3 Habits to Improve Your Mental Game
Something I say regularly to teams and clients is mental skills are just like physical skills. You have to practice and rehearse them regularly for them to be there, especially if you are wanting to get to the next level. Here are 3 mental game habits that can have a big impact on helping you get to your own peak performance.
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Most people have negative or limiting thoughts, or even say them out loud. If you were to consciously listen to people around you, you’d be shocked to hear how many negative things people say about themselves.
The bigger problem is that those things mostly go unchecked. When you think/say “I can’t do this”, or “I’m not good enough”, stop yourself. Challenge those things! Tell yourself the story that is useful for you. By challenging those thoughts that hold you back, you will begin to change your beliefs and behaviors, which can ultimately impact your actions.
Give Up Control
We all have worries. It is a normal part of being a human. However, many times the worry we put up with is directly caused by something we can’t control. The aware of when something frustrates you. Stop and ask yourself “is this something I can actually control?”. If you can’t, take and breath and give yourself permission to let go. To go a step further, then ask yourself what you can learn from this experience; or, how you can grow from it. Doing this can have a big impact on how you feel. You will find it helps ease the difficult feelings and can even lower stress.
Stop Living In The Past
All of us have made mistakes. And guess what? We will make more. We have all experienced failures and fallen short of expectations. But, if you are still obsessing over something you did wrong, you are only hurting yourself. You will take huge steps when you can accept that mistakes are part of the journey. They are literally part of the learning process. Being mentally tough is having the ability to take those mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow. Those things are a chance to improve. Learn from it and keep pushing forward.
Mental toughness doesn't happen by accident. It is intentional. That is what the best athletes do. You can to. Use the mental game habits to improve your performance, starting today.
- Gregg
