Tips for Developing an Elite Athlete Mindset

As I prepare to step back into the Olympic energy sphere in Milan, I've been revisiting the books that shaped how I trained. This one was a game changer. Terry Orlick's "In Pursuit of Excellence." Orlick wasn't just an academic. He spent 40+ years working with Olympic athletes, astronauts, surgeons, fighter pilots, & classical musicians. J. David Creswell & Douglas Jowdy (Both my mindfulness & performance mentors) instructed me to immerse myself into the pages of knowledge within this book. It was transformative & just as powerful then as it is today. The core idea is simple but challenging to execute: Mental skills are trainable. Focus, commitment, resilience - these aren't just traits you're born with. They're skills you develop through deliberate practice, the same way you develop physical skills. A few concepts that still guide me: 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲. Orlick's term for "act on your decisions now." Not tomorrow. Not when conditions are perfect or when you think you are ready but Now. The gap between deciding & doing is where most dreams die. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹. Elite performers don't have fewer distractions. They recover from distraction faster. The ability to notice you've drifted & return to the task - that's the real skill. The tennis player constantly looking to his/her racquet after a great shot or a terrible one? Not to actually change the string positioning, rather it's a reset tool. A clearing of the slate & fresh mind. Not always perfect focus. 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵 refocus. 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Every performance - good or less than- contains useful information. The discipline is extracting what worked & what needs adjustment without emotional spiraling. In 2026 the world's greatest competitors are highly data dependent. Harness Data, not drama. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. Most people are partially committed to too many things. Orlick found that the highest performers had unusual clarity about what they were willing to sacrifice and what they weren't. No ambiguity. We must be crystallizing something until it's burned into your soul. The mental game hasn't changed much since he wrote this book. It's an instant classic & extremely valuable today. Our distractions have multiplied, & our attention has fragmented. Our commitment has become diluted across infinite options & the digi-ceuticals deploying tasty chemicals into our brains instantly without effort. But the fundamentals remain: Decide. Focus. Extract the lesson. Recommit. If you work with your mind for a living - & I'd argue everyone of us do- these tactics are worth your time. Pick ONE specific mental skill to work on through these Olympics. Write daily notes about progress or stagnation - revisit end of month. Are you in pursuit of excellence? --AAO

I've worked with 100+ Olympic athletes and discovered something shocking: Elite performance isn't about talent. It's about overcoming 7 critical mental barriers that BLOCK peak performance. Here's what I learned 🧵👇 2/ First, let me be clear: At the highest level, skill gaps are TINY. What separates champions isn't physical ability - it's mastering the mental game. These barriers silently kill potential. Most athletes don't realize it. Barrier 1: Self-Doubt This is the biggest killer I've seen. It makes athletes question: • Their belonging • Their abilities • Their right to compete But here's the truth: Self-doubt is manageable. How to beat self-doubt: 1. Focus on preparation (what you've ALREADY done) 2. Challenge negative self-talk with evidence 3. Build a "success bank" of past wins I've seen this transform athletes from doubters to closers in clutch moments. Barrier 2: Distracted Thoughts Focus is EVERYTHING in elite sports. But here's what most don't realize: Even Olympic athletes struggle with performance anxiety. The key? Having a system to stay locked in. The Focus Formula: 1. Create a pre-performance routine 2. Practice mindfulness daily 3. Use ONE focal cue (like "quick feet") I've seen athletes go from scattered to sharp using these three steps. Remember: Focus is a SKILL, not a talent. Barrier 3: Performance Anxiety The silent performance killer. It creates a vicious cycle: • Worry about mistakes • Make more mistakes • Worry more But here's what champions do differently: Anxiety Management Blueprint: 1. Reframe nerves as excitement 2. Breathe to regulate your physiology 3. Focus ONLY on controllables Barrier 4: Fear of Others' Opinions FOPO paralyzes even elite athletes. The truth? When you're worried about others, you can't trust yourself. The FOPO Fix: 1. Ask: "What's in MY control?" 2. Build unshakeable self-belief 3. Master self-awareness Remember: Caring less about opinions isn't selfish - it's necessary for peak performance. Barrier 5: Leadership Conflicts Fact: This is the #1 stressor for Olympians at the Games. It destroys focus and creates mental noise. But there's a solution: • Direct communication • Control what you can • See feedback as growth Barrier 6: Limiting Beliefs The invisible walls holding you back. Common thoughts: "I'll never..." "I should be better..." "I can't..." Here's how champions break through: Limiting Belief Breakers: 1. Challenge thoughts with "Is this true?" 2. Focus on progress, not perfection 3. Build a strength-focused support system Barrier 7: Mistake Management Here's what most get wrong: Thinking about mistakes ≠ Fixing mistakes The champion's way: 1. Have a reset routine 2. Evaluate without emotion 3. Next play mentality The truth about mental barriers: They're not permanent. They're not personal. They're not insurmountable. They're challenges waiting to be overcome. Want to perform like a champion? Pick 1 barrier. Take 1 action. Start.

An email from Coach Sommer I revisit often: Hi Tim, Patience. Far too soon to expect strength improvements. Strength improvements [for a movement like this] take a minimum of 6 weeks. Any perceived improvements prior to that are simply the result of improved synaptic facilitation. In plain English, the central nervous system simply became more efficient at that particular movement with practice. This is, however, not to be confused with actual strength gains. Dealing with the temporary frustration of not making progress is an integral part of the path towards excellence. In fact, it is essential and something that every single elite athlete has had to learn to deal with. If the pursuit of excellence was easy, everyone would do it. In fact, this impatience in dealing with frustration is the primary reason that most people fail to achieve their goals. Unreasonable expectations timewise, resulting in unnecessary frustration, due to a perceived feeling of failure. Achieving the extraordinary is not a linear process. The secret is to show up, do the work, and go home. A blue collar work ethic married to indomitable will. It is literally that simple. Nothing interferes. Nothing can sway you from your purpose. Once the decision is made, simply refuse to budge. Refuse to compromise. And accept that quality long-term results require quality long-term focus. No emotion. No drama. No beating yourself up over small bumps in the road. Learn to enjoy and appreciate the process. This is especially important because you are going to spend far more time on the actual journey than with those all too brief moments of triumph at the end. Certainly celebrate the moments of triumph when they occur. More importantly, learn from defeats when they happen. In fact, if you are not encountering defeat on a fairly regular basis, you are not trying hard enough. And absolutely refuse to accept less than your best. Throw out a timeline. It will take what it takes. If the commitment is to a long-term goal and not to a series of smaller intermediate goals, then only one decision needs to be made and adhered to. Clear, simple, straightforward. Much easier to maintain than having to make small decision after small decision to stay the course when dealing with each step along the way. This provides far too many opportunities to inadvertently drift from your chosen goal. The single decision is one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox.

"𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞" Paul O'Connell discusses Joe Schmidt's instructions to players, which is great advice that transcends sport - block out thoughts of the mistake and focus on what you need to do. The first part involves blocking out thoughts of the score or previous mistakes: "𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘-𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒, 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦. 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒" When people are anxious about a mistake they have made or the score in a match, they can become distracted, which impacts their future performance. One mistake can cause another mistake from a lack of concentration due to worries about a previous mistake. This is why blocking out negative thoughts is important. 🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 Nideffer (1992) suggested that as anxiety increases in high-pressurised situations, athletes’ attention shifts from task-relevant (e.g. thoughts about how to execute specific tactics) to task-irrelevant thoughts (e.g. worries about team selection in future matches). Therefore, anxiety acts as a distraction to the athlete, which reduces working memory and task-focused attention. In support of this, Bijleveld and Veling (2014) found that tennis players with a superior working memory were less likely to choke than tennis players with an inferior working memory. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴? I really like O'Connell's instruction to think about the next task, which is a form of approach coping. This involves the athlete confronting the situation and then trying to eliminate it by taking direct action (e.g., focusing on the next action, developing a plan, exerting more effort, etc; Roth & Cohen, 1986). O'Connell said: "𝑊𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑑𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤? 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒." As alluded to by O'Connell, changing your mindset and how you cope takes time and is something you need to practice, but with time, people can be taught to use more effective coping strategies (see Nicholls, 2007; Reeves et al., 2011).

It’s the uncertainty that can kill in competitive sport. It peppers with doubt and worry. It salts with anxiety and stress… How will I play? What will the opposition be like? Will my teammates turn up? What if we fall behind early? Questions…questions…exposing the soft underbelly of a performer’s mindset pre-game. But…no worries…we got this! Going into a game of importance, ambitious competitors need a mental framework in order to deal with the game’s inevitable vicissitudes - for they come think and fast. A High Performance Mindset (HPM) A Low Performance Mindset (LPM) “My job when I compete is to first and foremost find my HPM. It’s to recognise when I drop down to my LPM and to shift with speed back to my HPM” An inner narrative…an internal story…one that is proactive rather than reactive. One that makes me a participant rather than a recipient… “I’m in charge…I’m in control. There will be tough moments - mistakes made, momentum against, duels lost - that’s ok, I stay HPM no matter what…” Of course, competitors need a breadth and depth to their HPM in order to manage themselves as they’re exposed to the heat of battle. And so with that in mind, let’s start to build out HPM with 5 quick tools, techniques, philosophies, and ideas: Remove performance - the daily grind of ‘gotta win’ and ‘gotta perform’ turns up the volume of anxiety…so remove much of performance. Specifically performance that cannot be controlled such as completed passes, goals scored, points won, fairways hit and so on. They will take care of themselves - sometimes in the way we want, at other times not how we’d like. And that’s ok Add performance - but we can’t completely ignore performance can we? So tune into those performance factors that have an air of control about them. Scanning behaviour, mini actions that make up a move, a skill, or a tactical responsibility...as examples. Be task-focused! Make small moments count - 10 seconds of intense, appropriate action can secure momentum for the next 10 minutes of the game. Be ready to be action-oriented no matter what’s thrown at you as competition unfolds. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes - keep great body language irrespective of the way the game is running. Irrespective of how others are playing. Irrespective of your mistakes and errors. Cognition is embodied (our mental processes are of the body as much as of the mind) so hold ocused, confident, and ready at all times…no matter what Feedback loops - consider process post game. Mark out of 10 - what went well and what can go better next time. Everyone loses…a key is keeping emotional chemistry reasonably consistent and a mind attuned to the rational. Learn then next game, next game, next game… Having sophisticated HPM frameworks in your teams’ locker room reduces a sense of uncertainty. It increases a sense of control and readiness. At the very elite end of sport too many teams and too many coaches and too many organisations compromise here

After 26 years of training high performers, I discovered their most overlooked superpower that allows them to outwork everyone else: It's sleep, but not in the way that you think. I used to try to out-hustle a tired brain and outperform a depleted body, but the fact is, I couldn't. If your sleep isn't replenishing you, it's becoming a danger to your goals. Succesful people don't win because they work when you're asleep, they succeeed because they work harder than you on the right things when you're awake. They're goals are clearer, they're schedule is optimized and they move without skipping a beat because their mind is always well rested. Since learning this I've worked with a sleep coach to optimize for one thing; performance when i'm awake. Here are the 8 habits that high performers use that I started copying: 1. Sleep at 67 degrees Cool environments trigger natural melatonin. You fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. 2. Block out light and sound Black out your room. Use white noise if needed. 3. Clear your mind before bed Use journaling or breath work. Quiet the mental loops that keep you awake. 4. Finish workouts at least 3 hours before bed Don't elevate cortisol late at night. Let your body unwind. 5. Same sleep and wake times daily Even on weekends to protect your natural rhythm. 6. Block 7 hours every night Sleep is non-negotiable. If you miss one night, don't miss two. 7. Cut stimulants by mid-afternoon No caffeine after 2 PM. These break up your sleep cycles. 8. Get up if you can't sleep after 20 minutes Reset and try again. Being successful is the result of how productive you are when you are awake, not the total hours you spend awake. Your day begins the night before. If you want to show up big tomorrow, start tonight. Protect your sleep like athletes do before game day. I treat my sleep like my most important bank account. Every bit of energy and focus you need during the day is a withdrawal. The deposits happen while you sleep.

What if the thing holding you back is not your workload, your calendar, or your circumstances? What if it is one sentence you keep repeating in your own mind? Many high-performing leaders do not break because of pressure alone. They break because pressure meets an old internal story: I am behind. I am not ready. I need more certainty before I move. I was reminded of this while watching a Paralympic high jumper. He stepped forward, set down his crutch, focused, and cleared the bar. It was incredible to witness physically. But what stayed with me was the deeper lesson. Some limitations live in the body. Many live in the meaning we assign to challenge. And that matters, because thoughts are not just mental noise. Research from Stanford University suggests that how we interpret stress can influence how the body responds under pressure. Research on cognitive reappraisal also shows that changing how we frame an emotional situation can affect heart-rate-related patterns. Other neuroscience research from PubMed has shown that mental rehearsal can create measurable shifts in muscle activation and force output. In other words, the mind is not separate from performance. It helps shape it. That is why some of the most meaningful leadership growth begins with a new internal pattern. Notice the thought that keeps you braced. Replace it with a green-light sentence. Move from that thought, not the old one. For example: Instead of I am overwhelmed, say I choose to focus on what matters most. Instead of I need to get this perfect, say I will take the next clear step. A simple reset that helps many leaders: Pause for 2 minutes. Breathe slowly. Place your attention on your heart. Repeat, I am steady. I am clear. I choose my next move. That athlete cleared a bar everyone could see. What is the invisible bar you are ready to clear? #ExecutiveResilience #MindsetShift #EnergyManagement

Elite athletes know: The real game is mental. But here's what most business leaders miss: When millions watch, mental strength decides who wins. The same psychological edge that wins Olympic medals Is what separates average from exceptional in business. Sports psychologists discovered something crucial: ↳ The more you care, the more exposed you become. ↳ The bigger the opportunity, the more vulnerable you feel. This isn't just about athletics: - Before sending that bold proposal  - During high-stakes presentations - Leading major change initiatives The mental game determines your results. I learned this firsthand last week.  When my work met unexpected resistance,  I found myself hovering over email, checking responses obsessively. Not my normal. Something was off. A conversation with a trusted advisor revealed what athletes have always known: ↳ When you put your heart into the work ↳ You expose yourself to more than results. ↳ You make yourself vulnerable to impact. Elite athletes use three proven strategies: 1️⃣ Signal Recognition Your normal patterns shift when you're deeply invested. Watch for: → Constantly checking for responses → Seeking others' approval more than usual → Getting distracted by others' reactions Just like athletes before a big race, These signals mean you're in the game, not out of it. 2️⃣ Pattern Interrupt Championship athletes have a reset routine. Here's what works in business: When you notice your game is off: → Stop and name what's happening → Reach out to someone who gets it → Take a strategic pause for perspective 3️⃣ Purpose Reconnection Elite athletes don't rely on motivation. They anchor in purpose when pressure hits. First, ask yourself: → "What change are you fighting for?" → "Why does this deeply matter to you?" Then go deeper: → "What possibility are you creating?" → "Who would be impacted if you succeeded?" → "What's the bigger game here?" Because here's what champions know: Mental toughness isn't about avoiding vulnerability. It's about performing powerfully because of it. How do you maintain mental resilience in high-stakes moments? Drop your best practices and let’s learn from each other Share to help others build their mental game. 📌 Follow Holly Moe for more high-performance insights.

The toughest moment in sports isn’t a grueling workout or fierce competition. It's the instant right after you mess up—a missed shot, a dropped ball, a critical mistake. Why? Your brain immediately spirals into panic. And it's really hard to escape that. Even for the best. Rory McIlroy's near-collapse at The Masters shows exactly this: even champions face moments of spiraling doubt. But they figure out how to navigate it. That single mistake can trigger an "action crisis". Our focus shifts from the present task to the past failure, from executing the next play to replaying the last one. Negative thoughts snowball – "I blew it," "I can't recover," "It's over". This internal debate between persisting and giving up drains mental energy and primes our bodies for a threat response, making refocusing exponentially harder. Why do we choke or spiral after a screw-up? As I write about in Win the Inside Game, our sense of self, our identity, feels threatened by the failure. Our brain, a prediction machine, gets stuck in a loop: it anticipates disaster (loss of status, humiliation), overweights negative signals, and ignores information that contradicts the doom narrative. This misalignment between reality and prediction fuels the downward slide. We've got to re-align our brain with a better reality. We've got to get out of that fear and survive mode. Here's how: 1. Approach, Don't Avoid Your brain, when threatened by mistakes, naturally tries to avoid repeating the error. Yet avoidance heightens anxiety and narrows your focus on the mistake. Adopt an approach-oriented mindset: focusing on what they want to achieve, not on what they're afraid might happen. Always ask, "What am I moving towards right now?" “It’s much better to play to win. If you play to win and you don’t hit the shot that you want to hit, I think you can live with that. But if you play not to — if you play to not lose, you’re never really giving yourself the best opportunity, and that’s hard to swallow." 2. Find control. Have a "reset ritual." Rafael Nadal has his "towel-off" ritual between acts. It could be a deep breath, adjusting gear, or a simple phrase whispered to oneself. Routines bring back control. This consistent action sends a clear signal to your brain: the past moment is over—time to anchor yourself in the present and focus on what's next. When we feel like we're losing control, our inner alarm screams. Grasp on to the smallest thing you can do to re-establish control. 3. Slow Down. Respond Instead of React Researchers found during penalty shootouts in soccer, players who missed shots tended to shoot quicker and look away from the goalie. The stress and anxiety that came with the pressure push the athletes to escape, to get it over with it, to put an end to the situation by getting the heck out of there. Those who tended to score took longer to shoot, they slowed things down, and basically approached the situation instead of avoiding it.

Here’s JJ McCarthy on flipping the switch to his alter ego “Nine” on game day: “He can’t be at his peak for three and a half hours. So how do I find little ways on the sideline to get back to my breath, get back to my visualization…” He hits a performance nail on the head. He’s not chasing a permanent peak state. He’s returning to it—again and again—without burning out. That’s exactly how high performance actually works. You don’t sustain peak states—you return to them. Flow-state research shows these peaks ride on transient neurochemical cocktails (dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide). They spike, they help you lock in, and they fade. Fast. Dopamine surges, for example, last 30–90 minutes before the system naturally resets. Push too far and you fall off the back end into fatigue, irritability, or burnout. The athletes who perform with stamina aren’t the ones who hold intensity nonstop. They’re the ones who know how to re-enter intensity on demand. And the most effective way to consistently return is through in-game somatic tools. Here are three resets—each under 60 seconds—that downregulate the nervous system, sharpen attention, and sustain competitive stamina: 1. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) Inhale through your nose for 4 beats; hold for 4; exhale through your nose for 4; hold for 4. 3–5 cycles. Balances CO₂/O₂, drops heart rate, and re-engages the prefrontal cortex. 2. Humming Exhale Inhale through your nose, then exhale through your nose with a low “hmm” until empty. 3–6 rounds. Stimulates the vagus nerve, extends the exhale, and quiets mental chatter—ideal pre-snap, pre-pitch, or before high-pressure execution moments. 3. Anapana Anchor Close your eyes, breathe through your nose, and place your attention just below the nostrils and above the upper lip. 20–30 seconds. Trains single-pointed awareness, cuts distraction, and rebuilds inner balance without losing the competitive edge. These aren’t warm-ups. They’re in-game primers. Peak state isn’t an upper plateau you live on. It’s a rhythm of return you master. Master the return, and you own the game. — P.S. I train professional athletes and teams. I write and share stories about the intersection of somatics and performance. To follow along, ring the 🔔 for all my posts at the top of my profile. I'd love for you to be part of this growing community!