Mindset Shifts are Simple: Part 1
The Experts Don't Want you to Know this...
"Finally, my brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
-Philippians 4:8
A lot of solutions in life are simple. People who have made businesses and entire industries out of those things don’t want you to know there are simple answers out there.
They can’t change you 20k for a 4-week program on mindset training if you knew you could just read and apply St. Paul’s quote from 7 lines ago.
Player slumps root from a few different places from my experience:
Major life crises (breakup, family death, etc)
self-consciousness of playing your sport subjectively poorly for a few games (creates perceived ‘loss’ of the thing I’m good at and ‘who am I if I’m not good at this?’)
External ‘stuff’ from ‘outside’ getting ‘inside’ (perceived pressure from parents, friends, mindset change to focus on the bag you’re getting paid now to play college ball, etc)
In this 3 part series, we will go through each of these, and since I don’t like order and linearity, we’re going to start with number 2.
Becoming Aware That You’re Sucking
The next team I get to be the HC of will have a culture centered around ‘play’. Even if it’s a college or pro team. Even if there’s a fire. Why?
Because NIL, an overly involved in my child’s career parent culture, TikTok narcissistic influencer society that these kids are growing up in is focused on things that make humans test ‘weak’:
Money, not for the sake of helping others with it, but for the sake of ‘getting that bag’ and buying 4 lambos
Professionalization by parents at 10 years old: film at 7am to go over your 10u shifts to tear apart your team, then at 8 you need to be lifting like the NHL players do, at 9 you’ll skate through some boring drills, and maybe you’ll do school after that. I’ll only put more pressure on you and live more vicariously through you as your D1 offers start coming in, good luck navigating that pressure
TikTok people, say less
Anyway, at some point, you might start slumping because the odds (and your parents) are stacked against you.
What can you do?
Set your mind on something that will make you test ‘strong’ like St. Paul suggests
Get out of your mind completely
1. Mindset: It’s in the word itself
A mindset is simply setting your mind. As a free human being with a mind in consciousness, you can place your attention on anything you’d like. Your body will respond in kind to the energy of your thoughts.
Think below this line (below 200), and you’re inviting pain, suffering and dis-ease in:
Paul says, “Hey, are you feeling anxious? Cool, think about God instead. Or how much you love your dog, your Mom, your girlfriend. Think about the kid who started playing this game in the driveway at 3. Play your next game for your 3-year-old self. Dedicate your performance to him. Simple, set your mind on better things.
2. Get out of your head and into your heart
Instead of rethinking like suggestion 1, you might be a person who doesn’t want to think. Instead, play’ your way out of the slump:
Alchemy for players in a slump
Get a few slumping players to perform an improv sketch together.
Gets them out of their heads and immersed into something that requires them to let go of self-consciousness and into ‘flow’.
The mental block on the ice is also rooted in self-consciousness and the need to get into a flow state.
Try the intervention in a different area, freeing themself up off the ice in a sketch comedy scene could help them unblock on the ice.