I recently received an email from a professional tennis player from Brazil. He couldn’t afford my mental toughness coaching sessions, so I gave him some free advice. Here’s what I told him.

Write down the following on an index card, keep it in your bag, and review before playing…

1. Take deep diaphragmatic breaths when you feel yourself getting negative, thinking too much, out of control, etc. This will lower your heart rate and keep you in the present moment.
2. Focus less on what you CANNOT control (line calls, results, spectators), and focus more on what you CAN control (your effort, strategy, targets, reactions).
3. Remember, full effort is full victory.
4. Thinking during practice is good; thinking during competition is bad. Just do it. Trust your preparation.
5. Act differently than how you feel; you can feel negative, tired or defeated, but you can still ACT confident and energetic.

Can you apply this to your sport, job or relationships?

I submit yes.

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