Exploring the Mental and Physical Impact of Perfectionism in a Professional Athlete's Career

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Derin 'Dmac' McMains is a former baseball player, coach and manager turned Director of Mental Performance at global cybersecurity company, ReliaQuest. He's taken mental performance principles to train athletes, executives and other high performers to take their game to the next level. In our conversation, Derin and I talk about mindsets and how changing your relationship with your goals will allow you more freedom to make mistakes and trust the process instead of the outcome.

We explore how your self-image has a big impact on the goal setting process. Derin reveals his unique framework to setting goals that lets you see not only the action plan but also the story you need to tell yourself to make it happen. He puts it simply:

"How I see myself determines how I see the world. So how I see myself, my identity, determines my perspective and my perspective is going to determine my thoughts and my thoughts are going to determine my emotions and then it's my emotions that influence my actions."

This perspective flips the script on how we typically think of goals. Instead of relying on achieving goals to boost our self image, Derin suggests it starts with a positive self image and the goals come second. No doubt that this conversation with Derin will not only give you a fresh perspective about goals but also lets you walk away with the right mindset and more importantly, action steps to take them on.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• The ‘comparison trap’ and the importance of identity
• How to rewrite your story to get out of the ‘comparison trap’
• How to find your ‘best performance’
• The three questions to ask yourself when rewriting your story
• How changing your relationship with your goals gives you more freedom to make mistakes
• Breaking down Carol Dweck’s ‘Growth Mindset’ to make every moment a refining moment
• The danger of getting to the top and what you can do to avoid the trap
• The SMART-AS(S) Goals framework and why SMART Goals are not enough
• Why the first decision of the day is important to achieving your goals
• How to get into the ‘flow state’ and develop your skill to be present

Useful Resources Mentioned:

The Performance Paradox - How Only Focusing On Performance Leads to Performing Worse | with Eduardo Briceño

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dweck, Carol S. S.

The No Show Dogs Podcast

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Guest Bio:

Derin 'DMac' McMains

Derin McMains is a former professional baseball player and manager, now Director of Mental Performance at global cybersecurity company ReliaQuest. McMains has spent the last decade-plus training athletes, executives and other high performers using mental performance principles to take their game to the next level. He’s built out mental performance programs for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and the University of Notre Dame. One of the most important skills he teaches is a simple (yet not easy) one: learning how to be a high performer by staying in the present moment.

Show Credits:

This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared by Debby Germino and published by Glen McNiel.

The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).