The good news is, whether you are in high school now or high school was a long time ago, you can start taking effective action toward your dreams. 

Rather than give a whole long list of tips, which can be overwhelming and cause paralysis, I’ve narrowed it down to eight essential strategies.

And I encourage you to do all of them. Because each one adds a unique ingredient to the “dreams to reality” recipe. 

I encourage you to not do more than what I describe either because lesser suggestions can be a distraction from these most effective eight.

As we go through, you’ll see how they actually all tie together and work in unison.

I don’t know about you, but I spent years trying to figure out exactly how to let go of some pretty rough experiences, thoughts and feelings. 

Things that had happened to me. Childhood experiences. Self talk, that was really unhelpful. I just wanted to get rid of it all. 

And the more I tried to let it go, the more I had it. 

What I learned was that the best way to let something go is to wholeheartedly invest your heart and attention somewhere else.

If you are hard on yourself, do it with a loving heart. The harsh approach may motivate us in the immediate moment, but the benefits won’t last.

I recently read some articles on this topic and I found that I disagreed with most of what has been written.

Many of the articles are talking about the pathologies of why you’re beating yourself up, such as abuse or bad parenting or perfectionism. They frame it in this unnatural, unhelpful way that honestly just makes me feel worse when I catch myself being critical. 

But I want to ask, have you ever met somebody that didn’t beat themself up? 

There is, if you want to call it a “pathological” or more problematic level of self criticism. But I’m scaling this discussion back to the idea of self criticism in any capacity. 

And what I want to be sure you know is this: self-criticism is just a normal response to our failure to meet the standard we desire.

Self-discipline is the cornerstone of success in every aspect of life, and for athletes, business professionals, musicians, and high achievers of all kinds, it plays a pivotal role in achieving peak performance. 

In this article, we’ll explore the concept of self-discipline, its significance in sports, health, and fitness, and provide you with a comprehensive reading list of 20 self-discipline books that delve into various aspects of self-discipline and high performance.

In the world of high achievers, whether you’re an athlete, business professional, musician, or artist, mastering your emotions is often the key differentiator between success and mediocrity. 

Emotions are an intrinsic part of the human experience, and they can be both your greatest ally and your most formidable adversary on the journey to peak performance. 

In this article, we will delve into what emotions are, why mastering them is crucial, and how mastering does not mean controlling. 

We’ll also explore how mastering your emotions can propel you towards peak performance and provide eight actionable steps to help you achieve emotional mastery.

I am so excited to write this article because I hate a lot of sports clichés. 

This one is among the most frustrating. 

I’ll start with what this phrase gets right. 

Namely how embracing discomfort can promote personal and athletic development. 

I’ll shed some light on the nuances that differentiate individuals on this journey, and distinguish between discomfort and fear. 

I’ll give you five compelling reasons why embracing discomfort is the key to high performance, and two big reasons why it does NOT mean getting comfortable with it. 

Finally, we will explore five powerful strategies to help you (not) get comfortable being uncomfortable on your path to excellence.

To be honest, I haven’t heard much about referent power in my sports psychology circles. 

That’s a bit surprising because, as you will discover below, it is a pretty powerful thing for leaders in all contexts, not just sports. 

If you want to be an effective coach or team captain, referent power is essential.

Ugh, mental blocks are the worst. 

They are frustrating both in the experience itself, and in the results they prevent. 

They also happen to be the main reason athletes come to see me. 

Something is in the way of being their best. And the harder they try to fix it, the more frustrated they become. 

So in this article I will share what a mental block is, what it looks and feels like, what causes it, and, most importantly, how to get past them.

We easily see the power of physical skills and talent when an athlete does something remarkable in sports. 

Or in business when the company has exceptional results. 

Or in the performing arts when we are left in awe after witnessing beauty on-stage. 

But what we don’t see is how each of these high performers got there. 

Meaning the mindset that kept them growing through adversity and challenges. 

It is your mindset that will determine how far you will go. 

So it makes sense that investing in a mindset coach may be one of the most profitable choices you can make. 

In this article, we’ll explore what a mindset coach is and does, how a mindset coach can specifically help you, and end with five ways utilizing a mindset coach can transform your performance.