These are the words spoken by Piggy Lambert, former college coach at Purdue, and then spoken again by John Wooden, former master college coach at UCLA. My goal is for you to begin speaking them too.

John Wooden continues to say, “the truth is that the doer makes mistakes, and mistakes come from doing – but so does success. The player who is mistake free is also probably the one who is doing nothing to guarantee success, which is the biggest mistake of all.”

Are your athletes afraid of making a mistake? Maybe they don’t want to let down a teammate. Maybe they don’t want to let you down. Maybe they don’t want to get injured. Maybe they don’t want to be the cause of the team losing.

It’s time to change your team’s philosophy.

Mistakes are made when an athlete pushes his/her boundaries. The more comfortable an athlete is in training, the less they will improve. The more they challenge themselves, the more mistakes they will make. The more mistakes they make, the better chance they will have at realizing their true potential.

A water-ski athlete should never complete a training session without taking at least one fall or missing at least one buoy in the slalom course.

A gymnast, improving his parallel bars performance, should push the boundaries and miss his dismount.

A rowing crew should experience ‘out of sync’ moments in an effort to increase their power and momentum.

The focus should not be to go out there and make mistakes. The focus should be on improving your skills and tactics with the understanding that mistakes are a natural and welcomed part of the process.

Call to Action: Praise your athletes when they make a mistake. Do not praise the mistake itself, but rather the effort behind making the mistake in an attempt to master a new skill. Let your team know that even the greatest athletes make mistakes, not only in training but also in competition. They risk making a mistake so that they can reap the reward of winning and becoming the best athlete they can be.

Believe and Achieve

*Dr. Haley*

ps. What’s your comment?

Every competition has a winner. It doesn’t matter the weather, officiators, rules, regulations or any other condition. Someone is going to stand on top of the podium; it might as well be you.

It would be nice to have it all come together to create the perfect scene. A football team would love to have the home team advantage and play the top athletes who are all free of injuries and in perfect game shape. A golfer would welcome a course with fast greens and zero wind for the entire tournament. An Alpine ski racer might prefer a specific course set, snow conditions and starting position to help them compete.

It doesn’t matter what conditions you want. What matters is how you’re going to react to the conditions you get.

Muhammad Ali’s boxing trainer, Angelo Dundee, said “there are positive and negative thoughts and hey, it doesn’t cost you a cent more to think positively.”

Choosing to think positively will gain you a competitive edge. When your opponents are complaining about the adverse competitive conditions, you can identify the factors that can help you perform.

Positive thoughts lead to positive actions. Positive actions lead to a positive performance. A positive performance leads to a gold medal around your neck.

Call to action

The next time you practice and compete, take the time you spend suiting up and getting ready to also think positively. Think about the factors that will help you perform to the best of your ability. If nothing else, think about this: someone’s going to win today; it might as well be you!

ps. remember to leave a comment and share your thoughts and suggestions

Then the inevitable happens and we are confronted with temptation. Should I eat dessert? Should I stay home with the family and miss this week’s yoga? Everyone looks so happy drinking beer and wine at the party, should I join in on the fun?

With temptation comes an important decision to either indulge or stay committed to your goals. When you choose to indulge it’s easy to justify your actions with, “I have worked really hard the past week and this will be my reward.“ For a minute you feel instant gratification, but soon that happy moment is replaced with long-term disappointment.

Why did you do it? Why can’t you break the pattern of giving in to temptation and finally achieve the results you desperately want?

It starts with the way your reward yourself.  Rewards are powerful. They can undermine your progress when used inappropriately and nurture your commitment, confidence and concentration when use effectively.

Rewards are designed to influence positive behavior. When you achieve your goals each week, it is important to reward yourself for a job well done. The problem arises when you choose a reward that offsets your efforts to be healthy. When your goals are to eat less and move more, why would you reward yourself with eating more and moving less?

Stop rewarding yourself with things that counteract the progress you’ve made. Instead, reward yourself with other things you enjoy. Take a few hours to read a book, get a pedicure or massage, buy a new shirt or journal about your achievements. Use these rewards to symbolize a ‘pat on the back’ for a successful week.

Only reward yourself when you achieve your weekly goals. That way, it will have a greater effect on your confidence. When you feel confident, you’ll be more motivated to have another successful week. When you’re motivated, you’ll be more focused on your nutrition and fitness. When you’re focused, you’ll achieve more results.

Call to Action: Write down three possible rewards for yourself. Choose one and reward yourself for achieving your goals this week. Do not put your reward on hold for when you have time. Make time this week to reward yourself and then use your confidence to commit to next week’s action plan.

Believe and Achieve,

*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

P.S. be sure to leave a comment to let Dr. Haley know your thoughts.

Last week, during our consulting session, Tanya was disappointed in herself because she had gained some weight back. Through our discussion, it became clear to Tanya that one of the reasons she was not able to maintain her new weight was that she was experiencing living in a new body and was unsure how to cope with it. Although Tanya wanted to release the weight for her health and to improve her performance on the field, she confessed that it felt weird and uncomfortable to feel the way she did.

Many people who achieve their goals experience a fear of success.  Athletes spend numerous hours training and working smart to achieve their goals. Some of them never really take the time to prepare for when their smart work begins to a pay off. What will they do to maintain their new level of performance? What will they do to become comfortable with their new mind and body? When these preparations doe not take place, the athletes are in unfamiliar territory and can perceive that as fearful. Consequently, to eliminate the fear, they resort back to their old behaviors

Tanya and I spent the rest of our consultation session focusing on three things: (1) the action steps required to achieve her goals, (2) the action steps required to maintain the results she has achieved and (3) the action steps to help Tanya become comfortable in her new mind and body.

One way to help Tanya look forward to realizing her goals, instead of being fearful of them, was to focus on the positive aspects. She needed to be reminded of how great she would feel and how confident she would become when she achieved her goals. She needed to focus on the enjoyment associated with her new behaviors. It was going to be fun to put on clothes and realize they were too big for her. She was going to be a role model and leader when she chose the piece of fruit instead of the piece of chocolate at lunch with her friends. Tanya also needed to prepare for the compliments she was going to receive from friends and family. Instead of perceiving them to be stressful she needed to perceive the comments as positive reinforcement.

Call to Action

Prepare for when you achieve your goals? What will you do to maintain your new level of performance? What will you do to become comfortable with the ‘new you’?

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Believe and Achieve,
*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

As I was setting up my bike for the class, an individual (let’s call her Rachel) started setting up the bike to my right. When she was ready, she began pedaling to warm-up. Within about 30 seconds, she got off the bike, collected her things and moved to use another bike.

Two minutes later, a second member (let’s call her Wendy) started setting up the same bike. Similar to Rachel, she quickly got off the bike and moved to use the bike on my left.

Three minutes into class, a third person (let’s call her Tammy) chose to ride the bike on my ride. To save her the effort, I leaned over to warn her that two riders had begun riding that bike, but then quickly moved to another bone. I was under the impression that something was wrong with the bike. Maybe it was the resistance or the clips that were giving Rachel and Wendy trouble. Tammy thanked me and quickly chose another bike.

To cure my curiosity, I looked to Wendy, who was on my left, and asked her why she had switched bikes. She said that the computer wasn’t working. The information, especially the caloric output and RPM, were catalysts for her motivation and she wanted to use them during class to help her persevere.

What Rachel and Wendy have learned, and what I want to teach you today is the importance of measuring your performance. Wendy said that the computer’s measurements increased her motivation on the bike. The reason for this is because the numbers allow her to compete against herself. For example, in that particular cycle class, we performed three sets of two-minute intervals. If Wendy’s RPM for the first interval was between 85 and 90 for the first interval, she was motivated to either stay within the same range or beat it for the next two intervals. Also, if the computer said Wendy used 453 calories in last week’s cycle class, Wendy would be motivated to use more calories in today’s class.

Logging numbers is also a great way to increase your confidence. Your caloric output, distance covered, RPM, speed and heart rate provide evidence of what you can accomplish when you train. When those numbers change, as a result of your increased strength, speed and overall health condition, you will develop a powerful belief in yourself and your ability to achieve your fitness goals. Nothing will stop you from looking the way you want to look and feeling the way you want to feel!

Call to Action

Use one or two measurements to track your progress. Use your numbers to set goals during your fitness training. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to get motivated and exert high levels of effort and intensity when you train.

Believe and Achieve,
*Haley Perlus, Ph.D.*

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

As I was walking around looking for lettuce and avocado, Carlos, the man in charge of the produce section, asked me if I would like to taste the perfect apple. I was about to say “no thank you”, but then I looked at Carlos, saw his smile and the sparkle in his eye and decided that I wanted to experience the joy he was portraying. I took a bite of his apple and it was perfect. He told me that these apples were the sweetest I would ever taste, but they would only be this perfect for a few more days. Although apples were not on my shopping list, I asked him if he would pick four I could take home.

With my apples in hand, I walked over to the avocado section and began to feel around for three good ones. Carlos called me over and said that the better avocados were in the box he had just brought out from the back. I walked over to him and, once again, he asked me if I wanted to taste the perfect avocado. He said he had been working with fruits and vegetables for fifteen years and promised me that, with the avocado he picked, I would be able to easily peel off the skin.  He was right. It was the perfect avocado. I asked him to select three for my shopping cart.

It was evident that Carlos was knowledgeable about produce. It was even more evident that Carlos was passionate, enthusiastic and had a great deal of pride for his job. I wanted to continue to feel Carlos’ energy and joy. I was hooked and asked him to show me what other ‘perfect’ fruits he had for me to taste. I ended up leaving 45 minutes later with three grocery bags full of fruits and vegetables.

I share this story because you have the opportunity to turn someone’s day around, as Carlos did for me, and get more business. Carlos was hanging around the produce section waiting for someone like me to make smile. You could do the same thing. Walk around the club and approach a person or two and share your enthusiasm for health and fitness.

Carlos gave me a free bite of the perfect apple. He even played a game by asking me to guess the apple’s name. You can provide free knowledge to the person you interact with and include a friendly game to further grasp their attention.

Carlos showed me how much he loved what he did. I felt that energy and chose to stay as long as I could with the hope that his joy would give me a happy ending to my terrible day. You can share your joy and enthusiasm with club members and have the same influence on them as Carlos had on me. As soon as I got home, I told my family about my experience. I’m even telling you the story because it’s so powerful. Wouldn’t you like the members you interact with to talk about you when they get home?

Lastly, remember that I purchased a lot more than I had planned. The people you spend time with at the club could easily turn into new clients. What a bonus!

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

The most effective way to coach your athletes is to provide frequent praise for new tasks and limited praise for tasks they already have acquired. If Johnny, a 15 year old golfer, is learning how to hit the ball out of the sand (i.e. bunker shot) for the first time, his golf pro will want to praise Johnny every time he makes contact with the sand, just in front of the ball, regardless of whether the ball makes it out of the bunker or not. Once Johnny can consistently make appropriate contact with the sand, his golf pro will want to offer less praise for that performance. He’ll move on to provide frequent praise for the new task of swinging through the sand.  Once that skill is consistent, Johnny’s golf pro will limit his praise for swinging through the sand and offer lots of praise for when the ball actually makes it out of the sand. This coaching technique will continue as Johnny progresses as a golfer.

Why does this coaching technique work? Once again, athletes want to experience pleasure in the form of praise. If Johnny’s golf pro continues to provide frequent praise for making contact with the sand, just in front of the ball, Johnny will have little reason to put forth the effort to improve. He is already experiencing pleasure so why do anything different? Conversely, if Johnny’s pro reduces his praise for appropriate sand contact and begins to provide lots of praise for swinging through the sand, Johnny will put forth the effort to perform that skill in order to feel the pleasure from his pro’s praise.

Call to Action

Think about your sport and the athletes you coach. How could you begin to incorporate this coaching technique? Inform your co-coaches of your ‘praise’ plan and work together to decide what task each athlete is improving. You and your co-coaches will want to limit the praise you give your athletes for tasks they have already mastered and increase the amount of praise you give them for tasks they are currently working on.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

However, there are some distractions your athletes can control.

Your athletes have most likely had a “what if” thought? What if my team loses at our home field? What if I get injured? What if I don’t qualify for the championship? What if my coach doesn’t pick me to start? What if I disappoint my parents? What if I can’t put it together in the race?

No matter what the “what if” thought, you can ask your athlete this follow-up question: Is it worth the risk?

To be the best athlete you can be, it takes 100% focus and commitment to your performance. Your athlete’s desire to succeed must outweigh his/her desire not to fail. In other words, during competition, his/her focus must be on winning and not on what’s going to happen if he/she loses.

To have an unwavering focus on achievement, your athlete has to be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices in order to progress. Those sacrifices include injury and disappointment and they have to be worth the risk in order to achieve his/her goals and get where he/she wants to be in the chosen sport.

Call to Action:

As soon as your athlete has a “what if” thought, ask him/her the following two questions:

1. Is it worth the risk? If the answer is yes, proceed to question #2. If the answer is no, your athlete will need to review his/her achievement goals.
2. Why? What can you achieve with proper focus and commitment? Why do you want to achieve your goals – what will they do for you?

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Some enthusiasts will also say they want to learn new training methods and understand how to perform an exercise correctly. When you think about it, learning new methods is to prevent boredom and keep them interested and motivated (i.e. have fun). Understanding proper technique will help them achieve their goals (i.e. get results).

What fitness enthusiasts need in order to get what they want is where you most likely find resistance. How many of your clients jump at the chance to test their fitness levels each month? How many of them are eager to log their training, nutrition and overall feelings each day? When your participants have completed the instructed 15 repetitions, how many of them choose to push their boundaries and perform an extra two to five repetitions?

The best way to give fitness enthusiasts what they need in order to get what they want is to follow these three tips:

1). Be as informal as you can be. There is no need for formal testing sessions. If you are doing one-on-one training with a client, once a month, incorporate a few exercises that are part of fitness testing and keep track of the progress made. Do not tell him/her that you’re recording the performance. At the end of month, show him/her how much they have improved.

If you are teaching a class, it will be more difficult to keep testing informal, but very easy to frame the testing as fun, exciting and a great way to learn more about your personal fitness state. Have your club create a lot of ‘hype’ around your testing class. When you advertise and when you teach the class, focus on what your participants want: to have fun and get results.

2) Treat the required tools (e.g. journaling, goal achieving, pushing boundaries) as a natural part of the training process. In other words, create a system for all of your clients that is guaranteed to work. For best results, check out http://www.TheUltimateAchievementJournal.com.

3) Whatever you do and whatever you say during your sessions, always come back to what your client wants: to have fun and get results. Tell them that writing things down will significantly improve their chances of losing the weight they want. Advise them that pushing the boundaries by performing one more repetition will get them closer to the ‘finish line’.

Find out, early, what type of training your participants enjoy and incorporate them in the programs you create.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend

Do your parents provide the support you need to do your best?

Do your coaches teach you skills and tactics in a way you understand?

Do your teammates encourage you in a way that motivates and inspires you to five it all you’ve got?

There are many uncontrollable factors in sport. You can’t control the weather. You can’t control when delays occur and how long they last. You can’t control your teammates and opponents’ performances.

Effort is not just about the intensity you put forth in each performance. It’s also about doing your best to receive the support and guidance you need. Ask for what you want so that your performance can improve.

Talk to your coaches and let them know what kind of feedback you prefer in training and in competition. Tell your parents what you would like them to say to you before an after competition. Let your teammates know what kind of support really helps you get in the ‘zone’.

If you don’t ask for what you want, you will get what other people think is beat for you. Your coaches will treat you the way they were treated as athletes or how they think you want to be treated. Your parents will talk to you the only way they know how to talk to you. Your teammates will encourage you the way they want to be encouraged.

The worst thing that can happen when you do ask for what you want is that you don’t get it. You’ll be left exactly where you are now – no better, no worse. On the other hand, the best thing that can happen is that you do get exactly what you want. Then you’ll be much closer to achieving all of your goats

Call to Action

Choose one person you feel comfortable asking for what you want. When you speak to him or her, be direct and specific when you ask for what you want.

Believe and Achieve,
Dr. Haley

P.S. Leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Click here to download a copy of this article to share with a friend