This one is so good for those of us who are fooling ourselves about the impact of our daily practices… when in actuality all we are doing is repeating the same unchallenging routines.

Watch the video and share your thoughts!

(click player to watch this video on MuscleandFitness.com)

Whether crossing a busy intersection, performing a complex strength training movement or delivering a keynote presentation our ability to FOCUS on the task at hand is imperative to our success. But equally as important is where you direct your focus.

In this episode of Max Mind Set, I hone in on the importance of FOCUS and the keys to achieving it.

(Click image above to view video)

“What do you believe is the number one most important component in the entire fitness puzzle?”

Here are your choices:

1.  Nutrition
2.  Exercise
3.  Mindset

I surveyed a group of 500 fitness/exercise enthusiasts who had illustrated their commitment to improving their health, stamina and over all physical appearance – that very question.

Almost unanimously they agreed that mindset was far and away the most important factor in fitness success. 

And yet… admittedly only 12% of the group was actively investing any real time, energy and resources towards improvement in that area.

We’ve all seen super star athletes crumble under the pleasure or literally talk themselves out of victory when it was already in the palm of their hand.

Why?

When it comes to taking your knowledge and experience and making it shine in the real world, on stage or in your business as a winner… confidence and how you handle stress will always be mitigating factors.  Meaning… those things will either help you rise above the competition or f__k you up bad.

The truth is the only thing holding you back from being a champion in your own life… is you!

And yet we can’t eliminate you from the equation… can we? So you have no choice but to improve you – from the inside out.

Improve what’s going on inside and you will massively improve the results you achieve on the outside.

So, if “Mindset” is indeed the #1 most important factor in your success… how much, if any time, energy and resources are you investing in that area?  

If, for example your overall commitment to your fitness success requires a minimum of 8 hrs a day (24 hrs – 8 sleep – 8 work = 8 hrs remaining) and 2½ of those hrs are devoted to training and another 2½ to meal prep and eating… shouldn’t, at minimum, the remaining time 2½ hrs be devoted to learning and developing the mental strategies and the psychology of a championship mindset?

Most would-be-champions would rather invest that time in partying.

The choice is yours… winner or loser?

Here are three tips for investing your time for a Max Mind Set return on investment:

1. Read at least one hour a day on the subject of mind set, confidence, success strategies or inspiring stories of success.
2. One hour a day to listening to or watching training programs about overcoming fear, finding motivation, relaxation techniques, and strategies for success.
3. Practice visualization techniques NOW so that you can learn to relax and feel confident when you are on stage instead of stressed and overwhelmed.

Here is a great program to get you started and it’s free!

See you in the winner’s circle!

And I love it that way. 

I’m always learning something new from one and bringing it to the other.

There are however two common threads between the two - a desire to grow – whether physically, mentally, emotionally or as leaders and they always play full out. 

Every now and then however a group goes way beyond the level that even I thought they were capable of (which is quite a reach).

Last week I had an opportunity to work with a small group of fitness/bodybuilding enthusiasts who were attending the The Extreme Training Camp in Colorado. The event is led by two of the toughest guys in the fitness world Dr, BIG Mike Feulner and the notorious John Parrillo and hosted by Dyllon Armburst at his ultra hard core gym Armburst Pro Gym in Wheat Ridge, CO.

What I expected to see with this group was a bunch of serious hard core body builders and fitness competitors who were looking for a good excuse to puke all over someones new gym floor.  I was in for a bit of a surprise.

Even though there were a few hard cores in attendance the vast majority of the group was made up of a wide variety of “reasonably fit” individuals ranging in age from 20 -60 plus who,  from the moment they arrived had to be asking themselves “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

By the time the first high intensity interval cardio training session had begun the question switched to “How the hell do I get out of here?”

But no one booked out…  not even the 60 plus year young women with the bad hip and a ton of legitimate reasons for making an early exit.  Instead she dug in deeper and pushed harder and as a result she inspired everyone in the room to do the same. No one was willing to quite on themselves or the people around them.

You’ve probably heard me say it before…

“How you do anything is how you do everything.”

Chances are if they had held back there because it wasn’t convenient, or it’s uncomfortable, or they were tired, hungry, sad, frustrated, or maybe they just didn’t feel like it… there’s a pretty good chance they’re also holding back out in the real world – when it counts, when they (you) need to show up and step up.

If that’s what you’ve been doing… you can stop wondering why you’re not where you want to be yet.

It’s time to start PLAYING FULL FREAKING OUT.  Giving anything less than 100% in the area’s of your life that really count and even the ones you think don’t is unacceptable.

Are you interested in having a great life or are you committed?

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.”  ~Ken Blanchard

I know you have it in you.

Tom

I didn’t have the chance to see it myself as it was hidden behind those pesky Rocky Mountains.

But I understand from friends on the west coast, who had dragged themselves kicking and screaming out of bed a t 4:30 am, that it was a very cool sight as what appeared to be a massively overinflated moon, draped in red, passed through and was completely eclipsed by the earth’s shadow cast by the sun.

Although I missed this particular eclipse and they say there won’t be another one for 14 years this isn’t exactly a rare spectacle for me and likely not for you.

I see it happen all the time in the area of achievement and success.

We get all excited about some big, bright, and shiny object and like George Bailey we attempt to throw a lasso around it and pull it towards us.  We shine a light on it, over inflate its size and make it the focus of our attention. We even run around telling people “This is it…this kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often. This is the one.”

Then before we know it, what was once bright and shiny begins turning red and going dim. The opportunity, hope and possibility that was once the source of the objects illumination is suddenly completely eclipsed by our own shadow.

A shadow cast not by the brightness of who we really are and what we’re actually capable of, but by our many inescapable  fears, doubts and uncertainties.

If we only understood that all we have to do is MOVE (decisively) and the shadow will disappear.

What are your thoughts?

Too often we see only what stands between us and what we want and allow those things to stop us from moving forward or keep us from taking the first step.  The truth is we’re always going to encounter resistance in the pursuit of what we want – most of which with the right plan, enough determination and strength of will can be overcome.

The more subversive and covert stumbling block for countless otherwise great achievers is  the “internal resistance” they counter – but don’t have a clue it’s what’s slowing them down because it is on the unconscious level.

In the video I talk about the “end result” or outcome being like the leaves on a plant. Because they’re visible we get so focused on the leaves it’s all we pay any attention to….

“I must have great leaves.”

“I must have great leaves.”

“I must have great leaves.”

…and wind up ignoring what’s going on below the surface at the level of the roots.

But if the plant is going to flourish we must water and nurture the roots not the leaves.

If you have a values, integrity or worthiness conflict between what you want on the outside (the leaves) and what is going on inside (the roots) you will (not maybe) encounter overwhelming resistance, frustration and very likely failure.

The key is to fertilize, water, nurture the soil, and the roots. The only way to do that  is to take your sights off the goal and focus on your internal rather than external growth.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

It’s one of my favorite expressions because – although we don’t like to believe it or admit it, if we half-ass the stuff we don’t want to do there is a very strong likelihood that we will also half-ass the important stuff too. Holding back, playing it safe, committing 50% or less becomes a habit that will show up just at those critical moments when you need to step up and give 100% without thinking about it… you know – “just do it!”

On the flip side of that coin – if we practice playing full out and giving 100% in the gym, on the job, in our relationships  we will find that we also give 100% in other areas of our lives even when the stakes are low. Playing full out takes commitment and practice. It also takes constant self observation.

Once we notice we’re holding back we have to train ourselves to flip the switch and instead of putting one toe in the water we dive head first with everything we have. That’s how winning us done.  No one ever regrets giving 100% even if they “fail”- what we do regret are the times we held back and failed as a result.

Start becoming aware of those times when you’re not putting as much effort forward as you could, when you hold back, or screwing around instead of living up to your commitment and realize at that moment that what you’re doing right then is what’s going to show up later on.  Or your unconscious self image will soon -  if it has not already – become that of someone who half asses his or her way through life… is that really you?

“No one ever regrets giving 100% even if they “fail”

What are your thoughts?

Part I – How I went from Bad Ass Outlaw Biker to Achievement Expert

In part two I share the very same tools, strategies and mindset I used to LEAP from alcohol and drug abusing outlaw biker to Mr. America, successful entrepreneur, bestselling author and internationally know achievement expert.

I should caution you – This part of the interview is all about the science of achievement and TAKING ACTION!

As always please share your thoughts and opinions – pro or con?

An athlete, CEO, actor, or speaker can have all the outer game tools in his or her toolbox but if she doesn’t have the inner game needed to put those tools to work she will find herself frustrated, falling short of her full potential, and choking under pressure.

Imagine your inner game like the software in a computer. You can have the greatest hardware on the planet, a shiny new 32 inch monitor, slick new wireless keyboard and mouse, a really cool black tower with pretty blue lights, and a great workstation to put it all on but if you don’t have the proper software inside or if you have some old obsolete software to run the system and perform the tasks you want it, all that outer equipment or hardware won’t mean squat.

The inner game of confidence is your ability to control your focus, your state, and your emotions rather than letting them control or rule you.

It’s the ability to believe in yourself and your ability to succeed.

I’ll go one step further and say it’s the knowing that you will succeed.

The key for anyone looking to create more success in their lives whether in athletics, business, or even relationships is the ability to master their own inner game.

The empowering emotional state of being confident is triggered in most cases by an internal thought or vision. And so are the disempowering emotions of self doubt, frustration, fear, and disappointment.

Because of the way our brains process information every time that inner voice suggests something negative and you entertain that thought, your brain creates a picture or internal representation of that thought. If for example the pitcher facing that best hitter in the league were to say to himself, “don’t let this guy get a hit” and he entertained that thought his brain would immediately make a picture of the guy hitting it out of the park, dramatically increasing the likelihood of it happening.

So next time you’re in a potential choke situation and that little inner voice says something that could keep you from succeeding, simply acknowledge it and usurp its power by saying “thanks but no thanks! Then refocus and take action.

More strategies at Inner Game of Confidence