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Building Champion Mindsets
Positive self-talk and mental strategies can change how we live and play.
Posted April 12, 2022 Reviewed by Michelle Quirk
Key points
- Overcoming adversity is about mindset and confidence.
- Each athlete learns, receives, and responds to experiences differently.
- The power of positive self-talk, positive thinking, and consistent mental routines is the difference between a good and a great player or coach.
My biggest passion in life has been working with athletes. As a former athlete myself, I often look back and question if the outcome of my career would have been different when I was injured if I had the resources that are available today.
I would have told the doctors who told me so long ago that I could not play anymore…that I could! Overcoming adversity is about mindset and confidence. Back then, I did not understand the power of positive self-talk and how the use of mental strategies could change the way I lived and played.
In life and in sport, there is no room for negativity, although many times it has crept up on me. It is not unusual to feel that way. However, it is important not to think negative thoughts repeatedly. Although plagued with age and back issues, I still play basketball in men’s leagues and push through the pain utilizing the mental fortitude that I studied and taught myself so long ago. The way we think can change the trajectory of our lives.

The Field of Sport Psychology
In the field of sport psychology, there is no shortage of constant and evolutionary learning. I study empirical research about behaviors, cognitive thought, injury, and how it all ties into overcoming adversity and performance issues. The best part of this research is how it can be applied to help transform athletes and coaches to reach potential they never thought was possible.
Every year, I work with a handful of coaches and athletes to assist them not only to elevate their game but also to help them identify who they are as players and/or coaches. Coaching, much like teaching, is not a "one style fits all" approach. Each athlete learns, receives, and responds to experiences differently. I strive to inspire and bring out the best in the athletes and coaches that I work with.
An Inspiring, Informative Book
Since the pandemic, I have had more time than usual to research, review, and read about topics that widen my knowledge base to help improve my interaction with clients. Most recently, I had the pleasure of reading the book “Winning the Mental Game” by Dr. Amber Selking. The philosophy and foundation of this book are very similar to mine: It preaches empowerment and inspiration. This book is a wealth of information. Dr. Selking is a former soccer player at Notre Dame and a sport psychology consultant/mental performance coach. She works to improve the mental game and, as she calls it, the “champion mindset” of athletes and business leaders.
Selking discusses how the use of our thought patterns sets the stage for applicability to the success and failures in our lives, and how the brain works better with a positive mindset—the “use it or lose it” mentality. This inspirational book is a tremendous asset to the library of anyone seeking to be better in athletics and business. Every chapter in this book is more educational and motivating than the next. It consists of a series of strategies from Selking’s playbook for building championship mindsets. The chapters also provide supplemental information with the use of QR codes that provide a segue to her podcasts and more.
The foundational elements that she discusses are paramount when it comes to being in the moment and utilizing the awareness of your thoughts regarding performance. When I play basketball, I am aware that if I get too heated during participation, I begin to play poorly. I have teammates remind me that I am getting too emotional and losing my “zone” mindset. For me, to be an effective player and teammate, I need to understand that outside influences within the game cannot deter me and take me out of my game. With these reminders, I am able to catch myself and refocus on the correct mindset. Skills such as this are just one example that can be reinforced using this book.
As I continue to be inspired by books like Dr. Selking’s, “Winning the Mental Game,” or my client’s ability to overcome adversity through a positive mindset and valuable mental strategies and routines, I am never close to the end of my learning. I will forever yearn to cultivate my mission to assist athletes and coaches to find who they should be and redirect their thought patterns to recognize the fact that they can positively control their actions and empower others.

By being part of this wonderful process, I have the privilege to inspire athletes and coaches to strive to become better versions of themselves, to think and perform better, while fundamentally pushing them forward in a way that provides the tools that they will utilize for their entire lives. The power of positive self-talk, positive thinking, and consistent mental routines is the difference between a good player or coach and a great player or coach. This journey we call life is full of ups and downs, and it is how we respond to the process that counts.
References
Selking, A. (2022). Winning the Mental Game: The Playbook for Building Champion Mindsets.