Performance isn’t only affected by what we do in the gym, it’s affected by every aspect of what we do especially what we have for our mindset. The habits we’ve created over time are based on how we “set our mind” to do actions that create positive results.
Taking care of your mind is just as important as taking care of your body, especially when you want to perform at a high level.
When we neglect the mind it’s as bad, or worse, than missing a practice or workout.
Conditioning and Training Your Mindset
You must take care of your mind to continue to perform and deliver at a high level. When you don’t, and it’s easy to neglect this part of training, we tend to fall when stress hits. Especially when it’s unexpected. This is when we fall and can’t get back up.
When we train our minds to handle stress and are aware of how we handle those stressors we become more effective, more productive and can perform at a much higher level.
5 Ways to Improve Your Mindset
There are several ways to improve your mindset to positively impact performance. Some may be more obvious than others and others are rather simple, though all are very effective.
1. Visualization. Close your eyes and visualize yourself being successful in the area you are working. Visualize the competition, the different variables you may face and so on. This will begin to prepare your body for what will come.
2. Remember past success and how you got here. You have had previous success. Remember how that felt and what that was like. What steps did you take? How did you handle the unknown along the way?
3. Acknowledge areas of lacking and seek improvement. There are times that this seems so simple yet can be so difficult. Acknowledging there is a weakness and addressing it may end up being your biggest strength.
4. Engage change rather than run from it. Most individuals hate change. They avoid it, but as an athlete or anyone who is seeking improvement, we must not avoid change. We must meet it head on and endure the stressors that change presents so that we can grow and become better.
5. Practice. Practice regularly so your mind can focus on large stressors and not simple tasks.
It’s Time to Take Action
Mindset, just like physical improvement, won’t happen overnight. You have to work on it. You must build a solid foundation, through creating strength and endurance just as you would with your body. It takes time and effort.
If you want to impact your performance in a big way, start here. Start with these 5 ways to improve your mental performance. You’ll be amazed at the results!