It’s now time to hone in one area of business, build it, and fill it before filling up the next project. So, looking at all I have started under the umbrella of coaching from my podcast and youtube, to creating courses, and writing, I have decided to hone in on my 1:1 coaching. Specifically, working with athletes on the mental performance side of the game (and life!).
In the field of holisitc health and wellness, defining and choosing an audience is challenging as, so I was told, we want to help everyone and in everyone we see a way to help them. Nevertheless, as the old adage or something like it goes, if you try to help everyone you end up helping no one. In defining my audience - once more getting very specific - an important realization came surfaced that I think many of us struggle with: being specific. Why? Perhaps because we think being specific will close us off from other options, or in the case of coaching, close us off from helping others. This was what I had a fear of. Then I realized an important distinction that needs to be understood:
Being specific is not the same as being narrow-minded
In Issue #16, I wrote about this idea. However, it’s been important for me to return to it as it was time to apply it once again.
Athlete Awareness Advantage
In questioning what problem needs to be solved - for my clients and in my business - it is the limitations in performance that goes unnoticed that I am capable of and passionate about helping in high-performing athletes. As an athlete, not performing at one’s best is stressful, especially if one doesn’t know what’s hurting one’s game. I have learned that wording is very important in getting a message across, so I took some time and created some space to develop a “I help statement” that accurately expresses who I help and how:
I help High-Performing Athletes cultivate the Mental Awareness & Strength they need, to gain the Advantage they want on the court and off the court.
In my experience playing, coaching, and in observing other players, it’s not about working harder physically, as we’ve been taught without proper explanation, but really is about being in-tune with the mind. Even with popular quotes like “90% of performance is mental,” the understanding of the performance of the mind was limited. For example, one important recognition that will highly influence one’s performance is their identity, which I happened to have written about before here: Identity to Expression. In short, if a player identifies with the sport they play, the way they respond to situations, perceive life, and all other factors associated with identity, will follow accordingly. How does one behave when someone threatens their identity? They naturally act possessive and protective. Rather, if the game is consciously seen as an expression of who the person is - beyond labels and external things, which has to be developed - and athlete is a role of who they are, then the performance will be more playful and light. This approach happens to improve the player’s performance holistically, as well as their ability to not allow it to affect their life outside of the game.
As you’ll see below, I am writing a pdf about 10 Mental Awareness Keys 🔑. If you’d be interested in reading it and being notified about it, checkout and sign up on my website.
If you know any athlete that can benefit from some training, please share with them my website or Instagram page mind.set.go_performance.
Favorite Quote
Maimonides held that “from a practical standpoint, knowledge of nutrition is of the greatest usefulness to the practice of medicine…”