High Performance Mindset | Learn From World-class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches About Mindset

Stephen Spielberg once said, “I don't dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I dream for living." Most of us are not movie directors like Spielberg, but we can follow his lead and dream about our future for a living. To become a high performer or champion at sport, business and life, we need to dream every day. To contact Cindra with your questions or topics to address on future episodes, email her at cindra@cindrakamphoff.com or find her on Twitter @Mentally_Strong.

In this episode, Cindra talks about how high performers and the most successful people see obstacles, difficulties, and problems. They see them as "happening for them, not too them" and see them as puzzles they can solve. High Performers are persistent and gritty. They are persistent. They stay the course committed to their goals and dreams. You are a high performer! This Week’s Affirmation: I am persistent. I am committed to my goals and dreams. I see difficulties as happening for me not to me. I solve my problems like puzzles.

In this interview, Jonathan discusses several factors that separate successful pro athletes, leaders, and high achievers. He believes the practice of enjoyment is at the center of high performance. One suggestion he provides the pro athletes he works with is to ask: “What did I enjoyable the best about today?” within 60 seconds of finishing the game. He describes how the best have an optimal “mental climate” and how they keep their “fish tank clean.” The best of the best are also hungry for success, adopt a growth mindset, and remain process focused. You can preorder his new book, Life as Sport, on Amazon, and find more information about Dr. Fader on his website.

In this interview with radio hosts, TJ and Lisa, Dr. Kamphoff talks about how to have desire, passion and hunger for your goals and dreams. She talks about how if you don’t have desire, you won’t work towards your goals and dreams. Getting clear on our desire is the one of the factors that leads us to success and reaching our potential. She provides 3 strategies for us to use to connect with our desire. You can connect with Cindra at cindra@cindrakamphoff.com or at Mentally_Strong.

In this live interview on 93.1 with TJ and Lisa, Dr. Kamphoff talks about how fear is part of the human experience. We can let fear take over our body and mind, or we can command it. In this interview, Cindra talks about 3 types of fears that we all experience and provides 4 steps to command your fear. She provides a personal example to illustrate how to command your fear.

In this interview, college football coach Aaron Keen talks about implementing mental training into the game of football. Coach Keen talks about the importance of going 1-0 each week which helps his team stay in the present moment and take one game at a time. He describes how to develop a ‘family atmosphere’ as a college coach and the importance of keeping relationships front and center. Towards the end of the interview, he provides his classic Find the Pony story and describes that a positive mental attitude is ‘everything’ in football. You can reach Coach Keen on Twitter @CoachAaronKeen.

Being self-critical means that you are critical of yourself for your failures and weaknesses. We become our own judge and jury when we self-criticize. Some typical expressions of self-criticism include: “I don’t have enough talent.” “I’m just too old, slow, short, heavy…” “I guess I am just not meant to be a runner, athlete, author, vice president, manager…. (you fill in the blank).” Your self-criticism is important to examine because your mind determines your identity, your belief about yourself, and your self-image. In this live episode from 93.1 with TJ and Lisa, Dr. Kamphoff teaches us 3 ways to reduce our self-criticism.

In this interview with Mental Skills Coach, Carrie Cheadle, she talks about the need for failure in our lives and athletic careers. We should learn how to embrace failure and seek it out. In her words, "You have to risk failure in order to risk success." She describes how showing up as yourself and bringing 100% of yourself to your work leads to success, happiness, and reaching your best. To learn more about Carrie's work, you can visit her website www.carriecheadle.com or on Twitter @FeedtheAthlete.  

Payton Manning, the Denver Broncos quarterback said, “Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what you're doing.” In this episode, we explore Payton Manning's quote and discuss the 3 specific ways to deal with pressure the next time you experience it.    

Bernie Holliday is a master of the mental game. At the heart of his interview, is a phrase he has adopted from this work with West Point Cadets: “embracing the suck.” Bernie described how professional baseball players must embrace the suck, but also describes how he has used the phrase in his life and career. He believes there are 3 ways people approach times that are difficult: 1) by evading, 2) by enduring, or 3) by embracing. The best of the best approach times that are difficult in the 3rd way: embracing the difficulty. His mantra “BE BOLD” will inspire you to get out there with your work and take risks. He believes that a growth mindset and love is what separates good performers from great performers. Bernie also provides several other strategies you can use in your work, play and life including: 1) his 3 ups, 2 downs, and 1 takeaway strategy, 2) how he helps others “focus on the process,” and 3) the importance of redefining success and failure.

Success takes something more than a talent and skills. Success takes the willingness to keep going even when the odds are against you or your enthusiasm has waned. Success takes persistence. It takes continuing your course of action despite difficulties, adversity or opposition. The great thing is that persistence is learnable. In this episode, Cindra talkes about successful people that have persisted as well as 3 strategies to develop your persistence.  

In this episode, award-winning international speaker, business leader, best selling author and professional musician, Manley Feinberg talks about how to reach your next summit. Using a mountain climbing analogy, he discusses how we must expect to fall, how to refocus after the fall and how to get out of your comfort zone in the process. Points to listen for include tips he provides to consciously practice authenticity and how to make space between "the stimulus and response." Post a tweet about what stood out to you about the interview and tag @manleyf and @Mentally_Strong for a good discussion! You can find Manley at: http://verticallessons.com. 

To finish 2015 with a BANG, Cindra provides 5 questions for us to consider as we reflect on the past year. She recommends we answer these questions before setting goals for 2016 to ensure our 2016 goals align with our priorities and values. The 5 questions include: 1. If you had to describe 2015 in 5 words, what would they be? 2. What one event, big or small, made the biggest impact? 3. What new things did you discover about yourself? 4. What was your biggest ha-ha moment this year? 5. What one thing would you do differently and why?

Dr. Ian Connole, Director of Sport Psychology for Kansas State Athletics, teaches us how to keep our focus and the importance of engaging in the now. He motivates us to be authentic and when we do so, this allows our success to come much easier and more likely. He says that a life worth living is being in the present moment, and a life worth sharing is about being authentic and showing up as yourself. So good!

In sports, parents impact their children in at least three ways. First, they influence the type of sports they play by creating opportunities to try different sports. Second, they provide financial support by purchasing equipment and driving them to and from practice and games. But probably the least recognized way that parents influence their children is how they “interpret” the event. What parents do or say — and what they don’t do or say — impacts how invested and involved their children will be in sport. In this episode, we talk about 6 tips related to how we can best support our children as parents.

Justin Su'a is a Mental Performance and Leadership Coach who is currently a Mental Skills Coordinator for the Boston Red Sox. In this interview, Justin talks about how elite athletes and high performers have a unique relationship with failure. He talks extensively about that in this interview as well as other insights he has had working as the Former Head of Mental Conditioning at the IMG Academy and with the US Army. Justin is the author of two books: Parent Pep Talks and Mentally Tough Teens. He has his own daily podcast called "Increase Your Impact Podcast" which is also available on Itunes.

High achievers and successful people have big visions. They know what they want and every day they work towards that vision. If you don’t have a clear vision, you will most likely feel trapped by your own limitations. But a clear vision can unlock your power. You become what you envision yourself becoming! In this episode, Cindra explores what a compelling vision includes and how to write one for your future.

In this episode, Elani Kelakos discusses what it means to stop playing small. Instead, we must play big and she describes exactly what that means to play big. She shares tips you can apply the next time you speak in front of an audience as well as her 5 principles of high performance that you don't want to miss. Throughout the interview, Elani provides strategies and tips to embrace your authenticity and be more confident in who you are.

Gratitude is like a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger that muscle gets. In this episode, we talk about the power of saying thank you and being gratitude. We discuss the "gratitude effect" and 4 gratitude practices you can do regularly. When you express your gratitude, you are in one of the best possible emotional states possible. Be grateful for everything you have today – even the difficulties.

Our thoughts direct everything we do. They are the most important factor in our success and in our failure. I can make this bold statement because everything starts with a thought. EVERYTHING! Successful people talk to themselves in a powerful and productive way to keep them on task and believing in their future. They use statements such as "I will..." "I can..." and "I am...".