Over the weekend, I was out in Greenwich, CT to coach Navy SEAL candidates on mental toughness. Every month they show up for the Physical Screening Test (PST), which includes…
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How To Shine When You’re On the Spot (Or How To Avoid Choking Under Pressure, Part II)
This week, we’re going to talk about how to be at your best when you’re taken off guard. That’s what one listener wanted to know during my interview with performance…
Why You Choke Under Pressure – And How To Avoid It, Part I
Blowing a high-stakes presentation, flubbing a chance conversation with a senior partner in the elevator, bombing the exam you studied months for – choking under pressure is one, really painful…
The Power of 10
I’m talking about the power of ten minutes. That was the one of the recurring themes I picked up on as I was interviewing 12 diverse experts for the Mental…
Think Big, Start Small…
Have you ever gotten all pumped up about something – learning the guitar, say, or doing bikram yoga — and then a few months, maybe weeks, later simply lost interest?…
Why You Need To Trust Your Gut (Don’t Take My Word For It)
When my siblings and I were growing up, our health-conscious mom would vigilantly moderate our family diet according to the latest health findings reported in the newspaper. When a research…
What’s Your M.O. — Crash and Burn, or Rest and Recover?
Are you operating at your maximum or your optimum? Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, asked this question and it highlighted one of the behavioral mysteries I’ve long observed…
Listen To Your Inner Critic
Rob, a client of mine (though not his real name), recently took a one-week vacation from work, a much-needed break from a highly stressful, fast-paced corporate environment. Upon his return,…
How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything
When I lived in Japan, I was amazed by the pride that workers took in even the most “unglamorous” tasks. Garbage trucks were virtually spotless, thanks to their drivers’ concerted…
Perfection Is Overrated
The great cellist Pablo Casals was once asked by the sound engineer during a recording session to redo a section where the intonation had been a little off. Indignant, Casals…