High-stakes performers need to train their minds like professional athletes.
The decisions you make - from the boardroom to the operating room or playing field - are all a function of your training and your mindset. And the quality of your training is, at least partially, determined by the quality of your mindset.
No performance happens without significant input from the brain.
If you don’t take the time to optimize your mind, you leave crucial competitive advantages on the table. But even worse, you leave better outcomes for the people you serve - clients, stakeholders, teammates, or yourself - on the table by overlooking this aspect of the work. Excellence requires a diligent, structured training of the mind the way you’d train any other skill.
The problem is we still look at mindset training as a nice to have instead of a need to have.
That’s good news for the top of the top, though. It means if you start today, the advantages will accrue and compound, and your status at the leading edge will persist. If you do just a little bit more than the people around you - as little as 10-15 minutes a day is enough to change your brain - you can keep your advantage strong and deliver better results.
What are you waiting for?
If you wanted to begin today, here’s where I’d start you:
Work up to 10 minutes of mindfulness per day.
Get clear on your goals and values.
Spend 30 seconds 3-5x a day imagining a skill you need to develop or an upcoming performance
That’s it. These 3 can make a huge difference.