The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
IYI Newsletter: Feeling stressed? Try this.
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Approximately a 2-minute read Happy Monday! I have been inside Major League clubhouses during the World Series, on NFL sidelines, and at golf and tennis majors. Across sports, I have noticed the same thing: the best in the world still get nervous. Their hearts race. Their stomachs churn. Their minds produce doubt. They are not immune to pressure. However, they have learned how to navigate it. Here are five things they do that you can apply to your life: 1. They Embrace the NervesElite performers do not assume something is wrong because they feel nervous. They understand that a racing heart, sweating, and butterflies are signs that the body is preparing to perform. The heart is pumping blood. The body is producing energy. The system is becoming more alert. Instead of saying, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” they tell themselves, “My body is getting ready.”They don’t fight the nerves. They channel them. 2. They Choose a Useful PerspectivePressure is shaped by the meaning we give it. Some athletes tell themselves, “This is just another game. I have done this a thousand times.”Others think, “The whole world is watching. This is the moment I have always wanted.”Both perspectives can work. The goal is not to find the perfect mindset. It is to find the perspective that helps you perform. The best performers know which mental channel they need and intentionally tune into it. 3. They Trust Their PreparationPressure makes the mind ask questions: Are you ready? Are you good enough? What happens if you fail? The best performers answer with evidence. They remember the early mornings, the drill work, the practices, the film sessions, and the difficult days when they kept showing up. I call these process receipts. Their confidence is not based on empty reassurance. It is connected to work they can point to. They can say, “I have prepared for this. I have done this before.” 4. They Stick to Their ProcessBig moments tempt people to do something different. They think more, try harder, rush, or abandon the habits that helped them succeed. The best performers simplify. They return to their breath, their checklist, their cue, or the next action in front of them. A stable process brings them out of the imagined future and back into the present. They do not try to control the outcome. They control the next pitch, the next shot, the next decision. 5. They Act Despite How They FeelYou do not have to feel confident to perform at your best. You can be nervous and still execute. You can feel doubt and still have a great decision-making process. You can be uncomfortable and still act courageously. Feelings are real, but they do not have to become your compass. The best performers do not wait until fear disappears. They move forward with it. Pressure is not the enemy. The goal is not to eliminate it. The goal is to build the processes and perspectives that allow you to perform while it is present. Have a great week! Justin Su'a At the Performance Advisory Group, we’re passionate about supporting high-performing sports parents to develop process-driven children. If that's you and you're interested in your child working with one of our Process Coaches, reply to this email, and I'll give you more details. We have a handful of select families we're taking the same process we're using with professional sports teams to. If this email was forwarded to you and you want it to come directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe |
Justin Su'a
The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
Approximately a 3-minute read Hello! In 2019, I was standing in the outfield at Dodger Stadium during batting practice, talking with a player who was navigating some difficulty, both on and off the field. I meant to help him, but I wasn’t doing a very good job. My recommendations and advice were falling on deaf ears. He rejected every single one. I remember thinking, "What’s the point of even talking about this if you don’t want to listen?" Then, as a last-ditch effort, I asked him a...
Approximately a 4-minute read Good Morning! In professional sports, there’s something you rarely see in the highlight reels: The years of adversity it took to make it to the top.I've had multiple conversations with many professional athletes, men and women who have clawed their way to the peak of their sport. Over and over again, one truth keeps coming up: The journey to the highest level is paved with moments when they could have quit. In fact, many almost did. But they didn’t because they...
Approximately a 3-minute read Hello! Recently, I was talking with an athlete who had a difficult decision to make. There were legitimate reasons to go in either direction. We talked through the situation and looked at the options. We considered what might happen if he chose one path versus the other, and eventually something became clear: There wasn’t a perfect option. Every path had a severe cost. I think we sometimes get stuck making decisions because we’re searching for the option where...