
The Art of Mental Training
A Guide to Performance Excellence
DC Gonzalez is one of the world's leading peak performance/mental training experts and this quick-reading manifesto on the art of mental training is fantastic. In the Note, we'll take a quick look at why mental training is so important, the critical three (breathing + relaxation + imagineering) and the most important lesson of all.
Big Ideas
- Why Mental Training?It’s the key performance driver.
- Your attitudeLet’s dial it in.
- Stop the negative. Fire off the positive.Fire off the positive.
- The critical threeBreathing + Relaxation + Imagery.
- ImagineeringSee it. Feel it. Crush it.
- Lacking motivation? Set some goals!Set some goals!
- The most important Lesson: Self-Belief= Self-belief. Think you can?
“Welcome to The Art of Mental Training.
Sports Mental Training has been called the Science of Success. But make no mistake. If you imagine that the lessons here apply only to sports and athletes you’d be wrong. For it’s the Everyday Warrior, from all walks of life, and all types of scenarios, that stands to benefit immensely from the knowledge and techniques that lie ahead. No matter what you do, or whatever challenges you face, The Art of Mental Training can help take you to another level of performance, achievement, and personal success.”
~ DC Gonzalez from The Art of Mental Training
I recently devoured this book as part of a little peak performance/mental strength training binge (which included Unbeatable Mind + Mind Gym + a bunch of books on mindfulness/neuroscience).
It’s one of the most popular mental training books out there because, quite simply, it’s awesome. DC Gonzalez is a former Naval Aviator, Federal Agent, Military Cyber-Security Specialist, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and Peak Performance Coach. This book is a super quick reading, 138-page manifesto on how to get our minds right for peak performance.
It’s written in a conversational style with biographical stories featuring DC’s wise teacher named Leo-tai who kinda reminds me of Dan Millman’s Socrates from Way of the Peaceful Warrior. I’m pretty sure Leo-tai is real but you kinda wonder. And I kinda like that. :)
I could literally open the book at random and pick a different Big Idea to discuss. My book is more highlighted than not. (Seriously.) (Get it here.)
I’m excited to explore a handful of my favorite Big Ideas. So, let’s jump in!
Whatever is going on inside your head has everything to do with how well you end up performing.
Why Mental Training?
“I need you to recall an occasion when you performed at your best—and then remember a time when you were at your worst. Now when you look at those two performances, I want you to be honest with yourself and ask, what made the most difference between the two? Could it have been your mental state that made the most difference? …
And that’s the important point: no matter what your game is, or what the challenge is, the difference between great performances and average performances is mostly mental. Once you reach a certain level of skill, it’s your mental skills that start making all the difference. The better they are, the better you will become—and the better your results will be.”
Alrighty.
Let’s start by identifying the WHY of mental training. When you look at your best and worst performances in your life, what made the difference between the two?
*insert jeopardy music here*
If you’re like most athletes and other people aspiring to perform at a high level, you’ll probably admit that it came down to a mental difference—you were either super on mentally. Or not.
As DC advises, once we reach a certain level, the primary difference is mental. And, to even GET to that certain level of mastery, the primary driver is mental. Who’s going to train hard enough/put in enough hard work to even get to a high level of performance?
Exactly. The person who has a strong mind.
Now, it’s time to get that mind of yours stronger. Here are some brilliant ideas from DC on how to do that.
I remembered something that Leo-tai had told me, 'Danielsan, one should never look where one does not wish to go.'
Your attitude
““A champion teaches himself the skill of turning things around inside his head,” I explained. “He learns how to look at a negative setback both as temporary, and even as an opportunity for positive change. He knows that things he can learn from his loss will make him even better, even stronger, in the long run. The Mental Warrior learns from his setbacks and doesn’t allow them to distract him from reaching his true potential.”
“So keep your self-talk positive. Keep your outlook positive. By doing so, you give yourself the best chance to perform well. Take on your inner feelings with courage and determination; never allow a bad attitude to hold you back from achieving the level of personal success that you are capable of.””
Obviously, if we want a strong mind—to become a Champion/Mental Warrior as DC says throughout the book—we need to get in charge of our attitude.
This passage reminds me of a few things.
First, Martin Seligman, one of the world’s leading researchers and positive psychologists, echoes the importance of seeing setbacks as temporary. He tells us about the science behind Learned Optimism (see Notes) and that as we learn optimism we’ll not only optimize our performance but also optimize our emotional and immunological well-being. (As we know, optimism is huge.)
And, a strong attitude allows us to see setbacks as not only temporary but as catalysts for our next stage of growth. We are no longer fragile—broken to pieces when things don’t go as planned. We become anti-fragile—where challenges/setbacks actually MAKE US STRONGER.
There’s only one way you can achieve that level of mastery: a *really* strong mind.
'This loss—you must let it go. True champions keep such a loss in perspective,' he said. 'You must look at it long enough to learn from it—but then you must let it go.'
Stop the negative. Fire off the positive.
“He taught me to interrupt any negative self-talk the instant I noticed it and replace it by firing off positive self-talk. Things like: I’m fast, I’m focused, I’m good. He always said not to let negative thoughts get in your way. You have to cancel the negativity and feed your self-belief instead. This will improve your concentration, and lower your level of tension, which will help you perform better. Shutting down negative self-talk begins by interrupting it, and then instantly replacing it.”
This is genius.
Reminds me of former Navy SEAL Mark Divine’s wisdom in his great book, Unbeatable Mind (see Notes). I just love it when two great writers echo each other so closely.
Here’s how Mark puts it: “Negativity destroys performance, so it is crucial to train to move from witnessing negative thoughts to starving them and feeding the positive. This is the specific process:
I. Witness negativity. II. Interdict, or stop, the negative thoughts with a power statement. III. Redirect your mind with self-talk and imagery to something positive and productive for your current goal. IV. Maintain your new mental state with a jingle or mantra.”
That’s in the context of a chapter where he talks about STARVING the fear wolf and feeding the courage wolf. Starving our negative thoughts. Interdicting the negative thoughts (love that word—it’s a military term that basically means to bomb them :) then redirecting our minds to focus on the positive.
Again, it takes a strong (!) mind to a) witness the negative thought in the first place—vs. getting so carried away by them that you just unconsciously spiral down + b) step in and STOP them + c) insert positive self-talk.
That takes practice. So, let’s start that practice TODAY. The very next time you find your internal chit-chat getting negative, INTERRUPT it immediately. (You could even tell yourself “STOP!”) Fire off positive self-talk. Phrases I like include, “I’ve got this!” + “Let’s do this!!”
Here’s to stopping the negative and firing off the positive!
Remember: Especially when things are at their worst, your self-talk must be positive, encouraging, and empowering. Shut down the Internal Critic.
The critical three
“Breathing, relaxation, and imagery are mentioned throughout the lessons so often because they’re such fundamentally important tools for the Warrior/Champion. I call them “The Critical Three.” I remember how often Leo-tai spoke of all three. They’re crucial in order to help create the Ideal Mental Climate from which peak performance springs forth.”
The Critical Three.
BREATHING + RELAXATION + IMAGERY.
I’ll repeat that.
BREATHING + RELAXATION + IMAGERY.
How about a little test to make sure we’re on the same page?
(Haven’t done one of these before. Fun.)
Fill in the blank:
The Critical Three are 1. ____________ + 2. ____________ + 3. ____________.
Nice.
We need to learn to BREATHE deeply. The way Leo-tai taught DC and that he teaches us: In through our nose deep into our diaphragm, filling up our belly and body with life giving oxygen. Slowly out thru our mouths—which are slightly open with our tongues lightly against the ridge behind the front teeth. Repeat.
Breathing is HUGE. Again it’s awesome to see Mark Divine say the exact same thing in Unbeatable Mindwhere he tells us: “To say that learning breath control is the most important component to forging mental toughness would not be an overstatement.”
Notice how you breathe throughout the day and especially in crunch situations. Shallow breathing creates (unnecessary) anxiety. THE best way to clear + get control of our minds is via our breath. It brings us out of looping thoughts and into our bodies and into the present moment. I’m practicing my deep breathing as I type this. Let’s master it!
OK. So, you’re breathing deeply. Fantastic. That helps you with the second of the critical three: Relaxation. We need to learn how to relax mentally and physically. DC walks us thru a great relaxation exercise he uses with all his clients. Genius.
OK. We’re breathing deeply. We’re relaxed. Now, it’s time for some imagery. Imagineering as DC calls it. That’s the focus of our next Big Idea.
For now, know that one of the primary reasons we want to breathe deeply and relax is so we can connect with and program our subconscious mind. THAT’s where our deepest mind power is.
Here’s how Heidi Grant Halvorson puts it in her great book, Succeed (see Notes): “Metaphorically speaking, if your unconscious mind can hold information equivalent to a NASA supercomputer, your conscious mind can hold roughly the contents of a Post-it note.”
The mental athlete has learned to stay calm and task-focused under pressure.
Imagineering
“Imagineering — the technique of showing our minds how we want things to go, and a term first made famous by the legendary dreamer, Walt Disney. We should all take his advice and allow ourselves to practice sensory rich Imagineering. Champions use Imagineering prior to their events. It’s also often used by people in order to help them achieve successful completion of a project or an important goal over time. This simple practice has been proven to be so essential and so effective that the athlete who fails to practice this technique apparently never plays to his true potential. (Interestingly, the same results have been observed with actors and musicians as well.) For performance of any kind, mental preparation is as important as physical training. So, if you leave “Imagineering” out of your preparation, you will be hurting yourself and helping your opponent.”
Imagineering. So good.
DC shares a story about Pelé that he heard from Gary Mack (who wrote Mind Gym—see those Notes, too!). Apparently, Pelé was a HUGE imagineering guy.
An hour before *every* game Pelé would grab a couple towels and lay down somewhere in the locker room. He’d roll one towel up for a mini-pillow and use the other to cover his eyes. Then he’d go to work in his mind gym.
First, he’d bring to mind images of playing on the beach as a kid—seeing and FEELING (key word) the love and enthusiasm with which that little version of him ran around the soccer field.
Then, he’d imagine some of his best performances—where he demonstrated total mastery. He’d see it. He’d feel it.
Then, he’d imagine THAT day’s performance. The enthusiasm and love of his childhood and the mastery of his recent performances melded into an extraordinary performance in his mind for that next game. 30 minutes of imagineering. That’s what he did before every.single.game.
Then what? Then he’d walk onto the field and be unstoppable—doing precisely what he had just experienced in his mind. <— Amazing.
How about you? Ready to do a little (a lot?) more imagineering in your life?
P.S. Important distinction that came to me this morning as I practiced a little imagineering in my meditation: Remember to focus on the PERFORMANCE you want to have. NOT (!!!) the outcome.
Pelé didn’t spend 30 minutes imagining receiving a gold medal or a $1 million check at some point down the line. Those are OUTCOMES. He focused on what he was going TO DO. His PERFORMANCE.
In a culture obsessed with get-it-quick extrinsic outcomes (fame! wealth! hotness! power!) we, unfortunately, fail to actually commit to doing the GREAT WORK (lots of caps! :) required to *achieve* those outcomes.
So, let’s focus on what we’re going to do, how we’re going to show up, etc. and let the outcomes be by-products of our extraordinary performances.
How? Well, most of us aren’t athletes so it’s a little different/more challenging to imagine us at our best “performances.”
Here’s how *I* am doing it these days. I’m all about seeing how consistently I can follow John Wooden’s advice and “make each day a masterpiece.” I have a very clear sense of what a “masterpiece” perfectday looks for me.
Here it is: I wake up early (this morning = 3:27 am), meditate for 20 min, do a little yoga for 5 min, then create a PhilosophersNote (from the book I read the day before) all before the family gets up around 7 am. Then I hang out with Alexandra + Emerson as they get up, take the little man on an “adventure” (aka walk with the dog to the park! :) so dad has time to hang out with his son and mom has time to do her AM rituals like meditation + exercise). That’s “AM-1.” Then I get back at it for AM-2 where I do things like record MP3s, create PNTVs, check in on biz stuff, etc. That’s around 9 to noon. Then I shut off the computer, do a little napitation and read—which paces everything. I need to read a ton (!), obviously, if I want to be able to have fresh Note to work on. I throw in a hike or training and I’m done by 5, hang out with the family knowing I’ve put in a solid 10+ hours of work. Enjoy dinner, give the little man a bath, go on a family walk and get to bed around 7 pm. That’s a PERFECT day for me. That’s me performing at my best. That’s what I visualize with enthusiasm—seeing that goodness come to life in the same kind of way Pelé would have imagined dribbling a soccer ball around defenders and scoring another phenomenal goal.
Back to you. What’s youroptimal performance look like?! Imagineer it. Groove it into your subconscious!
P.P.S. Heidi Grant Halvorson agrees. She tells us: “Don’t visualize success. Instead, visualize the steps you will take in order to succeed. Just picturing yourself crossing the finish line doesn’t actually help you get there— but visualizing how you run the race (the strategies you will use, the choices you will make, the obstacles you will face) not only will give you greater confidence, but also leave you better prepared for the task ahead. And that is definitely realistic optimism.”
Decide: What’s your dream? Figure it out. That’s your assignment.
Remember: One must practice in order to become.
Indeed. When you really believe you can win, Danielsan, something extremely powerful is set into motion.
Lacking motivation? Set some goals!
“Warrior/Champions set out to turn their dreams into reality by taking action through goal setting… Mental athletes are goal-oriented. They have vision. When an athlete complains of lacking motivation, you can be sure that it’s almost always caused by goals that fail to inspire him to action. Goals serve to keep you on target. They increase the desire to achieve…
While setting your own, private goals, be sure that they are both challenging and realistic. Slightly out-of-reach goals are best: inspiring hard work, yet still attainable with dedicated effort. Goals need to be set neither too high, nor too easy or low—which would defeat their very purpose. Goals should be written down and reviewed frequently. Goals should come in the form of daily goals, monthly goals and annual goals, and remember that what you are striving for is progress rather than perfection. Believe me, as you begin to focus on meaningful, specific goals, the power of your hidden reserves will be unleashed and good things will begin to happen.”
Goals.
They’re super (!) important. All the great teachers—motivational and conservative researchers alike—remind us that focusing our intention on goals that inspire us is a key to optimizing our lives and actualizing our potential.
How are your goals? Firing you up? Stretch goals that make you work but not so crazy they make you snap? Let’s get clear on what we’re inspired to create and go do it.
The most important Lesson: Self-Belief
“As the sun hazed into the sea, I remembered so many other sunset lessons over the years. Perhaps Leo-tai was remembering them too, for he suddenly said, “From amongst all our lessons, what one most important thing do you think I would always want you to remember? If there was just one, what do you think it might be?
So many things, I thought… I thought hard. Learning to never give in, not allowing negativity, self-discipline, staying in the present, control of anger, control of fear, Imagineering, to believe in my dreams.
And then I remembered: “Self-belief is what gets everything going.”
“Self-belief,” I told him. Our eyes met and he glowed back at me.”
Self-belief.
It’s the engine that drives the whole show.
Henry Ford told us “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Modern scientists describe this belief in ourselves as “self-efficacy” and it’s the variable we can use to predict which evenly matched competitor will win in a close match.
Do you think you can? Or do you think you can’t?
Do you believe in yourself?
I believe in you.
Let’s do this!!!! :)
Rest assured it will take courage to achieve your goals and reach your full potential. Get ready to work hard.