The Mental Toughness and Confidence Blueprint, with Dr. Nate Zinsser
Sep 6, 2023
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Dr. Nate Zinsser, sports psychology mentor for elite athletes and soldiers, discusses developing mental toughness and confidence. Topics include the importance of confidence and self-reflection, cueing conviction and focus, writing down daily ESP check-ins, the remarkable story of Kyle Carpenter, rebuilding confidence and protecting growth, and exploring the red pencil mentality and addressing internal thoughts.
Focusing on specific tasks and silencing self-critical thoughts leads to optimal performance.
By actively reflecting on effort, success, and progress, we can build a greater sense of assurance in ourselves.
Deep dives
Building Confidence: Focus and Silence the Mind
Confidence and peak performance come from having a quiet mind and silencing the self-critical thoughts that can distract us. When we focus on a specific task, the areas of the brain associated with that task light up, while other areas become quiet, leading to optimal performance. To achieve this focus and confidence, it is important to recognize our successes and give ourselves credit for our accomplishments. We should view setbacks and mistakes as temporary and limited, instead of allowing them to define us. By actively practicing reflection and focusing on effort, success, and progress, we can build a greater sense of assurance in ourselves.
Developing Confidence: The ESP Method
To cultivate confidence, we can use the ESP method: effort, success, and progress. By reflecting on our day and recognizing the effort we put in, the successes we had, and the progress we made, we can build a sense of certainty in our abilities. It is important to counter the tendency to overlook or downplay our achievements and acknowledge the evidence that supports our confidence. This daily practice can help us maintain and protect our confidence over time.
Red Pencil Mentality: Overcoming Self-Criticism
Many of us have been conditioned to look for the worst in ourselves and be self-critical. This red pencil mentality, ingrained in our schooling and upbringing, can hinder our confidence and hold us back. To overcome this, we need to actively shift our focus to the best in ourselves and celebrate our successes. By rewiring our thinking and choosing to see our accomplishments as representative and setbacks as non-representative, we can build a more positive and confident mindset.
#460: Mental toughness is the bedrock of starting a business, growing a multimillion-dollar portfolio, investing in real estate, crushing your debt, retiring early.
Today’s guest, Dr. Nate Zinsser, mentors elite athletes, soldiers and executives in confidence and mental toughness. He is the sports psychology mentor for two-time Superbowl MVP Eli Manning and the Director of the Performance Psychology Program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He’s mentored the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and NCAA teams, and has been a consultant for the FBI Academy, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and the NYC Fire Department. He holds a PhD in sports psychology from the University of Virginia.
In today’s episode, we discuss how to develop the type of mental toughness and confidence that can help you grow your investments, start a business, take risks in your career, make offers on houses, and overall master your financial life.