t think so.

ΠΗΓΗ: Forbes

How to Recruit Gold-Medal Team Members

How to Recruit Gold-Medal Team Members

We all need to hire the right people to move our company forward. Having a clearly de­fined “job standard” makes this possible. You must know specifically what you are recruiting for.

A JOB STANDARD DEFINES:

1. ‑The purpose of the job (i.e. the activities, necessary skills and rewards).
2. The traits and characteristics of the ideal candidate (i.e. strengths and expertise).
3. The necessary elements for an outstanding team ­ (i.e. mission, pace, philosophies, attitude, etc.).

Once you’ve defined the perfect job standard, you must communicate this ideal in a clear job description. Employees need to know exactly what is expected of them and the metrics by which their performance is measured.

CORE BELIEF:

All people have the potential to be excellent, given:

• The job rewards their natural behavior.
• Skills, knowledge and training are sufficient to meet job needs.
• Management is appropriate for the individual and the expected results.
• Personal goals can be achieved through excellent job performance.

When preparing official job standards, observe the following:

1. Use simple language, avoiding technical terms or industry jargon.
2. Plan and review your responses to ensure you are covering the most important points.
3. Have the ­ final draft typed and retain copies for future use.

Some questions that will help you determine specific job standards:

1. What are the major objectives or outcomes to be accomplished by the person in this job?  Avoid general and philosophical statements. State specific deliverables.
2. What are the most frequent and essential work activities in this job? This is the most important question.
3. What people and how many (if any) are managed by the person in this job?
4. What are the primary people contacts in this job? (With whom? What purpose? How often?)
5. What behavioral traits, attitudes and skills are required?
6. What are the prerequisites for employment? (Education, prior experience, other.) Use “preferred” or “helpful” to indicate non-required prerequisites.
7. What are the toughest parts of this job on a day-to-day basis? ‑ These are the one or two things that require the most effort and persistence to handle.
8. What are the compensations? Be as specific as possible in giving income range and pay formula (commission rates, bonus amounts, regular increases, etc.). Be realistic and specific in describing advancement opportunities.

The job description will make sure you and your team members are on the same page. Judge all performance against this description to maintain the proper job standard for your company.

ΠΗΓΗ: Anthony Robbins Business and Finance blog