
The 18STRONG Podcast
367. Dr. Jason Selk: Unlock Your Mental Toughness with Relentless Solution Focus
Guest: Dr. Jason Selk (Peak Performance Coach, Sports Psychologist, Best Selling Author)
Host: Jeff Pelizzaro
Episode Number: 367
Podcast: The 18STRONG Podcast
Partners: Linksoul, 1stPhorm
Summary
Have you ever caught yourself stuck on the hamster wheel of negative thinking when facing a challenge? Dr. Jason Selk (Full Bio Below), a master of sports psychology and performance coaching, joins us to turn that wheel in a new direction with his game-changing concept: Relentless Solution Focus (RSF). Together, we unpack the transformative power of pivoting from problem-centric to solution-based thinking ā a skill that not only enhances mental toughness but also potentially adds years to your life.
Imagine your brain as an athlete; with the right training, it can muscle out stress-inducing thoughts and replace them with a winning strategy. Throughout our discussion, Dr. Selk provides actionable techniques to rewire your brain for success. These include daily mental exercises and success logs aimed at fostering positive neural pathways. Moreover, we explore real-life triumphs in the sports arena where a steadfast commitment to solutions has led to unprecedented victories, showcasing the profound impact of RSF in high-pressure environments.
As we wrap up our chat with Dr. Selk, the conversation shifts to the greens, where golfers know all too well the mental gameās highs and lows. We talk about the importance of a clear mindset and structured goal setting, taking a leaf from Stephen Coveyās book on proactivity. Whether youāre looking to shave strokes off your game or elevate your professional performance, embracing an RSF mentality could be your ticket to resilience and success. So, grab your clubs and your headphones, and get ready to play your best round yet, both in life and on the course.
Dr. Jason Selk Bio
- Dr. Jason Selk served as the Director of Mental Training for the St. Louis Cardinals, helping them win two World Series championships in six years.
- He assists athletes, business leaders, and salespeople in developing mental toughness, confidence, and focus.
- Dr. Selk is a licensed mental health professional with a doctorate in counseling and sports psychology from the University of Missouri.
- He has worked with notable companies like Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch, Bacardi, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
- Dr. Selk is a regular contributor to Forbes and Inc., featured in various publications, and has appeared on major television and radio networks.
- In 2022, he co-founded the Level Up app for performance coaching.
- His books, including āRelentless Solution Focus,ā āExecutive Toughness,ā ā10-Minute Toughness,ā and āOrganize Tomorrow Today,ā have received acclaim and best-seller status.
Main Topics
(00:03) Mental Toughness and Solution Focus
Dr. Jason Selk discusses the benefits of Relentless Solution Focus and practical strategies to enhance mental toughness.
(12:39) Changing Brain Biology to Improve Performance
RSF thinking can improve performance by countering the caudate loop and shifting from PCT, as seen in sports teamsā success.
(24:04) Golf Performance Thoughts and Control
Mental focus and thought patterns impact golf performance, including anger and negative thinking. Performance statements and avoiding negative discussions are important.
(30:40) Being Proactive, Setting Goals
Proactive goal-setting is crucial for personal and professional development, with process goals being the key to success.
(40:57) Relentless Solution Focus and 18STRONG
Dr. Selk discusses Relentless Solution Focus and its application to improve mental toughness and performance in golf and life.
Follow Dr. Jason Selk
- Instagram: @drjasonselk
- Website: JasonSelk.com
- Relentless Solution Focus Book
- Dr. Selkās other books
Links Mentioned
How to Win Friends and Influence People ā Dale Carnegie
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Want the full episode transcript? (click the ā+ā
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Jeff Pelizzaro: [00:00:00] The 18STRONG Podcast episode number 367 with Dr. Jason Selk, sports psychologist and performance coach.
Whatās up guys. Welcome back to the 18STRONG Podcast where weāre here to help you build a stronger game because we believe every golfer deserves to play better longer. This week we have a special guest, Dr. Jason Selk in studio to talk about his book, Relentless Solution Focus. And really just to talk about the RSF mentality, which is getting out of the cycle of thinking of our problems all the time, which tends to get us in trouble on and off the golf course and learning how to truly focus on the solutions that are going to resolve those problems or at least pieces of those [00:01:00] problems.
So itās learning how to shift your focus from the problem over to the solution. This is the number one characteristic of mental toughness, which Jasonās going to explain in this episode. He also teaches us not just how to understand this. The knowledge of it, but also how to take action and truly train our brains to do that.
Just like you would train your muscles. So you really enjoy this episode with Jason. Our partners over at Link Soul have been providing us with the best apparel for both on the course and off the course from polos to t shirts like the one I have on right now. Everything that they have is meant to be worn from the golf course to wherever youāre going next, whether that be casual, whether that be to the beach.
Thereās all different options over there. So go to 18strong. com slash Linksoul. Youāll get 20 percent off of anything in your cart over on Linksoulās website. So again, 18strong. com slash Linksoul for our favorite brand of apparel for anything on the golf course and off. Now letās get to this weekās interview.[00:02:00]
Dr. Silk, welcome to the 18STRONG Podcast. Jeff,
Dr. Jason Selk: thanks for having me. As I said, you gotta please call me Jason. Absolutely,
Jeff Pelizzaro: absolutely. First and foremost, this book, your book, Relentless Solution Focus, has been recommended several times on our last couple of podcasts. And it just happens that youāre a St.
Louis guy, you live not too far down the road, and you were nice enough to come into the studio. So I canāt wait to dig into this, literally just finished it this morning, and but I want to talk to you first of all and foremost about mental toughness. Define mental toughness for us to just kick off the show.
Dr. Jason Selk: Weāre going to get right to it, huh? Yeah, for sure. I have had, hundreds of definitions of mental toughness over the last 25 years, but I think the one for me that sticks the most is the mindās ability, To stay focused on solutions, especially in the face of adversity. Nobody needs mental toughness when the scoreboard is in your favor.[00:03:00]
Itās when youāre losing by two or three runs, youāre down to your last out. Itās when your bank account is dwindling and youāre not sure how your pipeline is going to fill back up. Itās when youāre in a relationship and itās not as easy as it used to be. I think those are the times where People really need mental toughness.
Jeff Pelizzaro: And one of the most crucial pieces of the book is the fact that most of the time we tend to focus on the things that are going wrong the problems that we have. Can you speak a little bit to really the, thatās the big piece and some of the pieces that we can dive into to help.
Dr. Jason Selk: Yeah, I think itās important to normalize for people that, unfortunately, the way our brains are built, it is completely normal, biologically speaking, to focus on the problem.
Itās called PCT, [00:04:00] problem centric thinking. Hundreds of years ago, it was necessary for the advancement of the species. That, if we werenāt always worried about the threat that was lurking in the bushes, then we were more than likely going to end up in the lionās den. And so hundreds of years ago, it was critical for survival, for literally, for our species to advance.
Fast forward hundreds of years, and we live in a very safe time now, comparatively speaking, and so that same PCT tendency Even though it, hundreds of years ago, was so good for us, itās now so bad for us. We just went through this worldwide pandemic, and the truth of the matter is, PCT will take more lives by far than any pandemic, hopefully, that we ever face.
Certainly anything weāve ever faced. Because we actually, when we allow our minds to do whatās totally [00:05:00] normal, which is Focus on the problem. The brain releases a neurotransmitter called cortisol. Cortisol, itās the punctuation of fight or flight. And that is where, the advancement or the survival of the species was affected in such a positive way, was us living a lot of our lives in that fight or flight mode.
However, when that cortisol goes in the bloodstream, itās a toxin for us. It causes all feelings of stress. anxiety, fear, anger, depression, guilt, but it literally is like a poison. Now, the good thing is that when the cortisol goes in, itās such a low dose, but shoot, if you inject yourself with low doses of poison, even if itās just small amounts and low doses over time, thatās going to get you.
And hereās what I tell you, people with. RSF and RSF is, itās the title of the book, relentless Solution Focus. I think you could [00:06:00] interchange RSF for mental toughness. I really think theyāre almost synonymous. So a person with RSF or a person with mental toughness, biologically speaking, is going to live on average 14 years longer.
Wow. Itās crazy. You think about 14 years, think, what were you doing 14 years ago? Thatās a long time. And. The kicker is not only will you live significantly longer, but scientifically proven again that youāre going to have measurable increases in health, happiness, and success, is if you can really learn to keep the mind away from that biologically normal PCT, which we know, with some training, doesnāt take major amounts, some, we can actually train PCT to go away And be replaced with RSF.
So I could say PCT is mental weakness and I could [00:07:00] say RSF is mental toughness. With training, we can all become mentally tough, just as. When Iām born, my bicep is completely weak, but with training, I can make that guy pretty strong. With training. Yeah, and thatās
Jeff Pelizzaro: the big piece that I took out of it is, mental toughness to me, thatās a noun, right?
But RSF is you have to take action too. You can read all the books. And one of the big pieces of your book is that itās not just about the knowledge. Youāre actually giving a way for us to train. And I remember the story in there about when you were out on your deck and came up with the idea of Hey, we train our bodies.
We have to train our mind. And so speak to how important the action piece is. We can hear it all though. We hear it all the time, but it
Dr. Jason Selk: really hits home. Yeah, I think itās why Iāve had so much success in my career. I know itās what got me the job at the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2006.
That, I think you get a lot of people in the mental health field. [00:08:00] And, maybe you say in the sports psychology world where itās very much, let me teach you certain things. And I learned a long time ago, knowing something does nothing, doing something does. And again, if you look at, The biology of the brain.
Thatās the part I think people must understand that all day long I can pep talk you to be strong. Jeff, you know a lot about making the body strong Thatās really your bread and butter. You could teach me so many things about having strong biceps or strong legs But until I get my butt up off this chair and go out there and start doing some of the exercises nothing changes and I know You know with my approach, a mental workout, it is a, when I was working with the Cardinals, it was three minutes and 40 seconds.
People in the business world, itās a minute and 40 seconds. And there are biological reasons, I need to, with an athlete, do enough visualization where it actually starts to create muscle memory. And we know [00:09:00] you can do that. In the business world, we donāt need muscle memory. We just really need that mental memory.
So we donāt need to have it as long. But, again, itās not a pep talk. Mental toughness is no more a pep talk than physical toughness is. However, you got most people like me. are going to tell you a pep talk will do it. And I would just challenge you. And I think this is why in my career, the people Iāve worked with have had a lot of success that we donāt talk about it.
We do it, we train it. And once you train it, you really canāt. Not have it there when you want it.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Can you break down a little bit of what RSF stands for? How do you go from that PCT thinking to more of the solution focused thinking?
Dr. Jason Selk: Yeah, so just definition, RSF is Relentless Solution Focus. And the definition I use is within 60 seconds replacing all negative or problem focused thought with Solution focused thinking, the reason we want to do it [00:10:00] quickly, the 60 seconds and I donāt know that people need to get their stopwatches out or protractors out, but the whole idea is to move your thoughts from problem to solution and do it quickly because the longer I stay focused on the problem, the more that cortisol is being pushed into the bloodstream.
Now, I told you, cortisol makes you feel like garbage, but it also makes you stupid. If you think about fight or flight, your brain, the essence of fight or flight is your brain is just losing its ability for detailed thinking. Translation to me is, you become dumb. And I know this, if Iām trying to solve a problem, I need to be as smart as possible.
So I want to, as quickly as possible, start working on the solution. But again, itās completely abnormal. Itās biologically ingrained for me to think about the problem. And then most people believe, and I call this the great myth, that most people believe if you start thinking about a problem, it will naturally [00:11:00] lead you to a solution.
And thereās just no empirical evidence anywhere to support that. When I first started I was doing a lot of marriage counseling. I was taking any, anyone who needed my services. I specialized in sport, but I had to pay the bills and I was doing marriage counseling. I was doing drug and alcohol counseling.
I did anything any mental health person could or would do, I was doing. And so I had this couple and they were two physicians. Theyād been married 30 years. Living in separate bedrooms for the last 10 years. . But I thought, okay, no problem. I, they train you something in, in in graduate school for marriage counseling.
Itās called the ABCs of Communication. Theyāre still teaching this today. By the way, the A is you learn to say to your spouse, I feel B is when you see is in this situation. So these two come into the office and Iām really optimistic. [00:12:00] And I know theyāre not doing very well, but Iāve got the ABCs, Iām gonna have them back in the rack in no time, no problem, right?
So they sit down and I lay the ABCs on them, and World War III broke out. And I couldnāt control it, and they left the office, and I was very concerned. I thought Iām trying to build a practice here, and if people come in and they have 10 problems, and they leave and theyāve got 14 problems, Theyāre going to stop coming in pretty quickly and above and beyond that, I just, I want to help people.
And so I started thinking, what did I just do? And thankfully I had this training with PCT and understood that PCT was this thing. And the ABCs are forcing people into that PCT mode. And I saw it in real life. You talk about the problems, youāre going to keep talking about the problems. And if you look at the brain, how the biology works, itās called the caudate.
Itās a little piece of your brain, and itās built to loop, and thatās really that safety of the species [00:13:00] that I know thereās a lion over there, and Iām trying to build a shelter over here, but my brain keeps looping back to the lion, so that I donāt forget about it, because people are easily distracted, but we have a built in loop that will keep driving us back to our problems, so itās pretty cool.
What we have to do to be able to leave the PCT thought is we have to actually train the brain. Now the good news is there are certain elements of training mentally speaking that you can actually stop that loop from happening. You can cause it to have atrophy, if you will, and then you strengthen another neural pattern.
And really it is, thereās a couple of things. One would be the mental workout, which is, I talked about a little bit before. Itās probably a little bit too heavy to get into, but itās only a minute and 40 seconds daily. And I try to do it at least three times a week. And then youāve got what are called success logs.
And this is 30 seconds, and if you do those three times a week, biologically speaking, if you look at the science, you canāt stop the brain from [00:14:00] moving forward with its ability to be more RSF than PCT. So for me, because Iāve been doing this stuff for so long, When Iām around PCT, itās just like a, itās like somebody, I, itās, Iām so aware of it now.
Itās all over the place. So I try not to let it bother me, but Iām very aware of it. And even in my own world, when it shows up, it feels now foreign to me. I will not put much time or energy thinking, talking, behaving in that PCT mode. Here are the three questions. One. What did I do well today? Write down on a daily basis, do it three times a week, three things you did well.
Iām just curious. Whenās the last time you actually recognized what you did well? Itās pretty abnormal. Okay? Second question. Whatās one thing you want to improve? Third question. Whatās one action step you can take to make the improvement? And if you ask those questions three times a week, you create neural pathways.
Your brain starts to lean into those neural pathways. Thatās RSF thinking. Whatās going [00:15:00] well? What do I want to improve? How am I going to make the improvement? The normal brain thinks, overlook all the good stuff, and zero in on your imperfections. You want to screw yourself up? You want to ruin your performance?
Let yourself do that. I guarantee you, give me two athletes. One that doesnāt have any training, and one that will just start doing success logs and mental workouts. If they have the same skill set, there will be no comparison in two to three months. No way. And the more pressure you put on it The better my guyās gonna perform.
Sure. No doubt about it. Itās just changing the biology of the brain. Itās like you, take two athletes with the same skill set, make one of them physically stronger. Whoās gonna do better? Yeah. Itās not even a fair fight. And again, Iāve been really lucky in my career. I was with the Cardinals for six years.
We win two World Series. I started with Auburn baseball a couple years ago. Predicted to be last in the SEC. We took fifth in the country. Started working with SMUās football team last year. Iām not trying to get [00:16:00] back in the sports world, so people watching this, please, thatās not my goal. But it was a personal thing to get me back in with Auburn and SMU.
But SMU hadnāt won an AAC championship in 40 years. 4 0. And we won it this year. Oh my gosh. Congratulations. Thank you. Iām not saying it to pat myself on the back. Iām just saying, itās biology. If you change biology for the better, Youāre going to have a much better chance of winning in head to head competition.
Perfect.
Jeff Pelizzaro: When we get focused on problems, and Iām speaking for myself too, itās really easy to perseverate on it, like you said, the whole loop, but I feel like itās also really easy to let that kind of snowball, and you tell a couple stories of how it snowballs from one little thing, and then all of a sudden My life is in a terrible place and Iām, and then the whole neurological and psychological physiology starts to happen too.
So when, one thing that was refreshing to me, that You point out in the book is you donāt have to solve all your problems [00:17:00] either is pick one thing and you donāt have to solve that problem. You have to just take that one little piece and move forward. No
Dr. Jason Selk: doubt. And if you think about whether it be competition or a relationship interaction, youāre right.
It starts with one little mistake and then youāre done. Gets a little bit worse. Your performance gets a little bit worse. Performance gets a little bit worse. And every time performance gets a little bit worse, obviously the problem gains more and more momentum. So all you have to realize is And this is the hardest part is, you got to be able to recognize when itās happening.
Thatās the hardest part because biologically youāre trying to recognize something that youāre built to do. Itās very difficult. Itās so normal to just get pulled into that caudate loop and let that one little problem or mistake start to snowball. So what we really want to do is, as quickly as we can, [00:18:00] interrupt that loop.
And itās simple. The interruption, but again, you first have to recognize, Okay, Iām focused on a problem and there is absolutely nothing positive thatās going to come from this. And I want to be very clear when I say this. Because some people believe. That by focusing on the problem, thatās where the value is.
You do your own homework. Find some empirical evidence anywhere. If you find it, please email me because I need to see it. Iāve been searching for 20 years now and Iām just going to tell people there is no empirical evidence that focusing on the problem is going to lead to the solution or improve the performance.
In fact, itās the absolute contrary. Itās gonna totally start to devastate you. The first step is you gotta recognize, okay, my mindās focused on the problem. And as easy as it sounds, itās actually quite difficult. Thatās where the training comes in. Thatās if you have a little bit of that mental toughness, that neural patterning of the other stuff, this problem [00:19:00] centric pattern starts to seem a little bit foreign.
And then you just simply, with one simple question, you Whatās one thing I can do, right now, that could make this better. And Iām a big believer, I tell the Nando Parado story about one inch. Just look for an inch of improvement. Because if thereās a problem, and you can break the problem loop, And start to create momentum forward, then we start to have momentum moving in the right direction instead of momentum moving around in circles, or in this case, the wrong direction.
What is one thing? Start looking for two or three things, weāre screwed. Start looking for the mile of improvement, weāre done. Find one thing, one inch, and you become relentless about one thing, one inch. Youāll love the results. Love the results. You were talking
Jeff Pelizzaro: about the physiological changes, the cortisol, and I would imagine, and this kind of, since reading this, [00:20:00] what Iāve tried to pay attention to is, when I do start to get a little bit of that feeling starting to wor thatās almost you can use that as your trigger, right?
Oh, Iām heading in the wrong path. At least for me, that was like, okay. I gotta, I got my 60 seconds. I gotta now pull out my sheet and figure out whatās the one thing.
Dr. Jason Selk: Yeah, so if you just think right now, in the last 24 hours, how often have you experienced stress? You donāt have to answer.
Itās a little bit rhetorical, but I want the listeners to think too. Were there three or four times that jump out? Was it one time that lasted for a couple hours? Was it 20 times, and anytime you experience that stress, you know your brainās focused on the problem. Weāre not even biologically able to experience stress, anxiety, fear, anger, depression, guilt.
Those are what I call the nasty six. You canāt experience those without the cortisol. And the cortisol doesnāt go in without the [00:21:00] mind first focusing on a problem. So the alarm system, really the built in biological alarm that we all have is, The experience of any negative emotion and you think anytime you experience stress is an opportunity For you to start working on a solution.
You just you know, you got to start looking out for stress and donāt give yourself permission stress gets a really bad name stress is actually if you think about it on a one to ten scale one two, three and four levels of stress Without them, weāre dead. I drove over here and Iām not the, I was on the phone playing on the radio on the way over here and without two or three, on that level of stress.
Iām going all over, smashing into things. So 1, 2, 3, 4, I would say are healthy levels of stress. Youāre not going to feel any negative emotion. It just keeps you on the correct decision making path. 5, 6, 7, [00:22:00] 8, 9, 10, all that. I want people to start viewing as unacceptable. Itās unhealthy. When you start to feel that 10, thatās when youāre self injecting cortisol.
Itās like putting a poison or a toxin in you. Thatās when you got to say, okay, wait, stop. I know Iām focused on a problem, I donāt even need to know exactly what the problem is, just hereās the question. Whatās one thing I can do right now that could make this one inch better? And start putting your energy into that.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Letās take a second to thank our sponsors over at FirstForm. And this week I want to highlight their Formula One Post Workout Protein Shake. I use this thing pretty much every day after my workouts because, letās face it, being here in the gym, working all the time with clients. putting on a podcast. It can sometimes be tough to get my protein in on a regular basis.
And so I know that with the post workout shake, the Formula One, first of all, itās fast acting. So right after your workout is a great time to get your protein in to help build your muscles, get yourself stronger, and repair what youāve done in the gym. But [00:23:00] also, if you donāt know if youāre going to be able to get your protein in your regular meals, itās just a great way to make sure that youāre supplementing and hitting those marks.
So be sure to go over to FirstForm. com.
So letās shift it now to, to the golf world. I know youāve worked with tons of athletes, Iām sure youāve worked with quite a few golfers. So how does this show up in, in our lives? On the golf course, in our training sessions, in our practice sessions and, whatās, what are the things that first get us stuck, and then how do we start moving with the
Dr. Jason Selk: RSF?
Alright, so two, and Iāll just generalize here, but have you ever broken a club, Jeff? No. Have you ever thrown a club?
Jeff Pelizzaro: I donāt think so. Okay. But come, but maybe a little,
Dr. Jason Selk: You understand the ground. Yeah, absolutely. Thatād be [00:24:00] one thing. Anytime youāre showing anger, where do you think your brain is?
Youāre not PCT for sure. Thereās no doubt. Itās got a hold of you and youāve let that, if weāre looking at anger on the one to 10, youāre at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. When youāre throwing clubs, youāre screaming cuss words, youāre grouchy. , any of that stuff, youāre on PCT here. Hereās the other one.
The donāt thinking, donāt. Hit it in the water. Donāt go left. Donāt slice. Donāt screw this up. Hereās another one. Now, itās not quite as evident, but when youāre starting to calculate the final score. Youāre on 16 and youāre saying to yourself if this, then This is where Iām going to be when I get in the clubhouse.
Anytime youāre doing that sort of stuff, any of those three, I would tell you, you got your brain focused on the wrong stuff. And so you, okay what am I supposed to focus on? Because I could say to you all day long, Donāt think about a pink elephant with blue running shoes. And I know people listening, [00:25:00] I just said, donāt think about the pink elephant with blue running shoes, and thatās probably exactly what crossed your mind.
So you gotta, instead of thinking about the pink elephant, you have to have something to think about. So Iāll do it again. This time Iām going to tell you, donāt think about a pink elephant. This time I want you to think, whatās your favorite color? What is your favorite color? Green. Alright, I want you to think about a big, beautiful, green, hot air balloon.
Yeah. Alright, so donāt think about a pink elephant with blue running shoes. Yeah. You got the hot air balloon? Yeah, got it. Donāt let a pink elephant with blue running shoes get into your mind. Yeah. Okay, so RSF is the green hot air balloon. But you obviously, there is value in just not thinking about your problems, but I donāt want to be that professional.
I want to know whatās the most valuable thought control. Part of thought control is stop thinking about the negative and I think when you have like gratitude journals, Thatās really good stuff. [00:26:00] Anything other than your problems is a good thing. Because youāre not pushing the cortisol in the bloodstream.
But if I can get the most appropriate solution focused thought, or thought control. So I would, for an athlete, for a golfer, we would come up with whatās called a performance statement. So let me think about a guy I work with whoās actually on the tour. Okay head down, tempo 7. Supinate. Okay, so he just, he wants to look at one dimple on the ball, even when the ballās gone, his tempo of the backswing for him, he likes it at a seven, and then supinate is just follow through.
So instead of thinking about all the donāts or all the things that went wrong or all the things that could happen, I want him focused on that one thought. That most causes success for him, and that, in the sports world, would be what I call the performance statement. Every athlete I work with, [00:27:00] weāre going to come up with a performance statement, and then we review that performance statement.
You heard me talk earlier about the mental workout. So weāre just reminding ourselves on a regular basis, weāre training ourselves. To be focused on that one thing throughout competition.
Jeff Pelizzaro: And are there times when you have different performance statements for different, say, different parts of the game?
Putting versus being on the tee
Dr. Jason Selk: box. For sure. So I would want, I would just want a full swing and then putting. So typically with a golfer, I want to have two performance statements. One for each of those.
Jeff Pelizzaro: You mention in the book that we tend to bond with each other over our problems, right? And Iām thinking of golfers, and Iām thinking of being on the golf course, and the way that we talk to each other, the way that we talk to ourselves, and many times itās jokingly.
But is that impacting how we play?
Dr. Jason Selk: Absolutely, no doubt about it. And itās no different. You guys are on the 18th hole, but think about, at the workplace. People are hanging around the, the coffee [00:28:00] break room. What do you think theyāre talking about? How great life is?
Or are they complaining about problems? Hereās another thing. What about the news? Yeah. I had to, literally, I had to quit watching the news 20 years ago. And itās a real problem in my house. My wife wants to turn on the today show and itās just like fingernails on a chalkboard for me because.
All the people want to talk about are the problems. And Iām not saying we donāt have problems. I donāt put my head in the sand. I just know this, that when a problem enters my life, Iām not going to think or talk about it. Iām going to kick its ass. And thatās not what happens on the Today Show. And thatās not what happens when people are on the 18th hole, ruminating about all the things that went wrong out there and laughing about how bad we are as golfers.
I would just tell you. Donāt participate in any of that stuff. Thatās not making you better. Itās making you worse. And what youāll find is your lifeās going to be a whole lot better when you stop. Hangin around all these people who all they want to talk about is problems. Which is, [00:29:00] for the most part, just about everybody out there.
So you gotta be a little bit careful with that last piece of advice.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Alright, last little thing I want to touch on before we jump into our final segment of questions is goals. You break down, specifically, long term goals, short term goals. And how long term goals, itās important to think big, itās important to, really shoot for the moon, shoot for the stars, but short term goals have to be a little bit more realistic.
And this is the first time that Iāve really seen somebody break it down and talk about why. Your short term goals need to be a little bit more realistic, and you canāt, make some crazy thought of what youāre going to achieve in a short
Dr. Jason Selk: period of time. Yeah, and I really, itās, everything I do is all just science.
And not textbook science. Textbook is the first place, but then itās got to be proven in real life. Empirical evidence. I was just watching Stephen Covey. His work I didnāt love the book Seven Habits, but he has a speech, hour long speech on each of the seven habits and itās the most mind opening.
John Wooden. And Steve and Covey have opened my mind more than any other two [00:30:00] people, but I just watched Coveyās first habit. It was proactive. Be proactive. And I didnāt fully understand it when I first started studying him years ago. And really, what Covey says with the pro, be proactive, is if you donāt have a game plan when you wake up, youāre gonna be just blown around by the wind.
And I think, weāve talked about PCT and thereās all kinds of reasons that if you donāt have a direction to start the day with, Itās quite likely youāre going to end up in the wrong spot. And so Covey, his concept of be proactive. And he says, itās the most important of all seven of the habits, which I actually agree.
Itās what I call, you must have a winning game plan. Now he doesnāt really talk about the specifics of what you need to do to be proactive. Heās just saying that if youāre not, youāre going to have real problems. So what Iāve tried to do is again, take science and performance science and really figure out, okay, what.
What really does it mean to be proactive? And [00:31:00] thereās three levels of goals you talked about. I got vision, product, and process. Vision are result oriented goals three years or longer. And I know you have this concept, people have this concept of with goal setting, set it high and hope to get close. You got to also be really careful of this.
Thereās no empirical evidence to support thatās a good thing unless itās in three year or longer periods. In less than three year periods, itās like the New Yearās resolution. You set a high goal, you have no chance of reaching it, and then you end up just quitting on it. And thatās a really bad thing, because without goals, we are not proactive, weāre reactive.
So you have to have goals. Most people donāt. They donāt know, theyāve never been taught how to effectively set goals. So theyāre just, by default, not using goals, which means theyāre really going to be starting each day reactive. Itās a really bad thing for the human condition. Anyway, vision would be a product goal, three years or longer.
[00:32:00] Result, when I say product, I mean result. And then your second level of goal would be a product goal, twelve years or closer. And then your third would be Twelve months. Excuse me, Iām sorry, did I say twelve years? Twelve months or closer. And then your third level would be process goals. Process goals are the daily activities that are most important that will cause product and vision results to occur.
Alright, so you might say, if I give you an example, I might say, okay, Iām in sales, and letās use a golf example. I might say, okay, three years from now, I want to have won three majors. All right, so my product goal this year is I want to win one major. My process goals, and this is where you either win or lose is process.
And most people as they get so focused on the product and they forget the process. Coach Wooden, he popularized this [00:33:00] 30 years ago and science has since confirmed this is your number one way to control for results. Focus on the process. And I would just say, you never want to have more than two or three process goals, but they want to be the most important activity.
So it might be, Iām going to commit to mental workouts and success logs five days a week. Iām going to do strength and conditioning five days a week. And Iām going to follow my coachās training plan six days a week. And we want to be, in the athletic world. With process goals, you really gotta be close to 100%, especially if youāre trying to compete at the pro level.
In the business world I just tell you, itās a lot easier if you can get two or three really good process goals in the business world, you go 90%, youāre going to win a major, youāre going to win multiple majors every year. But back in the sports world, the main thing Iād tell people is, when you set goals, vision, product, process, make sure you put the most energy, emphasis, focus, by far, [00:34:00] no comparison on those process goals.
Jeff Pelizzaro: I love it. All right, a couple of closing questions we ask everybody that comes on the show. Just have a little fun. Caddyshack or
Dr. Jason Selk: Happy Gilmore. Iām a huge Chevy Chase fan. I love Bill Murray, so absolutely no doubt about it Caddyshack. But, Adam Sandler held his own in
Jeff Pelizzaro: Happy Gilmore. If you could pick a walk up song to the first T Box, do you play a lot of golf?
Do you play
Dr. Jason Selk: much? Itās interesting. Youāre not going to like my answer. The last time I played golf was three days before I opened my private practice, so itās been, 25, 30 years. Okay, wow. I just, I have spent so much time working, and I also felt, you know what? Iām going to have a lot of clients that are on the tour, theyāre trying to get on the tour, and theyāre going to want to go play golf if they know I play golf, and Iām going to look like a real fool.
Just Iām not going to go out on the baseball field with any of my players, or the football field, Iām going to keep it on the sidelines no I donāt play. If I had a walk up song, oh I donāt know whatās that Eminem song? I, over the years Iāve had some walk up [00:35:00] songs for speeches whatās the Eminem song?
Lose Yourself? Yeah, Lose Yourself. I really like that one. There was an ACDC song my good friend Cole Hillen put me on to, Thunderstruck, that was a good one. Iād probably go with one of those too. Okay. Maybe Hellās Bells even, ACDC there, get people rocking a little bit.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Is there a book, aside from the books that youāve written, that has really meant a whole lot to you, that you tend to recommend to people, or that has just been special for you personally?
Yeah, I
Dr. Jason Selk: think from social standpoint, really from a professional or personal standpoint. Number one book Iāve ever read is Dale Carnegieās How to Win Friends and Influence People. Itās written in 1926. The title, I think, Is a little off putting for some people. Itās not about manipulation, right? It really is about influence and the different, manipulation is I get what I want, but you donāt influences.
We both get what we want. That book is so good at teaching social skills of how to get anyone involved. [00:36:00] to get what they want. Everybody wins, the more people that understand those concepts. I literally just bought that
Jeff Pelizzaro: book for my 15 year old son. Itās about as
Dr. Jason Selk: in my opinion, itās the best that there is.
Best book ever written, in my opinion. Awesome.
Jeff Pelizzaro: If you could pick a dream foursome that you could go play golf with past historical figures, celebrities, whoever it might be, who would you put in your
Dr. Jason Selk: foursome? Iād definitely put Coach Wooden in there. I was able to spend a little time with him before he passed away.
It was enough to make me want so much more. Iād love spend a little time with Lombardi. I think thatād be interesting. Iāve studied him pretty deeply. And if I could get a round of golf with my dad. He passed away three years ago. Iād take it any day of the week. Iād go out and as long as it could take, Iād be out there swinging those clubs.
I love it.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Alright, if we had the 18STRONG jet fueled up and you could take those guys to any course in the world, where are you going to go?
Dr. Jason Selk: I love going to Vegas. They got some good courses [00:37:00] out there and once we get off the course, I can show everybody a good time. I donāt know I wouldnāt mind spending a little time in Ireland.
I heard they have some pretty good courses over in Ireland and Scotland, but Ireland, Scotland, or Vegas. Iāll let those three pick. Perfect.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Is there a social media account that you follow in any realm that you think would be good for the 18STRONG crew to check out? Iād
Dr. Jason Selk: love to say yes, but honestly, I havenāt been on social media for even one second for the last 12 months.
Personally, and Iām not telling people not to be on social media. Personally, my lifeās better because Iām not on it. I know I have an account myself, and I know itās pretty active, but I You know, people manage it for me. I literally couldnāt even get on if I wanted to because I donāt even have passwords to get on.
I donāt follow anyone, not to say that people shouldnāt, but me personally, Iāve found my lifeās a little bit better without
Jeff Pelizzaro: social media. No, I think that says a lot. Thatās awesome. Alright, last one, and I know that you havenāt played golf in over 25 years. Yeah. But whatās the best piece of golf advice youāve ever been
Dr. Jason Selk: given?
I [00:38:00] think Iād put it The best advice Iāve ever given that Iāve heard people say as a pattern, and itās a centering breath. Remember, when youāre on the practice range, you really have very little pressure on you. And so itās easy to hit the ball long and straight. You walk over to the first tee, and all of a sudden, the clubās not quite the same.
And a lot of that has to do with your heart rate. See, when you put yourself in a pressure situation, your biology is built. to elevate your heart rate. When the heart rate elevates, it changes all kinds of things, including the timing of your swing. So what we want to do is keep your heart rate under control.
And I would tell you before, every actual swing, maybe not every practice swing, but every time youāre going to actually swing the club, make contact with the ball, try taking a centering breath. Breathe in for six seconds. Hold for two. Breathe out for seven and chances [00:39:00] are itās just going to make it so much easier because youāve trained to swing the club Successfully at letās say 80 beats a minute and when you put pressure in there that 80 turns into 88, 92 pretty quickly Centering breath will put you back at the 70 so itāll make it a little bit easier for your training to cause success under pressure.
Six, hold, count. Not as fast as you can, but do the old one Mississippi, two Mississippi, in for six, hold for two, out for seven.
Jeff Pelizzaro: Dr. Sock, thank you so much for coming on. This has been amazing. Everybody go check out Relentless Solution Focus. You can find it pretty much everywhere, I would assume.
Thank you for coming on. Thanks for listening to the 18STRONG Podcast. And if you found this episode helpful, donāt forget to share it with your friends. And of course, go follow us over on Instagram, at 18STRONG. Thanks again. Weāll catch up with you next week. Train hard, practice smart, and play better golf.[00:40:00]