Positive thinking leads to positive actions.

By Josh Lifrak, Mental Conditioning coach, IMG Performance Institute

     I keep a large blue button in my office.  On the top of the button, it clearly states in bold lettering “DON’T PUSH.”  The object of this button is to avoid placing your hand on it and depressing it.
When placed in clear view most of the athletes that come into my office stare at it and during conversation.  Some pick it up and hold it consumed by its presence.  Some have zero will power and just slap it defiantly.  Practically all the athletes struggle with the very clear direction of DON’T PUSH.  They become obsessive about the button.
     This is very similar to what happens in our mind when we are focused on what not to do in athletic performance.  “Don’t fall, don’t strike out, don’t miss this shot, don’t foul, don’t false start.”  The “don’t” creates a clear picture of what not to do.  As athletes, we think in pictures and those pictures typically lead our body into action.  Don’t strike out creates the image of a swinging bat missing the ball.  Similarly, for don’t double fault the image becomes a ball snapping the top of the white tape and falling into the net.  A clear change in thought can greatly help performance.  That change is simply to think in the “do’s” of performance.   Put even simpler “Do the Do.”
     “Never give up ” turns into “keep fighting.” “Don’t drop your back shoulder” turns into “keep your shoulder up.” “Don’t miss” becomes “Release high follow through.” We want our thoughts to help us perform.  We want to control where we put our mind.  Focusing on what to do in any performance situation helps get our minds locked on to helpful directive thoughts.  So, remember a simple tenet to mental success: Do the Do.

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