High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 212: Why To Keep It Fun

Episode Date: October 10, 2018

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs   High performers know they need to cultivate their intrinsic motivation. They need to keep focus on all of the reasons they love their work and keep it fun. They work to keep their language positive, focusing on giving positive energy and celebrating the small wins. They leave thinking about their job or sport with positive energy and focus.   Power Phrase This Week: “I celebrate the small things today! I focus on why I love to do what I do.” 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. She coaches athletes, CEOs and executives one-on-one to help them learn and apply the mental tools that lead to success. Cindra also speaks to and works with businesses and organizations on how to gain the high performance edge while providing practical tools 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 or learn more about her one-on-one coaching, 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 Syndra. It's time for High Performance Mindset today with Dr. Syndra Kampoff on The Country Club.

Good morning, Syndra. Good morning. It's great to be here. Good to have you in. That was a fun game to watch last night. Oh, man. I was loving it.

I have to be totally honest. I was nervous because I didn't feel great about the L.A. game, I was loving it. I have to be totally honest. I was nervous because I didn't feel great about the L.A. game, and then we lost it, and I thought, oh, man, please don't start this downward spiral. And then kicking woes again for a little bit, but we managed. Man, how – It was fun to watch.

I'll bet you Linvald Joseph put in more miles, mileage, than he's put in all season long in that one play when he recovered and took off and ran for that touchdown. Did you see him on the sidelines with his oxygen mask on? And his cool Nike sunglasses. Yep. That is just a defensive lineman's dream come true, or an end, or wherever you're at up front, when you're the big man up there, picking up that football and taking it all the way.

That was cool. It was fun to see. Maverick football got a nice big win. A lot of good stuff as far as sports go coming out of the weekend. But today we're talking about why to keep it fun. And we like to start with a quote we have for us today. A quote by Steve Jobs. He says, the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

I like that. I like that. We talk a lot about how our jobs, you know, sometimes are taxing because of the hours, but we love it,

you know, and it's like, you don't want to do anything that you're not enjoying doing. So you have a story to start with. So this week, I was in Toronto

and I attended the Association for Applied Sports Psychology Conference. So it's our annual conference and I got to hear a lot of great sports psychology professionals speak and coaches and athletes. And one of the people I heard was Eric Lindros. So he's a hockey Hall of Famer, played for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers among like the Leafs in Canada.

He played for 14 NHL seasons. And here's a few things that he said In terms of his mindset So he said, you know, this is pretty funny Because he said, I made some bold-headed moves Many times, you know, he's just like admitting That he made some bad mistakes But he said, but you have to view those as an isolated incident So kind of just like

Seeing it as a one-time thing Not that, you know, the failures are going to keep on going And then he said, if you're not having fun You won't play well. And he was talking about when he knew he had to hang up his skates and retire after 14 seasons. Like, he kept on looking at the practice clock, wondering, you know, when practice would end. And he said, you know, it stopped being fun. And I knew it was my time.

It was time then. Okay. So why do you think this topic is important for us this morning? Well, I think it's really important that we intentionally work to keep fun in our work. And we can easily think about what's not going right, how hard it is, why it isn't fulfilling, what we don't like. We can fail and not see it as an isolated incident. In fact, when I was at this conference, I heard one stat that one of the speakers said. And he said that only 6% of people love their job in a recent study.

So I think it's because we're always focusing on what's going wrong, which is our natural tendency, instead of what we like and what's going great. It's really sad. I know. 6%. 6% seems like an awful low number. Yeah. So what would you tell us to do then if we're one of those folks that are focusing on what is wrong? Well, the reason

this is important is because we need intrinsic motivation. And that's like motivation that comes from internal. And when we focus on what we love about it, we have more energy to sustain our work. And so really, like meaningful work is driven by intrinsic rather than external factors. And I came across the study that Yale researchers looked at West Point cadets, and they looked at their motivation over 14 years. And what they found is those cadets who had internal motivation, so intrinsic reasons, they were more likely to graduate. They were more likely to become commissioned officers, receive promotions and stay in the military. So I think we can all apply that to ourselves, that we're more likely when we are really motivated for intrinsic reasons to go for a promotion or stay in our job or we're more likely to persist.

Okay. That answered my question that I was going to ask you. So that's perfect. So what's one thing we can do to keep it fun then? So I was listening to a guy named J.F. Maynard when I was in Toronto. He works with elite athletes in Canada, mostly Olympians. And he suggested we celebrate every win we have, even if it's small. And he got this idea by watching Rafael Nadal, the tennis player.

And he counted how many times Rafael celebrated when he was playing in one match. And he celebrated 85 times. So celebrate as easy as a fist pump or a clap of the hands or something like that? Yeah, exactly. 85 times. And so I think why this is so important because he's building energy every day.

And we can do the same thing by celebrating our small wins like a great meeting we had or a great interview or a great advertisement we just did or whatever our job is, whatever we ever have, celebrating those small things. Each mile. Yeah, I know. Every hill.

Yeah, every hill. Every hill, fist pump. That's me, by the way, if you ever watch me. You see some guy at the top of Lee Boulevard in North Mankato breakdancing, it's because I just ran to the top of that hill without stopping. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I get excited about it. Do you have another example for us? I do. So when I was listening to JF, he was talking about one of the athletes he works with,

and he works with Mikkel Kingberry. So he's won 49 World Cups, just kind of dominating on the world stage and downhill skiing. And so he started celebrating every win that he had. And so it was even, sometimes it was just even like a great dinner. Yeah. Like, you know, he ate what he wanted, chicken and rice. And then he would say, I won that lunch. Like I was so, you know, happy to like win that. And even when he won the gold medal at the Olympics, he didn't say, I won the gold medal. He was like, I won the course. Oh, that's good. Yeah, just the idea

of celebrating all the small things and those small wins become bigger and that's how we build momentum at work and have more fun. That's so depressing that a celebration meal is chicken and rice for you. I know. I was thinking. Big mac and French fries and big old soda

to go with it. That's what happens when you're an Olympian. What's another way we can try to keep it fun? I think we should watch our language that we say to others and ourselves. And I think it's really easy at work to think like, today I have to go there. Instead of, I get to.

Or, it never works. Instead of, I can make it work. Or, today's going to be horrible. Instead of, I get to. Or, you know, it never works. Instead of, you know, I can make it work. Or, you know, today's going to be horrible. Or I found myself last week saying, man, that was terrible. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is one thing today that happened that was difficult, right? Or I always screw up. Instead of, you know, I just made that one mistake. And keeping it as an isolated incident, like Eric Glendro said.

I think this can kind of be a defining moment for some people that, aha, like, oh man, I'm kind of negative. I'm a negative person. They might think that. Yes. So why is it so important? Well, because our automatic response is to see the negative, you know, is to kind of catastrophize what we're thinking about. But what's really important is what, you know, we end up believing it. So the key is, is to really change, notice what your internal language is and change it. So, you know, the key is to see the privilege of your work or how it can help others in the community or, you know, what are the many positive things about your job?

And I focus on that because our focus determines how we feel. So it's important we focus on things that are going to give us positive energy and make us have fun. So during our day, what's one thing we can do to focus on fun? So we could focus on, okay, today when I get to work, I'm going to give one person a compliment. You know, maybe that means... But it has to be genuine, right? For sure. It has to be... For sure. For sure. Not something you're just making up, but that helps you kind of see the positive and... Look for things. Look for things. And so maybe it's, you know, telling a co-worker For sure. For sure. Not something you're just making up. But that helps you kind of see the positive. Look for things.

Look for things. And so maybe it's, you know, telling a co-worker that you liked the idea, you know, that they pitched in a morning meeting or they like a new painting they have in their office. Or I came in and I was like, wow, it looks great in here. You decluttered. I did. And I think the key is, is you never know what that compliment can do. When I was at the conference, I heard so many great things about the podcast. So I want to thank you both for having me every week. Thank you.

So what can we do like at the end of the day when we're done with our day? I think another reason or another way to keep it positive is to really think about what went great in your day. And there's at the end of the day, we can drive home and be thinking all the terrible things or how hard it was. But instead, think about what's one win I can celebrate today. Even if it's small, it's going to give you more positive energy. And again, whatever we focus on, we end up feeling. So it's going to give you more positive energy when you get home. Catastrophize is a word that when you said it, I was like, that is a great word. And I can start rattling off all kinds of people I know in this building that immediately

catastrophize everything. And you know what? I'm one of them. I'll admit that. That's one of the things you need to work on. Me too sometimes. If you catch it, if you catch yourself doing that, that's the key. Absolutely. What a word. That was a strong one.

I call it chicken little. You're chicken littling it. Oh, that's hilarious. Oh, it's so horrible. That's hilarious. You're Eeyore-ing it. Eeyore is another one. Eeyore, woe is me.

So how do we summarize today's topic? It's a good one for a Monday for sure. So high performers, they know that they need to cultivate this intrinsic motivation. They need to keep it focused on the reasons that they love their work and to keep it fun. And they work to keep their language to themselves and others positive, celebrating the small wins and thinking about how their job or their sport, you know, what they love about it

so they can bring the positive energy and focus. That's cool. I can think of specific people in this community which I'll go without being mentioned. But specific people that are really good at this, that noticing the positive. It's amazing. And appreciating other people.

And you just want to be around them, don't you? Thank you. Because I noticed that. Yes. So what is today's power phrase for us? I celebrate the small things today. I focus on why I love to do what I do. Awesome.

If we want to learn more about Cinder Kampoff, or as you mentioned, the podcasts are out there to listen to as well. These particular shows on Mondays are on the podcast, plus a lot of really great guests with a lot of great knowledge that Cinder interviews. So there's more than just this on the podcast. But if we want to learn more about you, where do we find you?

You can head over to Dr. Cinder, so just drcindra.com and that's where you can find the podcast and any other information you'd like. All right. Good to have you in. Good to see you. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, have a great week. Cinder Campoff with us today. High Performance Mindset on The Country Club on Minnesota 93. 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 Cinder's free weekly videos, check out DrSindra.com.