High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 152: Why You Must Always Believe

Episode Date: January 16, 2018

In this episode, Cindra talks with TJ and Lisa about the "Minneapolis Miracle" and the mental processes that support a moment like that. Summary: High performers choose to always believe. They take time to train their perspective and mind each day. They realize their response may be an automatic negative thought about the reasons it’s not possible. But, instead they CAR IT! – Catch it, Address it, and Refocus it. They believe “Anything is possible.” This Week’s Power Phrase: I will always believe. Even when the odds are against me or my team, I will believe anything is possible!   Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Speaker and Author. She provide mental training for the Minnesota Vikings along with many other championships teams. Cindra speaks to and works with CEOs, businesses and organizations on how to gain the high performance edge while providing practical strategies that work. Her clients range from Verizon Wireless to Mayo Clinic Health System. Cindra's first book: Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge was published in August. Her Ph.D. is in sport and performance psychology and she is a Professor in Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University. To book Cindra for your next speaking event, visit: cindrakamphoff.com For more information about Cindra's book, visit: beyondgrit.com 

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. Wow. Wow. Wow. I could not, we could not wait to see you.

I think that was Zimmer's quote in the locker room. Wow, huh? I think those were the exact words. He looked around. Wow, huh? I think those were the exact words. He looked around. Wow, huh? And here we go. On to Philly. Dr. Cinder Kampoff with us today for High Performance Mindset.

How are you doing? I'm doing awesome. I didn't sleep very well, but I don't mind. How long did it take you to get home? Because you were at the game last night. Yeah, we were at the game. You know, it was pretty cool. After the game, people were doing the Skull Chant even as we walked to the parking deck.

We waited an hour in the parking deck just like, you know, stand still. Two hours to drive home. Everyone was happy, so we didn't mind. It's unbelievable. This kind of stuff doesn't happen to the Vikings and their fans, and so it was really great to be on that side of things. Random Skull Chants

breaking out everywhere this weekend. I was at the Mankato Craft Beer Expo and the whole place, sold out event, whole place erupted in a school chant at one point, just at random. Everybody was fired up. I had to peel my entire family off the floor of a bar last night because they were all in tears on the ground.

It was just, I mean, there's so many good stories. It was just a great night for playoff football and to be a Vikings fan. So I love today's topic because the topic is always believe. And let's start with a quote. We are going to start with a quote. No matter how hard it seems, never give up. Always believe.

Yolanda Adams. All right. And I know that we have, you know, you're on the mic that Logan usually uses, but we're going to put him in the corner and make him pay attention here Adams. I know that we have you're on the mic that Logan usually uses but we're going to put him in the corner and make him pay attention here today. I know. Take notes please. Logan should not be allowed to tweet prior to the finish of any football games.

Because he got all capped and negative there. Which I don't blame him. I mean I've grown up in this state and been a Vikings fan and have that feeling like it's just never going to happen and it's destiny for us to always just get crushed like a grape like that at the end and have our hopes and dreams just destroyed. But it's different this year. It definitely feels like it. So with the always believe topic and that quote to start with today,

give us an example and I'm going to assume it's going to include a little bit of last night. Yes, it's going to include last night. So if you weren't watching, the Vikings played the Saints at home. And if you didn't watch, the Vikings were down by two points, third down with 10 seconds to go. And this is what I heard around me. This is a big point of today. I heard, like, we know how this is going to end.

This always happens to the Vikings. Like, not again. This is always our destiny. All right. Logan. And then Case Keenum throws a pass to the Vikings. Like, not again. This is always our destiny. All right. Logan. And then Case Keenum throws a pass to Diggs. He runs for 61 yards. It's a Vikings touchdown with a play called Seven Heaven.

Buffalo, right? Seven Heaven was the name of the play. And you might not know this is a touchdown. It was the first. This time expired in NFL playoff history. And what I think is the Vikings shocked the world. People started calling it Minnesota Miracle last night. The Vikings win 29 to 24, move on to the NFC Championship game next week, Sunday. You know, my favorite part of just like watching it unfold was just the euphoria that happened in the stadium.

I saw at one point, you know, Diggs and Thielen on the field after the game. They just look at each other like there's no words. They collapse on top of each other. They're laying on top of each other, you know, on the field. All right. So always believe. It's easy to say. Practice what you preach is the hard part.

So what do you mean by always believe? I mean always believe that the best will happen, that anything is possible and that you and your team, that you are possible, that your family is possible. And to me, it means, you know, always believing that something wonderful is going to happen. You know, the Vikings chance of winning at that moment with 10 seconds to go was 2.6 percent chance of winning. I saw that. Yeah. So the most successful athletes, leaders, business people, team, they, you know, teams, they always believe that the best is possible. And so to do that, you know, you have to master your thoughts. I heard one of my colleagues say

that our nervous system is over 600,000 years old. And that's why we, we tend to see the negative. We become, because, you know, at one point we had to make sure that we kept alive against those lions and tigers and bears. And so your biology might be to see the negative, but what the best athletes do is they have command over their thoughts and their response, so they're always believing. All right. So when you're always believing, is always believing a practice that you need to constantly work on?

Or is it like riding a bike? And once you've kind of mastered it, it's good to go. I imagine it's a constant work in progress. I see that it's a constant work in progress because of your biology. And people often think that you're right, like having a winning mindset is like riding a bike. Like once you learn it, you are not going to forget it. But the world's best know that, you know, it takes daily effort. It requires practice, you know, in terms of seeing obstacles as opportunities. Or what I saw yesterday was like the difficulties is like, all right, let's go. It's time to go. And so, you know, developing this key part of your mindset is important and

it's going to take practice, you know, in terms of the always believing part. And so even when the odds are against you, what the best do is they're always believing and they're training their mind to see that. All right. So let's talk about how to do this, then how we can train ourselves and consistently come back with the always believe mindset. So when I think about what I heard around me and the negativity I heard around me, you know, most of that is in the past, right? Like we know how this is going to end. You know, this always happens to the Vikings. But, you know, instead, what the best do is they stay in the present.

So that's the first practice is, you know, because the present moment is the only place where your best happens. It's the only place where flow happens. And, you know, your best can't happen when you're thinking about the past or the future. So, you know, with past, you're experiencing negative emotions like anger, frustration, regret, where in the future you're experiencing anxiety or doubt. And so the key is, in your mind, keep it in the present. And what do you think people's automatic response is?

Is it to always believe? Yeah, I don't think it is to always believe because of our biology, but what the best do is they can have command over that. And so, you know, you might want to listen to that voice inside your head, the automatic negative thoughts, but you know that those are your answer weak and restrictive and negative, and they don't allow you to perform at your best. But instead, you should talk to yourself, be intentional with your self-talk, and make sure that you're always believing. All right.

How do we do that? What do we do instead? Well, I think about like you want to be in the driver's seat of your car, right? You want to be in the driver's seat of your perspective. And so I have an acronym called CAR that really helps you, like gives you some strategies on what to do. And so C means catch it. Notice it. Notice the negativity.

Notice what you're thinking about. Notice your automatic negative response. And then address it. Means you can either let it move out like a cloud or talk back to it. And, you know, talk back to it. Tell yourself why it is possible. And then after that, you want to R refocus it. Like get your mind out or get yourself out of your mind.

And instead, focus on your next step. And what's the next step to make it happen? So the key is to not fall victim to that negative thinking. You don't have to believe everything you think. And it's your choice on how you're going to address those automatic negative thoughts. All right. So give us an example of that. Okay.

So let me give you an example. So you might think the catchphrase in your mind or the self-talk might be, you know, there's no way this is going to work out. Oh, here we go again. Right. And so you want to address it. You want to say, you know, anything is possible. I'm going to keep believing maybe even something like I'm possible.

Right. And then you want to refocus it, decide on your next step and just do it. Go for it. Yeah. I know. I'm just looking at that and I'm trying to, you know, I'm like, yeah, there's no way this will work out. Here we go again. I mean, we were all doing that up until 10 seconds left in that game.

We were all doing a here we go again. Was there anyone negative or positive around you, TJ? There was one guy who I think was a Packer fan at the bar. He was being fairly positive there for a while while everyone else wanted to strangle him. But yeah, a lot of people kind of had thrown their hands in the air. I got up out of my chair and was like leaning on the back of it and just stood there kind of hunched over thinking, it's not over. It's not over.

I'm like, other games have been won against us in this sort of fashion at the last second. It could happen. So you were believing. Well, and then I was like, it probably won't, but it could. And then it did. Which was really exciting. So yeah, we have that. I'm also of the mindset

that I'm like, there's still two more games to play. There's one to play to get to where we want to go, and then we got to win that one we want to be at so badly. One game at a time, right? And so I'm like, all right, this was awesome. Let's enjoy today. You know, maybe one day, full day of just relishing in that.

And then it's time to get ready for Philly, I guess, which I think we have a pretty good chance against those guys. These guys are, these Vikings players are going to be fired up. Fired up. To go to Philly. I don't think it's going to matter that it's an away game for them. So good topic. And of course, we can easily tie that into last night's game.

How do you summarize today? High performers choose to always believe, and they take time to train their perspective and their mind each day. They realize their response may be an automatic negative thought about the reasons it's not possible, but instead they car it, so they catch it, address it, refocus it. They believe anything is possible, and you can use this not only in sport, but everyday life. Absolutely. Affirmation for today? I will always believe.

Even when the odds are against me or my team, I will believe anything is possible. Cool. I thought it was pretty awesome when I saw your name in a Runner's World magazine, but Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated. How about that? Beautiful. That's a good deal. If we want to follow along with Dr. Sandra Kampoff, maybe get the book, listen to the podcasts.

I'm trying to get caught up. I'm falling behind a little bit because I haven't been able to run outside and listen to them while I'm running. But any of the things that you're up to, if we want to follow along with you or get in touch, how do we do that? You can head over to DrSindra, so D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A dot com and you can find the podcast on Cedra Radio or iTunes by searching High Performance Mindset. Excellent. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. Hey, keep these

boys' head in the game, alright? We've got a couple more games to play and win. One more specifically coming up this weekend that is extremely important. The Minnesota Vikings move on to the NFC Championship against Philly coming up this weekend that is extremely important. The Minnesota Vikings move on to the NFC Championship against Philly coming up this coming weekend. And Dr. Sindra Kampoff, our guest today,

High Performance Mindset on The Country Club. Thanks, Sindra. Thanks for having me. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. If you liked 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.