High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 124: 4 Take-Aways from Ken Ravizza

Episode Date: July 29, 2017

“Goal setting is critical in performance but the key is what are you focused on TODAY to get better? The time is now the place is here.” Ken Ravizza In this episode, Cindra shares 4 take-aways she got from interviewing Ken Ravizza. Summary: High performers constantly work on themselves. They are in constant evolution. They focus less on how they feel. They enjoy the people that they are around and learn to love where there feet are. Affirmation this Week: “Today, I will enjoy where I’m at, learn where I’m at, and really immerse myself where I am at.”  

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. Dr. Sindra Kampoff is here for High Performance Mindset today on The Country Club. Good morning, Sindra. Good morning. It's great to be here. Good to have you back in again today. I'm kind of excited today to talk because I've been following along on Twitter. And I have to be honest, I'm falling a little bit behind on my podcasts. I kind of go back and forth.

It's podcasts for a while, then I need music or nothing and podcasts. And I've been just back and forth. So I like to let them pile up and then listen to them all at once on long runs. But I know you have one that just was posted that I told Lisa this morning. If there's like a godfather of sports psychology from what I've heard out of your podcasts and other ones that I've listened to, this is the guy. This is the guy. I'm really excited. Yeah, it was really awesome. To talk about some of the things that you learned or took away, at least, in your visit with Ken Ravizza.

And tell us, to start with, I guess, a little bit about who he is. Well, we like to start with a quote, so let's start with a Ken quote first. Let's start with a Ken quote. So it's this one. Goal setting is critical to performance, but the key is to focus today to get better. The time is now, the place is here. Excellent. All right.

So tell us who Ken is. Sure. He was a professor at Cal State Fullerton for over 40 years and really has become a legend in professional baseball where he helps teams and athletes master the mental game. He's worked in professional baseball as a sports psychology consultant for over 25 years and worked very closely with Joe Madden, the manager of the now Chicago Cubs. And so they won the World Series last year. And Ken was really influential in Joe's kind of philosophy. So he's worked with Madden at the Angels, the Dodgers, the Rays. Now at the Cubs, he's also been involved in eight Olympic games where he's helped people kind of master their mindset. So what you're saying, TJ, about a legend

godfather, he's one of them. And I know, you know, you listen to a lot of the podcasts and a lot of people mentioned just how they've been really influenced by Ken. So it was really awesome to sit down with him. And what I thought we could do today is talk about like four lessons I learned from him and then apply them to life. All right. So what's the first one that you take away from Ken? So he's talked really about how we need to enjoy where we're at. And that really kind of gets at the quote that I mentioned when we just started is that, you know, goal setting is critical to reaching our potential, but we have to stay focused on where we're at and today to get better. And he said, you know, the biggest thing that I recommended is to enjoy where you're at, learn where you're at,

and really immerse yourself where you're at and do the best you can with whatever level you're at and really immerse yourself where you're at and do the best you can with whatever level you're at. And, you know, he talked about how he had no sort of goal of working in professional baseball for this long, but he just got really, really good at what he did. And he was engaged at where he was at. And if that was, you know, at the lowest level of sport. And I think really, we can learn a lot from that is, you know, that sometimes we have these big goals and it's a good idea to have those goals. But instead, today, really enjoy where you're at. Just keep that in mind, but really immerse yourself where you're at.

All right. That's good. It's hard to do, but it's good. Yes. Absolutely. What's the second takeaway? So he said the mental game takes constant work. And he said, you know, just like in life that we always have to work on ourselves and get better at what we do.

And, you know, once you think that you've made it, you're in trouble. But it takes constant evolution with your mindset, constant evolution of just, you know, working on your mindset. And the example he gave was a baseball player, a third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. His name is Evan Longoria. And Evan was just highlighted in E60, the ESPN segment. And, you know, in this segment, Evan talks about how he first learned about the mental game when he was in college at Long Beach State

when Ken was working there and working with the team. But, you know, he's constantly working on his mental game, and, you know, even as a very successful professional baseball player, he's still always working at it. I think the takeaway there is that mindset is essential, but it takes constant work. It takes constant commitment to be at your best, and that we're each an evolution,

and the key is to continue to work on your mindset. Always getting better. Always getting better. What's the third takeaway that you had? That we can simplify things too much. So he talked about how, you know, that there's this ongoing journey and constant fluctuations in the mental game. But he talks about how the mental game can be simple but complex. And he used the word called simplexity. I think that's what it's his own word. But it's simple but complex. For example, if you say to yourself, I believe.

It's more than that. It's more than that. Right. Exactly. And believing is the first step. Believing to achieve is the first step. But it takes a lot of work. And he talked about blood, sweat, and tears.

And the belief in yourself is one part of the puzzle. But you have to put in the work to get there. And I think sometimes we can just expect that we're going to get there. But it really takes a lot in the work to get there. And I think sometimes we can just expect that we're going to get there, but it really takes a lot of hard work to get there, you know, and so we can simplify things too much. Sometimes we can expect it too quickly. And what's the fourth takeaway? The fourth takeaway, which is one of my favorites, he said, sometimes we can focus too much on how we feel. And he says, you know, one of the questions I ask athletes is, you know, are you

so crappy of an athlete that you have to feel good to perform well? And he says, you know, one of the questions I ask athletes is, you know, are you so crappy of an athlete that you have to feel good to perform well? And he said, you know, feeling good is overrated. So, you know, an example he gave is, you know, when you were young and your neighbor kid came to your front door to ask you to play baseball, you know, he didn't ask you or she didn't ask you how you felt, right? Instead, you just went out and played. And I think, you know you he didn't ask you or she didn't ask you how you felt right instead you just went out and played and i think you know that that's really the key sometimes especially on a monday and that's the way we can apply to today is that we can focus too much on how we feel maybe you had a long weekend where you had a relaxing weekend it's hard to get back to work and so today instead of

focusing on you how you feel instead give give 100% of where you're at. That's really what he talked about instead is really competing to be the best. And that really means giving 100% of what you have right now. We do that a lot to ourselves on Mondays. I think we put ourselves kind of in the negative or in the hole just to begin with because it's Monday. You know what's wrong with a Monday? There's so many times Lisa and I walk in here and go, T-G-I-M. The weekend was so busy.

I'm so glad I'm just sitting in this room for hours. It's hard to hang out for a little bit. And just chilling out, having some coffee and chatting, and it works. Yeah. I think it was somebody else on one of your podcasts that maybe referenced this same kind of topic where they're like, look, you don't have to feel great going into a workout, but it doesn't mean it won't be a great workout. You know, you might not feel great going in, but it ends up being a lot better than you thought. And I've experienced that.

I get out, first couple steps of a run, I'm like, oh, this is going to be a struggle. I did it on Saturday. I had two runs because of the Ragnar thing. Oh, nice. I ran in the morning and it was hot and humid and it sucked, but I got it done. And then I ran again in the afternoon, hot, more humid and sucked, but I ran each mile faster than the next. And by the time I finished, I was like, hey, there's a positive to take out of this. I might as well be underwater, sweaty run that I just finished up. It turned out to be

better than I expected it to be. So yeah, don't put yourself in that hole automatically on a Monday, I don't think. Absolutely. If you can avoid it. So how do we summarize this? Ken's got a lot of good stuff. And so I know I'm going to point people towards your podcast here in a Monday, I don't think. Absolutely. If you can avoid it. So how do we summarize this? Ken's got a lot of good stuff. And so I know I'm going to point people towards your podcast here in a moment, but summarizing today's topic and those four takeaways. So high performers, those people who are working to reach their greater potential, which I know is you or you wouldn't be listening. They constantly work on themselves and they realize they're a constant evolution and they don't focus on how they feel. Instead, they give 100% of where they're at. And they enjoy the people around them and really learning to love where

their feet are. And is our affirmation for this week a Ken Revisa-based affirmation? It is. It's this. Today, I will enjoy where I'm at, learn where I'm at, and really immerse myself where I'm at. Awesome. A lot of the people that I know you've interviewed on your podcast have, when you've asked for a favorite book that they have or some sort of inspiration or whatever, I've mentioned Ken. So it's very wise of you then to go to the podcasts and listen to them and then ultimately end up listening to the one with Ken that Sindra just did. If we want to follow along with you, social media, website, podcasts,

how do we do that? So you can head over to my website, just drcindra.com. And Ken's interview is on there. And then you can also subscribe to the podcast called High Performance Mindset. You can do that on iTunes if you have iPhone or Stitcher Radio if you have an Android. And just like you, TGI, listen to them when I'm driving or when I'm running or when I'm exercising or yesterday I was painting in my house. And you know, it's like just an easy way to continue

to be inspired and to get some golden nuggets. So if you at all enjoyed today, I would head over to listen to Ken's interview. It's free. What do we have? Seven days left in the month and then a couple more days in August and then book. I know. It's at the printer right now. I cannot wait.

All right. Dr. Sindra Kampoff with us today. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. If you like today's podcast, make a comment, share it with a friend, and join the conversation on Twitter at Mentally Underscore Strong. For more inspiration and to receive Sindra's free weekly videos, check out DrSindra.com. Thank you.