Mind Over Matter: How to Get a Game Day Mindset
Make today a game day.
Last week, after we watched Peyton Manning powerfully narrate the NFL draft opening (we’re not crying; you’re crying), we saw 32 teams make their first picks. Half of the top ten players had something in common: They had all trained for their first f’ing NFL combine (where players show off their athleticism for potential teams) with Mark Verstegen and his company, EXOS. We reached out to see if we could draw up a game plan to tackle this vulnerable time like seasoned pros—even if we’re still rookies.
Mindset Is Our Greatest Superpower
We all have the potential to achieve, regardless of the challenge. And we have the ability to control our own mind: what comes in, our internal dialogue, how we process it—and, ultimately, what we choose to let out. EXOS has studied the top athletes, military and leading corporations, and found lower performers, across the board, tend to spend a tremendous amount of time, emotion and physical energy digesting, processing (often worrying) and feeling victimized—so it takes longer to adjust to a challenge. When faced with the same information or situation—often with higher stakes involved—high performers are equally vulnerable and have the same self-doubt. However, this is where their superpower of mindset thrives. Their ability to rapidly digest new information, envision the new normal and adapt their current systems to the immediate known environment lets them focus on the task at hand. We continue to see this hold true in the time of COVID-19.
Do Simple Things Savagely Well
Besides mindset, the three other pillars for high performance are nutrition, movement and recovery. If any one of these areas is neglected, Mark believes things will falter according to the weakest link. Part of the exhaustion we are all feeling comes from thinking about a lot of things we didn’t used to think about—so we need to get our systems in place. In each area, he believes you should pick the most basic things (i.e. recovery can be sleep or a good foam roll), personalized to your individual situation (so say buh-bye to those generic advice articles) and do those small things savagely well. Upgrading and hardening your routines for each area will allow them to run in your subconscious mind (which determines 90% of our daily actions) so you can focus all of your attention on ownable and controllable actions.
Wonder Over Worry
Every day is game day, but we never know what the game will be. This is why we need processes around our mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery. When we know how to “win the process,” it gives us courage about adjusting to a new normal with optimism. Then we are free to wonder, rather than worry.
