Kevin Spacey’s Advice on Success
Posted on 13. Apr, 2011 by Todd Herman in Inspiration
I have to admit I’m a huge fan of Kevin Spacey. An excellent actor and I met him on the streets of New York a couple years back. Nice guy. (People have even told me I look like a younger version of him, but I don’t see it…)
A few months back, one of the athletes participating in The Champions Challenge sent me this video after watching one of the lessons in the program. He said, “Todd I think you’ll like this video because Spacey says pretty much the exact same thing you did in today’s lesson. Thought you’d like it.”
Well… I did. And I’ve finally had the chance to share it.
My favorite quote from Mr. Spacey:
“There is no prize out there [pointing away from him], the only prize is this one and what you feel [pointing to himself].”
If you have any other videos you’ve found or inspiring stuff around the web. Let me know and share them in the comments below.
The 2 Biggest Threats To The Career Of An Amateur Athlete
Posted on 12. Apr, 2011 by Todd Herman in Athletes
My phone rang and on the other end was a frantic mom pleading for help. She was pleading because her son was a rising soccer star in the United Kingdom and he had recently begun vomiting before games and practice and was considering quitting soccer. She had no idea where it was coming from, but was convinced her son wasn’t able to handle the pressure of serious competition anymore.
After listening to her worries for a few minutes, I stopped her. She was making a classic mistake I see sports parents make every day. And if she didn’t stop, she was going to contribute even more to his issues and probably cause him to quit.
Her mistake?
She was attributing his problems with something that was wrong with him and passing judgement. Like most parents she was too close to the situation to really see what was going on. After asking a handful of targeted questions, I got to the root of the problem.
To put it bluntly, his new coach was a jerk.
He was verbally abusive and singled out her son constantly and insulting him in front of teammates. All of this occurred despite the fact he was one of the top performers on the team and a positive teammate to others. He was quickly losing his love for the game and getting emotionally worn out.
Before I finish the story, let’s get to the threats…
The Two Biggest Threats…
- Coaches.
- Parents.
In a study we conducted in 2006 of over 1100 top level amateur athletes that had quit their sport, despite promising futures. 82% said they quit because of problems with coaches or parental pressures.
The numbers shocked me. Based on my experience I knew the numbers were high, but I didn’t think they’d be that high. Of all the factors in sport that should threaten an athletes future, coaches and parents should be the last two. They’re the ones that should support and build the confidence of the athlete. Unfortunately, because of poor communication skills and a lack of perspective, parents and coaches destroy the confidence and desire of athletes all over the world.
If you’re dealing with this yourself… than keep reading.
Story Continued…
After talking to the soccer mom for a few more minutes, we scheduled a call with her son. During our first session, I convinced him to continue to play the sport he loved and gave him a ninja communication strategy to use on his coach. (Trust me. It pays to know human behavior and mass psychology.) He was completely against using it, but I reassured him it would work.
Sure enough, the next call, he was excited and back to loving soccer again because our strategy worked and his coach was no longer verbally assaulting him. In fact, his coach ended up apologizing to him and his parents, even though that wasn’t the intent of our strategy.
But there’s one incredibly valuable thing that comes out of these situations if a person doesn’t quit. The skill of overcoming adversity. Just like repetitive arm curls builds the bicep. The adversity muscle is flexed with every challenge. The more challenges you face and overcome… the harder it is for anyone or anything to stop you. <<=== Critical factor to success!
Some final tips…
If you’re a parent or coach, LEAD them to success, don’t manipulate, scream, insult or shame them to success. Because I can promise you your son, daughter or athlete, is a day away from throwing in the towel. And, will resent you for it, for a very long time.
I doubt that’s the legacy you want.
Tips For Parents…
If your son or daughter is dealing with a difficult coach here are a couple of quick tips:
- Find another authority figure to lean on for support. Get them involved with a skill coach that is positive or someone like myself to give them strategies to deal with the problem…
- Get them around other athletes that are positive. Enrolling them in additional programs or camps can be a great way to give them another source of encouragement.
Tips For Athletes…
If you’re the one dealing with a coach like this here are a couple of tips for you:
- Hang around positive teammates or other athletes… Remember, be the person you’d most like to be around. If you’d like other people to be positive and supportive towards you, be positive and supportive towards others. It’s simple, but most people fail to realize it’s benefits. Plus, I’ve seen groups of teammates stick up for one another when a coach is acting like a bully towards someone they know is good to them.
- Email me, describe the situation and I’ll give you some advice.
I’d love to get your feedback about any experience you’ve had with difficult coaches or parents. Or, if you’ve had success dealing with a coach that’s been a problem share it with others.
How To Think Like A Champion
Posted on 16. Nov, 2010 by Todd Herman in Inspiration
“How To Think Like A Champion”
There are few interviews from exceptional people, that illustrate so flawlessly, the process needed to achieve great things than this one with, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Watch, Listen & Do!
The mental part of anyone’s game is always the part that needs the most work and has the greatest opportunity, if improved, to give epic improvements to performance immediately.
It’s the exact reason why I created ‘The Champions Challenge‘, which has become the #1 sports program on the web in the past 12 months. There are athletes, parents and coaches from over 29 countries and 58 different sports, rapidly changing their performance with the program.
If you’d like to learn step-by-step how to develop a mindset, confidence and belief in yourself like Arnold. You can simply click here for more details ===>> http://thechampionschallenge.com/start
——————————————————————
A special thanks to Demetrius Durante from Palm Desert, California for sharing this video and being a valuable addition to The Champions Challenge.
——————————————————————
The Glass
Posted on 20. May, 2010 by Todd Herman in Inspiration
Below is one of my favorite poems. (slightly modified, it’s actually a bit longer.)
I also like having a version for male and females. Because hey, why not.? 
Enjoy!
~ Todd
Mike Cammalleri Visualization Routine
Posted on 14. May, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
“Montreal Canadiens Forward, Mike Cammalleri’s Sports Visualization Routine…”
Mike Cammalleri visualizing before Game 7 against Pittsburgh.
Setup & Back-Story:
- If you’re not a hockey fan, Mike Cammalleri is a forward for the Montreal Canadiens.
- It’s playoff time right now (May 14, 2010) and he’s the leading goal-scorer in the playoffs.
- He scores the game-winning, series-winning goal after he’s gone through this visualization routine on this night.
- Throughout the course of The Champions Challenge, I’ve explained the different ways to use sports visualization and this is a fantastic example of one of the principles I talk about. (Using props or your sports equipment to make it more real.)
If you have questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you.
How Great Are You?
Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes, Inspiration
Quotes From The Video:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure.”
~ Nelson Mandela
“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Last night I cut the light off in the bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.”“I’m gonna show you how great I am!
Only last week I murdered a rock.
Injured a stone.
Hospitalized a brick.
I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”“I have wrastled with an alligator.
I done tussled with a whale.
I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail.”
~ Muhammad Ali
“This kid’s gonna be the greatest kid in the world. This kid’s gonna be better than anyone I ever knew.”
~Rocky
“But somewhere along the lines you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and try to tell ya – you’re no good. And when things got hard you started looking for someone to blame. Like a big shadow.”
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place – and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”
“You, me or nobody’s gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you’re hit – it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward! How much you can take and KEEP MOVING FORWARD! That’s how winning is done! Cuz if you’re willing to go through all the battling you’re gonna go through to get what you wanna get. Who’s got the right to stop you?”
“I mean maybe some of you guys have got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone – SOMETHING! And, you’re told no – even after you’ve paid your dues. WHO’S GOT THE RIGHT TO TELL YOU NO!? NOBODY!”
“It’s your right to listen to your gut and it ain’t nobody’s right to say no after you’ve earned the right to BE WHO YOU WANNA BE AND DO WHAT YOU WANNA DO!”
“Now if you know what your worth than go out and get what your worth – but you gotta be willing to take the hits! And, not point your finger and say you ain’t what you wanna be because of HIM OR HER OR ANYBODY! COWARDS DO THAT AND THAT AIN’T YOU! YOU’RE BETTER THAN THAT!”
~Rocky Balboa
“It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson (Also quoted by Nelson Mandela)
Tell me what you think below. I love the feedback and comments.
Todd Herman is the Peak Performance coach and Mental Trainer to numerous professional and Olympic athletes around the world. Teams and players use Todd to prepare for major competitions, seasons or to learn some simple techniques to get the most out of their abilities. If you’re struggling with any self-doubt, negative self-talk, or would like to improve your confidence. Contact Us Today Or, you can check out the internet’s largest sports challenge.
Sports Visualization: Does It Work?
Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
Sports Visualization: Does It Work?
Fred Couples during the 1992 Masters Tournament
With a frown on his face and arms crossed an audience member at a recent speech asked, “Does sports visualization really work?”
Me, “You tell me… Do you believe it works?”
“No.”
“Well, than it doesn’t…For you that is. BUT”, with major emphasis, “for the person in the audience that does believe in it – it’s the most powerful tool they could put in their training regiment. Here let me give you an example…”
And, this is where I went on to tell the story you’re about to see.
This example is just one of hundreds of stories and examples I could share with you on how clients of mine have used sports visualization to create the games, competitions or tournaments they desire the most.
But here’s the trick…
If you decide to add this to your tool-kit; whether or not you believe what you are doing is going to help – WILL determine it’s success.
“Belief is the fuel that will fire up the engines of creation.”
2010 Masters: Three Sports Psychology Take-Aways
Posted on 12. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Opinion
Phil receiving the Green Jacket
The movies can’t do it…
Politics can’t do it…
There is nothing on the planet like sports. It captivates our attention and creates story-lines like nothing else.
The 2010 Masters didn’t disappoint. It had more story-lines than the entire 2009 Hollywood movie releases combined.
Whether it was Tiger’s return. Lee Westwood’s quest for a first ‘Major’. Or, Phil’s search for another championship after 4 years of drought and an emotional year of their family battling breast cancer.
Here are 3 takeaways from the 2010 Masters:
- It takes more than a public statement of change to alter your competitive tendencies. Tiger, made the declaration a few weeks back that he will curb his outbursts.
The problem:
Now everyone expects him to be even more ‘perfect’ than he was before his tumble from society’s pedestal.What actually happened?
: He was Tiger. He had a few outbursts, swore a little and tossed his club. And, people go right back to judging him on a scale they would never put themselves on. It’s completely Hypocritical.The Reality.
Anytime you try to change a part of your personality which is completely natural – it will take a heck of a lot more than a public declaration. In order, for you to change something that has been a fundamental part of who you are it will take complete daily focus for months. Not days. Not weeks. MONTHS. Your brain needs to learn a new natural process. It’s like trying to re-train the roots of a 100 year old oak tree to get it’s water supply from the underground stream on the right, rather than the one on the left. (Which it’s been getting for 100 years!)The re-wiring takes time.
- Your body language says a lot about what’s going on inside.
Insight:
Amy Mickelson, said, “When I saw the way Phil was walking off # 12. I knew he wasn’t going to let this one slide away. That’s when I rushed to get ready and head over to the golf course.” (paraphrasing) (Amy was lying in bed resting from her rounds of chemo and weak from her battle with breast cancer.)What About You?:
Everybody has some natural physical tendencies they display when they feel like everything is going their way. Find out what yours are, practice them and you can immediately trigger positive emotions and tap the inner confidence you’ll need to succeed. -
Phil and Amy after The Masters
Playing for yourself is good. Playing for someone or something else is beyond powerful.
Back-story: For the past year Phil’s wife Amy and his mom have been battling breast cancer.
Result: Phil has often said, it’s re-prioritized his life, it’s brought the family even more close together and it makes him want to do even more for his family.
Your Takeaway: I’ve said it in my speeches, my coaching sessions and to friends asking for advice. “The person with the biggest WHY will always win.” What’s your why? The goals or dreams you’d like to achieve can be fueled with the power of asking yourself ‘Why’.
Here’s my challenge to you – sit down and ask yourself why you want ‘that’ goal. Don’t just stop at one. Act like a curious three year old. Keep on asking why and writing it down. I promise by about #17 you’ll start to hit the real reasons.
Just like a miner digging for gold… the deeper you go, the more you’ll find.
Now. Here’s the challenge. Did you just read that and say… “hmmm sounds like a good idea.” Or, “Makes sense. I’ll get to it later today or after I finish surfing the web.” Be honest. It’ll never happen.
Do it now. Or, you’ll never do it.
“When your WHY is big enough, the HOW doesn’t matter.”
10 Steps To Becoming A Better Athlete
Posted on 06. Apr, 2010 by Todd Herman in Athletes
- Practice.
- Practice more.
- Practice even more.
- Practice even more than that.
- Practice when you don’t want to.
- Practice when you do.
- Practice when it’s sunny.
- Practice when it’s not.
- Practice in your mind.
- Keep practicing.
