High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 441: Train Your Mind Like an Olympian

Episode Date: July 2, 2021

Today in this episode, Dr. Cindra who works with several Olympians, talks about how we each need to train our mind like an Olympian. Training your mind like an Olympian includes believing in your potential, and believing anything is possible. Research also confirms that importance of preplanning our self-talk for moments we feel pressure. What do you want to say to yourself when you want to step into your potential?    Power Phrase this Week: “I train my mind like an Olympian believing anything is possible.”  Quote of the Week: “Failure, I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle.” Sonya Richards Ross, Gold-Medal Track and Field Athlete  To Learn More about Cindra visit: https://www.cindrakamphoff.com/

Hi friends, my name is Dr. Sindhra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best, so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. Hey, it's time to check in with Dr. Sindra Kampoff, get our minds right this morning.

Sindra, how are you doing? I'm doing really great. How are you, Lisa? Excellent. Hey, we are talking about how to train your mind like an Olympian. You start off with a quote for us today. This is Sonia Richard-Ross. She's a gold medal track and field athlete. And she once said, failure I can live with, not trying is what I can't handle. And we are talking about the Olympians and Olympics today because you actually, I asked you to talk about this because I was really interested in the work that you're doing with the folks that are trying to make, we're trying to make the U.S. track and field Olympic team. Yes, so I'm one of the mental performance consultants that works with the athletes, so Team USA track and field.

And for the last 10 days, Lisa, the Olympic trials were hosted in Oregon, where the top three in each event go to the Olympics in Tokyo in July. And we work with these athletes kind of leading up to the trials, either by Zoom or phone, and help them train their mental side of performance and the topics that we want to work with somebody on are like confidence and motivation, maybe focus strategies, how to overcome mistakes, how to stay in the present. You know, there's a lot of things they can't control at the Olympics and at the trials. It was really hot in Oregon, over 100 degrees the last several days.

So obviously that could easily impact performance. Absolutely. And several of these athletes that you're working with are actually going to the Olympics. So can you tell us what predicts their success at the trials to get to the Olympics? Yeah, you know, I see that regulating their emotions is really essential. One athlete told me that the pressure is so heavy at the Olympic trials that you can cut it with a knife. That's kind of the atmosphere was so, so strong. And, you know, the trials are just really competitive, especially in the United States, and only the top three qualify. So the emotions are just really up and down that I've seen. I mean, some people are so disappointed, which can actually lead to some depression after

the Olympics and after the trials, because you've been working towards this goal for now five years because the Olympics were canceled last year. So it can be really tough for people who don't make it. And actually, Lisa, the majority of the athletes don't make it to the Olympics. Right. And can you maybe give us an example of a topic that you might discuss with the athletes that are actually going to the Olympics and the ones that competed at the trials? Yeah, we talk a lot about our thinking and our belief in ourselves. And, you know, there's lots of research over many decades, Lisa, that really shows that people who are successful think differently. You know, they believe that anything is possible.

And as I've been watching these performances, that's what I've seen. And just this belief that anything is possible. And as I've been watching these performances, that's what I've seen. And just this belief that anything is possible. And we know that the best athletes train their mind every day. They engage in mental daily conditioning and they even pre-plan their thoughts. So they think about what are the thoughts that I want to have because my thoughts lead to my emotions and that leads to my actions. So some of these thoughts that we pre-plan or I can do anything I put my mind to or I can set a new standard today or I'm so pumped and excited. And this helps them deal with the pressure

but also train their mind because this chance thinking really doesn't lead to success. And that's what most of us do, just let our thinking go to chance. Well, and there are so many things like you mentioned before that are really outside of our control. Like I know that this extreme heat that's in the Pacific Northwest has been a problem. How do you help them deal with things that they can't control?

So one of my mentors, his name is Dr. Dan Gould. He did a lot of different studies on what predicted success at the trials and then actually at the Olympic Games. And they found that those people who did well at the Olympic Games, thrived there actually had what's called a contingency plan. So they had a plan for things that didn't go great, or, you know, might get in their way. And by planning, they stayed more confident and calm and focused. So I kind of think of a contingency plan is just a plan to do with the unexpected. And I call these like imperfections, You know, imperfection might be the weather or maybe pressure or doubt or anxiety. And when we actually pre-plan these, it can make us feel more confident. We can stay more purposeful and intentional about our thinking.

So you pre-plan that. It's almost like you have a backup plan. So you know, if your first plan doesn't work, you have that backup plan and that gives you some security in some way? Yes. And then you're not really thinking too much about what do I got to do? It's like, all right, I can remain calm and confident no matter if things go perfect or not, because likely things are not going to go exactly like I want them to. Cinder, do you have a final point for us today? You know, Lisa, I think we can train our minds just like Olympians do. And I think we should, because kind of just chance thinking, just thinking that our brain tends to go to doesn't

usually lead to success. And so we can think powerfully, kind of believing in all the possibilities for us and believing anything is possible just like they do. And when, you know, big performances come up, we can actually make a contingency plan just like they do. And we can adapt and adjust like the Olympians, because, you know, things rarely go perfect in our life as well. It kind of almost sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy, right? Put it out there. Exactly. It'll come back to you, right? Yes. And what we think about ourselves, we become. So we have to be really careful with

what we're putting in our own minds and what we're believing about ourselves. Cinder, could you summarize today for us? Yes, I'd say today we talked about, you know, training our minds like an Olympian and believing in our own potential, believing anything is possible for us. And we can even pre-plan our self-talk like they do, because, you know, what I just said is what we think about ourselves, we become. And what is the power phrase that we're heading forward with? I train my mind like an Olympian, believing anything is possible for me.

I like that. And if you want to head forward with that this week, that's a great idea. If you want to get in touch with Sindra, if you want to follow her on social media, find out more about what she does, get the book. Where do we go to get more information? You can head over to Dr. Sindra through D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A. And my book, Beyond Great, is over there if anyone wants to check that out. Way to go for finishing another episode

of the High Performance Mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week.

So again, you can head over to Dr. Sindra. That's D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A dot com. See you next week.