The old Japanese maxim is after victory tight in your chin straps. After you do well, buckle down a little bit. If you have performed poorly, the mistakes that you made are going to be uppermost in your mind. And that's when you really need to be your own best friend. You've actually got to spend more time being compassionate after a poor performance.
Confidence seems elusive. We do something that comes easily and we don’t think twice about it. Or we try something new, experience setbacks, and question our capabilities. It leaves us thinking that confidence is something other people just seem to have. All the time.
Performance psychologist Nate Zinsser knows that’s just not true.
For decades he’s been working with Olympians, professional athletes, military leaders, and other high performers in his role as Director of West Point's Performance Psychology Program. What he’s learned is that confidence is something we need to build, protect, and practice. In his book, The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance, he shares the methods he’s developed to help us do just that.
Reading Nate’s book helped me realize just how many misconceptions we have about confidence. And they’re the kind of misconceptions that can really hold us back. I think you’ll enjoy the interview and I know you’ll learn a lot from the book.
Episode Links
How I Avoid Burnout: A West Point Performance Psychologist
A Psychologist Who Helps West Point Cadets Develop Mental Strength Shares 3 of His Best Tips
Plateaus, Dips, and Leaps: Where to Look for Inventions and Discoveries During Skilled Performance
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut
The Team
Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.
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