Rob Bell's Blog, page 11

7 Awesome Facts Of Super Bowl Champions (INFOGRAPHIC)

7 Awesome Facts of Super Bowl Champions

The Super Bowl may not represent the two overall best teams of the season, however, it does represent the two teams that played the best. The nature of upsets and playoffs allow anything to happen, which is why we love it. 

The margin between winning and losing is so very close that there Hinge moments from every season, that decide the champion.  

The reactions and responses from champions vary greatly as well, and they aren’t always what you think.

For example, which Super Bowl Champions quarterback thought to himself during the celebration, “Is that it?”

Which head coach, immediately after winning the Super Bowl, was in the locker room, but now felt like an outsider?

Interesting facts and themes also emerge from the championship seasons.

For instance, for twelve separate seasons, the back-up quarterback became the starting QB for a significant amount of playing time. For three straight seasons, 1999-2001, the back-up QB actually became the Super Bowl-winning QB.

Many teams had themes (e.g., Pound the Rock- 2002 Ravens), a rallying cry (e.g., Whatever it Takes- 1975 Steelers), or a symbolic gesture (e.g., Fun Bunch- 1982 Redskins, Mile High Salute- 1997 Broncos) that emerged throughout the season.

Several Super Bowl Champions also had special identities for units on their teams (e.g., The Expendables- 1973 Dolphins, The Zero Club- 1977 Cowboys, The Hogs- 1982 Redskins).

However, there is ONLY ONE common thread that existed across Super Bowl-winning seasons. If interested in learning about what every super bowl champion possessed, check out the .99 e-book here. 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Stay Focused: How Hall Of Famers Think

Stay Focused: How Hall of Famers Think

 

 

 

The following blog post is an excerpt from the book- The Hinge: The Importance of Mental Toughness 

 

 

 

Here is how the mental game works. We are not only working on our own game, but we are also working on ourselves.

The skills of Motivation, Confidence, Focus, or Re-Focus are what we are working on in order to build our Mental Toughness. 

(INFOGRAPHIC) The hierarchy of mental toughness illustrates this point. 

The way we get confident is through our focus, and how we re-focus just reveals our confidence.

Hall of Famers are obviously the best and we often look at the Hall of Famers as having an extreme amount of confidence. Maybe this is true, maybe it isn’t. A lot of the best were driven by the fear of NOT being good enough. 

The skill we need to look at is Focus. 

How did Hall of Famers focus? Did they visualize their end goals and see themselves giving their hall of fame speech? 

Or was it something else? 

Studying Hall of Famers revealed some amazing insight into how they stay focused. They were focused on this season, this day and this play!  They were obsessed with how to prepare and simple get better. 

What’s interesting is that the greatest in the world rarely spoke or thought about reaching the actual hall of fame! 

Jerry Rice stated, “I never looked down the road and said, ‘Hey look, one day, the Hall of Fame.’”

 

“Whitey” Aday umpired Alabama softball games for 27 years before being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He said, “I never dreamed I’d be in the Hall of Fame.”

 

Willie Roaf played offensive tackle in the NFL for 13 seasons: On his day, he said, “I never dreamed I would one day be in the Hall of Fame. I was just thankful every day to play the sport I loved.”

 

Robin Yount, played with the Brewers for 20 years and had the most hist of any MLB’er in the 1980s. He said, “I never dreamed of being in the Hall of Fame. Standing here with all these great players was beyond any of my dreams.”

 

Herschel Walker once stated, “[my] biggest goal one day was to make it to Atlanta [to live]…you don’t dream about being a professional football player.”

 

Steven Dietrich played 18 years as a goalie in the National Lacrosse League. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, he said: “As I played my career, I never would have dreamed that this could have happened.”

 

Barry Larkin, played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds for 18 seasons, and on his day stated, “I thought about being good, but I never thought about the Hall of Fame.”

 

Curtis Martin was a running back in the NFL for 10 seasons and grinded his way to the Hall of Fame. He stated, “The Hall of Fame was not even something that I dreamed about dreaming about. It wasn’t even in my thought process.”

 

Rusty Wallace had over 55 wins during his Nascar career, even winning the Winston Cup. When he was introduced, he said, “Growing up on the short tracks in Missouri, I would have never imagined any of this.”

 

Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns won four world-boxing titles. “I never imagined being a Hall of Famer.” 

 

“When our first record hit…we thought, ‘we’ve got two years,’” Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.

 

Jennifer Capriati won three grand slams during her career, but only after dropping out of the sport early in her professional teenage career. About her Hall of Fame induction, she mentioned, “This is one milestone I thought I’d never achieve.”

 

Dermontti Dawson played center for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 12 seasons and stated, “You have individual goals for yourself—the Pro Bowl, to be All-Pro—but I never, ever thought of the Hall of Fame.”

 

Pavel Bure played in the NHL for 12 seasons, the six-time all-star stated, “Growing up I never even thought I would be able to play in the NHL, much less make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

 

Patrick Ewing, who became the Knicks’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocked shots, said he “never imagined being a part of it.”

 

Wade Boggs, 12-time MLB all-star, stated, “…never in a million years would I ever thought that I would be on the same stage with all these great Hall of Famers and enshrined to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.”

 

Edwin Moses, 2 Olympic Gold medals and 107 consecutive victories in the 400M hurdles, once stated even in high school, “I had no ambitions to be an Olympic track star or any kind of athlete.”

The lesson is that the vision that we must possess should be short-term focused.

What do I have to improve upon?
How do I want to act and believe? 
What is the vision for my current day self? 

What assisted Hall of Famers to stay focused was their ability to re-focus! 

Mistakes and major setbacks are going to happen, but the way you reach the Hall is by having a career of consistency. It’s the most underrated mental skill. The ability to re-focus is the second most difficult mental skill. It relies on how we let go of mistakes, let go of resentments, self-pity, and the curse of it all, perfection…

Our hinge becomes a doorstopper if we keep dwelling about the last play, our stats, or our performance. We become stuck if we allow mistakes to bother us so much that we become afraid to make any mistakes at all. That’s not how to stay focused! 

Adversity and painful lessons will occur, but what matters most is how we respond to those obstacles! Check-out how these amazing competitors refocused. 

In-game 5 of the 1956 World Series, Don Larson pitched the only perfect game in history. His previous outing, game 2, lasted only 1.2 innings while losing the game 13-8.

 

Hall of Famer Raymond Berry, who retired as the NFL’s all-time reception leader, only caught 12 passes his rookie year in the league for the Colts.

 

Roger Federer, the best tennis player in history (so far), has won to date seven Wimbledon titles. Yet, he lost in the first round of Wimbledon his first three years of playing.

 

Taylor Swift was passed over by RCA for a record contract at age 15.

 

Andre Agassi lost his first three Grand Slam Finals.

 

Jeff Immelt was hired on September 7, 2001, as CEO of General Electric (GE), the multi-national conglomerate. He was following Jack Welsh, the famous icon. In his first week as a rookie CEO, he watched NBC, which GE owned, and saw two GE-financed planes crash into the Twin Towers that GE insured.

 

Jim Marshall of the Minnesota Vikings recovered a fumble and ran it the wrong way to the end zone, and threw it out-of-bounds for a safety. The next drive, he sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble which his teammate picked up and ran for a game-winning TD.

 

Matt Biondi was a favorite to win 7 Gold medals at the 1988 Olympic games. He lost his first two finals, going 0-2. He ended up winning 5 Gold medals at the Games.

 

Mike Krzyzewski, during his first three seasons at Duke University, had an equivocal record of 38-37, with an ACC in-conference record of just 13-29.

 

William Jennings Bryan was nominated by his party to run for U.S. President three times and lost every time. He became best known at the end of his life at the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. This trial decided the teaching of evolution in schools.

 

Country singer Trace Adkins was shot and survived. The bullet went through his heart and both lungs.

 

Danielle Ballengee slipped and fell down a 60-foot cliff while on a training run and spent two days stranded outdoors with a shattered pelvis and internal bleeding. Just 150 days after her accident, she still finished fifth in a 60-mile adventure race.

 

Jim Abbott, who had only one hand and pitched for 10 years in the Majors, culminated with throwing a no-hitter in 1993. He threw his no-hitter against the Indians, whom he faced the outing before lasting only 4 innings and giving up 7 runs.

 

Lady GaGa was originally signed to Def Jam Recordings at age 19, but the company let her go after just three months.

 

George Washington lost more battles than he won and lost his first battle so bad, his daring escape is what saved the entire continental army. 

 

Johnny Unitas’ first pass was intercepted for a touchdown.

 

Napoleon Hill, author of a best-seller, could not think of a name for his book. Unless he came up with one, the publisher would use the title, Use Your Noodle to Get the Boodle. Hill awoke at 2 a.m. on the deadline date, when the title came to him, Think and Grow Rich.

 

Roger Bannister finished fourth in the 1952 Olympics. It was this disappointing finish that drove him to break the four-minute mile.

 It’s not about the setback, it’s always about the comeback! Can you withstand the hardships and failures that Will happen to bounce back and overcome? 

We stay focused by doing our best on TODAY! That’s it! We do have to possess a vision of who we want to become, but this is a short-term type of focus that we develop!

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Accountability is the missing sauce of mental toughness

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Accountability is the missing sauce of mental toughness

I knew training for my ironman would be hard. I had approximately 90 days to prepare for this grueling 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run.

Which part of the race or training would be most difficult for you?

The bike was the hardest for me, namely because I didn’t even own a bike and it would be about a 6-hour ride during the actual race. 

I had to train hardest for the bike, so I knew I had to join a team. A cycling team. It would be the only way to learn many of the intricacies and nuances and strategies I would need. 

5 epic mental toughness lessons from my Ironman

I first found a group ride on a Sunday afternoon with a local bike shop. I showed up uneasy and insecure because I didn’t know anyone, nor had I ever ridden in a large group before. Now, I was an athlete, so I could always handle my own in any athletic sphere.

There were about seven or eight riders ready to go that afternoon as they talked about the instructions and directions. Five of us were going to do a very manageable 33-mile ride, which would be great for my first ride. It was also a “no-drop” ride, meaning everyone stays together. This is opposite of a “no-apology” ride where no one waits for one another and you either keep up or get dropped. 

As we entered the backcountry roads in Indiana, the small group of us started to splinter. I was working as hard as I could, going 20 mph, but the lead three riders started to pull away. They got further and further away in the distance until, poof, they were gone. Okay, I thought, I know where this road goes, they’ll be there waiting for us.

When I and the other lone rider showed up to where the road ended at a split, they were gone. They left us! 

In a no-drop ride, they dropped us.

It was now just us two. We couldn’t just turn around because we still wanted to get our training ride in and find the other riders. It also was not panic time, we just had to find them on one of the routes. 

However, we did not pick the best route.

We rode and rode and while I had a general sense of the roads and direction, there are some back roads that are not friendly, nor conducive to bikers. It became obvious that we did not go in the same direction as the other riders and so we were left to fend for ourselves.

What was not cool was a thunderstorm forming off in the distance. Accountability is the missing piece of mental toughness. There was no accountability for the other riders and they didn’t care. What was supposed to be a 33-mile ride, turned into a forty-nine-mile ride across some heavy traffic and a flat tire. 

Let’s just leave it with “I didn’t join that group ride again.”  I was fortunate enough to join up with an awesome group of riders in Team Heroes. 

What is accountability?

“An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” 

Too often, however, this goes bad.  

I’ve seen the best of intentions on signed contracts, pledges, or agreements. They sound great but rarely work. They are more about looking good rather than actually making a difference.   Having people sign agreements is similar to having them commit to SMART GOALS. 

People are going to make mistakes and mess up. 

Those that signed an agreement or pledge however to NOT mess-up are now bound by law. When and if they do stumble, they are now under the thumb of extreme shame for the mistake. 

They often can’t come clean because they are in an abyss. What happens is that they become great liars. The agreement once propped up as a show of pride turns into an awful reminder.

Accountability cannot work that way! Accountability as a secret sauce of mental toughness can only be accomplished if it comes from love, non-judgment, and a place of safety!

Four ways to build accountability


The team must be established. There are group norms and a culture where what happens here, stays here. If a group cannot trust each other and do not feel safe, then accountability won’t work. 
 People have to determine their own accountability. How do they want to be held accountable? Is there regular follow-up or meetings? Who is excluded or included? 
Protect the mission. Accountability works when everyone is committed to protecting the mission. No one person is greater than the mission and if someone’s actions jeopardize the mission, everyone is at risk. If drinking the night before the game puts the team at risk, what will prevent it next time?  When people hold each other accountable, it is because there is a greater good at stake and they are just protecting the mission.  
Sign an eyeball contract. Coach John Groce has his players form an eyeball contract. The culture is such that in the huddle before practice, players have an eye-ball contract. The eye-ball contract means looking in someone’s eyes and knowing that you will give your best and they will give their best! Eyeball contracts take mental strength.

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Vicarious or Supportive Sport Parents?

Vicarious Or Supportive Sport Parents

Do you live through your child or with your child?

Your child is having a great season as the post-season approaches. He or she is worried. He or she asks you the question, “What if I lose?”

What is your response?

Vicarious parents would reply along the lines of, “That’s not going to happen, you’re so good” or “You shouldn’t think that way.” If you’re a mom or dad or guardian who responds this way, you’re likely living directly through your child’s success or failure. You still mean well and love your kid, but you’ve just become too emotionally invested in the results.

Still reading? 

These types of sport parents, unfortunately, lack the perspective to make rational decisions. They live and die with every play and every game. Their child is the best when he or she wins, and they are the worst when they lose.

All or nothing…

Vicarious folks are as close as possible physically to every practice as they can be.

 

The Vicarious parent often blames others when important outcomes do not go well.

 

Vicarious parents are the ones comparing their son or daughter to others.

 

Vicarious one’s stress out quickly and easily.

 

Vicarious parents are usually the ones at the games shouting instructions.

 

Vicarious sport parents feel their child’s success is a reflection of themselves.

 

Vicarious parents don’t realize they are living through their child.


The Ultimate Sports Parents Guide: How to Have a Great Athlete in 2019

Supportive parents, on the other hand, answers the opening “What if I lose?” question a different way. They approach along the lines of, “Why do you think that?” or “Let’s walk it through…what if you do lose?”

Supportive mothers and fathers provide an environment that remains safe.

They don’t try to solve their kid’s concerns. They encourage their child to think for themselves, come up with their solutions and handle their outcomes. Home is not a fan base. Athletes can rest assured that in the house, no matter how they perform, their identity is not just as an athlete. They have unconditional love and support. Lastly, these children aren’t nagged about their preparation or whether they are nervous before important performances.

Supportive sport parents attend from a distance.

 

Supportive parents ensure their son or daughter assumes responsibility, not blaming coaches or situations.

 

Supportive parents stress effort over results.

 

Supportive parents know their son or daughter’s performance is just a shadow of them, not a reflection.

 

Supportive parents make sure they aren’t over the top.

 

Supportive parents are aware of the long-term

 

Supportive parents don’t “should” on their kids.



The Ultimate Sports Parents Guide: How to Have a Great Athlete in 2019

Both types of parents make sacrifices and difficult decisions for their child along the journey. No one questions whether love and support are there.

Unfortunately, these vicarious or supportive labels are not mutually exclusive. We may sometimes be one type of parent with one child and another style with another. It’s possible for the pendulum to swing to both extremes and even for us to live in the middle.

This is about progress, not perfection; we are going to make mistakes, but that is the point of this book- Don’t “should” on Your Kids: Build Their Mental Toughness How can we help our child build mental toughness? How can we become better, more aware parents in the process?

Think about some of the parents of famous athletes and who comes to mind? Was it a parent that stayed behind the scenes or one that sparked controversy?

One of the most successful sports parents produced two number-one overall NFL draft picks, two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, and two Super Bowl MVPs. Archie Manning said it best, “We just tried to raise good kids and have a good family. I don’t like the perception that it (having the boys play pro football) was a plan.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a mother of a collegiate basketball player uttered the words to the head coach when asked about her son’s goals, “My goals are his goals.” Okay, then.

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Exploring Four Reasons Why Exercise Really Does Help Clear Your Mind

Exploring Four Reasons Why Exercise Really Does Help Clear Your Mind

It’s very easy to find yourself in a state of mental confusion, exhaustion or weariness in the

modern age when the world can be immensely overwhelming.

However, one helpful tip can be done anywhere really. So, let’s take a look at four reasons why doing exercise is a great way to clear your head.

1. Blood Flow

When you exercise properly there is more blood that is flowing around your body at a higher pressure.

“Research shows us that exercise pushes more blood to the brain. The more blood you have flowing to your brain means more oxygen and overall energy, which helps your brain to perform better”, explains Toni Lord, lifestyle writer at Academized and Australian Help. 

The big oxygen boost is a heavily contributing factor to why you will be able to organize your thoughts, to make judgments more clearly, after you have exercised. 

2. The Hippocampus

The hippocampus is one of the most crucial parts of the human brain and it is highly active when you exercise.

When the hippocampus gets fired up during exercise and the neurons start fizzing, the brain’s function improves and it’ll help clear your mind. The hippocampus is the most important area of the brain for memory and learning, so when you exercise, you’ll feel as if you are more able to process information, recall things and make plans. 

3.  Sleep

The first part is that sleep is vital. “Getting a night of good sleep in is one of the healthiest things

you can be doing for your body and your mind.

It is particularly helpful for your mind, increasing the clarity of thought, ability to multitask, to think laterally and to connect concepts to one another”, says Jemima Kline, health blogger at State of Writing and OX Essays. So, getting a good, fulfilling night’s sleep is how to help clear your mind.

Exercise will help you to feel tired at the right times and to get into a regular sleep schedule. 

4. A Change Of Scenery

Generally, life keeps us cooped up. 

When your days are filled with work it’s pretty likely that you will find yourself spending a lot

of time in a certain place.

Exercise gives you a change of scenery. This could mean running through the park, but it could even just be a trip to the gym. Ideally, getting outside will give you the fresh air that you can sometimes need, and it gives you an opportunity to take a different perspective and help clear your mind.  The change of scenery can help you to start to see things in a different perspective which can lead to a clearer thought process.

Your mental state is strongly linked to exercise habits. It’s important to note that you don’t need to be doing a strenuous, grueling workout to experience some of the benefits, although, it will, in part, help with your mental toughness. 

Nora Mork is a lifestyle and productivity journalist at UK Writings and Essay Roo. She loves reading, yoga, hiking with her family and sharing stories at blogs, such as Boom Essays   service blog.

Five Amazing Superfruits That Ward Away Illness

Five Amazing Superfruits That Ward Away Illness

Nobody likes being sick, so, if an alternative was available, you’d choose it.

Well, you don’t need to look for a miracle ‘cure-all’ – nutritional

scientists have discovered five awesome superfruits which are

crammed with minerals, antioxidants, vitamins and all sorts of healthy elements which will boost your immune system and help you to live a healthier life.

These five superfruits can massively impact on your everyday health.

1- Açaí Berries

You may have never heard of these tiny, amazing superfruits, hailing from Brazil.

Compared to other berries, which are often put on pedestals as the ‘healthiest foods’ (i.e., blackberries and blueberries) these Açaí Berries are filled with antioxidants, which will flush out any bad substances from your body and keep your immune system pressure-free and

working naturally.

A common way to enjoy Açaí Berries is in a smoothie, which health-enthusiasts will be very familiar with, but you can also bake them into a healthy, reduced-fat pie or simply enjoying them on their own, as a healthy snack.

2- Bananas

These are a family favorite, but you may not have considered the common banana as an amazing ‘superfruit’. 

If your usual snacks just aren’t enough and lead to you still having hunger cravings and reaching for more unhealthy food, then a banana is right for you.

Bananas contain resistant starch –  it’s starch fills up your stomach and makes your body feel like it’s full because it doesn’t need any more energy; the banana contains enough on its own, without other snacks! They’re a tasty treat and packed with potassium, which can help you ward off cramps and lower your blood pressure.

3- Goji Berries

Goji Berries, discovered by the ancient Himalayan Monks.

Clearly, the monks had a good feeling about these amazing berries, since today health enthusiasts love them for their unique property of being filled with protein – a good option for vegetarians, but still want to have enough protein.

They are filled with antioxidants, and also some vitamins A and C, which are extremely beneficial to the body. Finally, these berries can help your eyes’ growth and repair, with the inclusion of beta-carotenes within this superfruit.

4- Apples

Apples are actually one of the best amazing superfruits, since they are absolutely filled with fiber, which helps to ‘flush out’ your digestive system and keep it in working order, which is vital to keep your body functioning well.

Apples also contain a few antioxidants, especially in the skin, which can be great for your body and immune system, but the biggest pro for apples has to be the fact that they are available everywhere. If it’s a shop, it most likely sells apples, so you have no excuses for avoiding this wonderful superfruit!

5- Kiwis

Finally, as a bridge between the common and exotic, we have the kiwi, which can

often be seen in households but also holds a certain mysteriousness about it, with

connotations of sandy beaches and golden shores. 

While you may know about this fruit, you may not have realized

that these are amazing superfruits, due to having one of the highest amounts of vitamin C of any

fruit. 

Also, this superfruit is excellent for pregnant women who want to

keep themselves and their babies healthy, since it contains a high amount of folate,

which will aid their babies’ cell and organ growth, making sure that the babies grow

and form their bodies as well as possible.

Alex Slater, an experienced and influential business strategist and consultant, is an

advisory board member at Academic Brits and PhD Kingdom. He is incredibly

enthusiastic about guiding market newcomers towards the success which he has

enjoyed himself, and loves nothing more than seeing the people he mentors succeed.

As well as this, he writes informational blog posts at Origin Writings, an academic

service website, to a high standard, which he is very proud of.

How To Improve Your Mental Game In As Little as 5 Minutes!

How Much Time Do You Want To Devote To Improve Your Mental Game?

Is life predicated on how bad do you really want it?

Are we willing to do the things that we don’t want to do, or simply to do the little things better?

Much of what holds us all back though is getting started. So this guide is aimed at assisting you wherever you are on your journey.  It starts with a commitment and answering the question of how much time do you want to invest?

5 Minutes To Improve Your Mental Game?

If you only had 5 minutes to better your mental game. It would have to be focused on getting centered and present.

Breathing is the best practice, but it is about guided breathing and this audio file will do it.  Play it when you are driving or involved in another transition of life. 

This is the skill that you’ll use everywhere and it’s the simplest to do because we already do it. 

Click Here to Download Your Breathing Script

 

15 Minutes to Improve The Mental Game?

If you only had 15 minutes to improve your game, then watch our film. 

It’s about being brave over not having any fear.- NO FEAR: A Simple Guide to Mental Toughness  

Improve Your Mental Game in One Hour?

If you wanted one hour to dedicate to building your mental toughness, then listen to our podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness. It is longer than 15 minutes, but think about it, if you read a book, how much information do you really get out of it?

Most likely, it’s ONE great idea.

The same premise is here- You’ll get a valuable 15 minutes out of each episode, guaranteed. You’ll dig our podcast- we interview experts on mental toughness and their hinge moment. 

One Day To Train It?

If you have one day, you can certainly do all of the above.

But, if you have a day, then, you’ll want to read the book- NO ONE Gets There ALONE. A life-changing hinge moment is the reason why this book was written and it is ALL about creating a better US. We cannot help out others without also helping out ourselves. 

How About One Month To Sky-Rocket Your Mentality?

Now, you’re getting into the big leagues of training.

I love challenges and if you want to be the BEST at getting BETTER, then check out our 30-day Mental Toughness Challenge.

It ONLY starts at the beginning of the month. Every day you’ll receive a new challenge focused on creating a BETTER YOU and a BETTER US.

This is not a quick fix, this is a solution.

Here’s a step-by-step strategy that will completely change the way you live and improve your game. 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

How We Can Measure Mental Toughness?

How We Can Measure Mental Toughness?

We are all about measurements in society. Hence, it’s why I receive a “survey” after every visit to any store or airport. 

We measure what we treasure.

There are a good number of measurements and a ton more definitions of the ubiquitous term. These definitions and measurements come not only from academics but coaches of all kinds as well. 

While some definitions are good, most seem to baffle us, or the term is used to over-simplify and describe ALL mental skills. 

As many posts before this one, I’m a simple is powerful type of coach. We define mental strength as 1) How we perform well under pressure and 2) How we deal, cope, and handle adversity. 

That’s it! Simple. 

Now, both of these circumstances are a matter of when, not if, they are going to occur. We will all have times of pressure, these “have-to” moments, and we will even more frequently have times of stress and adversity. 

In our podcast- 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness, we ask every one of our experts to define grit and while each answer varied somewhat, every definition included ADVERSITY! 

Let us never forget that adversity is sneaky. 

So, how can we measure it? 

It’s a question that I was not able to answer early on in my career because it was so subjective. 

Yes, we can look at results.

But too often, we only look at the results, the outcomes of events to decipher whether someone or team was mentally tough. Yes, Tom Brady coming back to victory from 23 points down in the Super Bowl is an example of mental toughness. But, grit is also going 0/3 in baseball to finally get a game-winning hit in the 9th inning.  

Being mentally tough does not mean being in the zone or flow. 

Winning a golf tournament by 8 or 12 shots as Rory and Tiger have done is NOT the best measure of psychological toughness. It’s just a peak experience! Now, being in flow is a top of the line, best ever, type of performance, but it’s more of preparation meeting opportunity. Of course, both of these athletes, Rory & Tiger, are mentally tough; one does not get to where they are without having it, but there are better examples of fortitude and resiliency, like Tiger Woods coming back 12 years later to win The Masters. 

The way we measure it more accurately, however, is to first determine what we consider to be the most important mental skill. 

To measure mental toughness is indeed subjective! But so is happiness, joy, peace, attitude, and patience! No one denies that these are all important attributes, but every one of these are also subjective. Instead of trying to paper and pencil test it, we can still peer into real-world examples to measure it. 

People and players do not do what you expect, they do what you inspect. 

If we consider effectively letting go of mistakes to be an accurate form of mental strength, then let’s look for those situations when they occur. That means examining one’s response after a mistake has occurred. Or, let’s say, we consider determination or drive to be the best measuring stick. When these opportunities arrive like sticking around after practice or showing up early or practicing on our own, that’s how we measure it. 

If never giving up is what you consider to be mentally tough like I do, then, look at examples of never giving up and perseverance. 

Next, there simply has to be adversity. Whether it is inherent in life or sport or if we create it ourselves. The more adversity, the better the opportunity. 

Now, the most difficult part of measuring it also means staying away from the all or nothing trap.  Mental Toughness is NOT all or nothing. It’s a matter of how much? How much did this person or team exemplify grit and resiliency and coping with adversity? It requires looking past results and asking questions and hearing how they processed information. 

Indeed it can be measured, we just have to know what it is that we are looking for! The beauty about it is that we will witness failure after failure when it comes to this mental skill. No matter how many times we have failed, it STILL ONLY TAKES ONE! 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Why There is Only One Reason That Destroys Your Fitness Goals

Why There is Only One Reason That Destroys Your Fitness Goals

I have a lot of colleagues that are in the fitness industry. Many of these friends are owners of gyms and facilities and I’m fascinated with how they motivate their members. Motivation is the basis of all mental toughness and needed to achieve your fitness goal. These owners care about their members and want full facilities, not people who sign-up and never go. 

Sadly, most facilities are the opposite.

They do not care if you show up, in fact, they rely on people NOT showing up, that way, the gym never gets too crowded, and they still collect your dues every month. Gyms strive to have 10x as many memberships than people who regularly show up. 

I feel that I’m constantly asking facility owners what keeps people from achieving their fitness goals? 

The answer is surprisingly simple and there is only one reason. It happens in almost every instance of people dropping out! And if you could just overcome this one thing, I guarantee you’ll reach your goals.

This blog post is not a life hack or some navy seal mantra. It doesn’t even involve getting up at 4:30 am or taking cold showers. Heck, it doesn’t even involve setting your fitness goals or having a goal, (but this does help). 

Unfortunately, this one reason is the same reason why members of A.A. stop attending, or why addicts continue to relapse and do not continue in recovery.

It is a phenomenon called: Adherence Violation Effect. 

As a former university professor, every semester during the first few days, I would tell my students how they could guarantee a “B” in my class.  They would perk up for this! I told them all they had to do was show up to every class and they would get no worse than a “B.” All bets were off however if they missed even one class. 

I was not into giving away grades, I was just demonstrating that tenacity is more important than talent, and if someone showed the discipline to show up to every class, then they could not help but absorb enough information to succeed. 

Looking back, maybe I set them up for failure.

Although, not many failed my classes. I was an awesome professor, as you can tell. These were sport psychology classes, fun, applicable to real life, but certainly not calculus. 

Maybe I set them up because A funny thing happened when a student would eventually miss a class. They would miss another! I was so keen on this phenomenon of people who missed one class that I kept track of it. Only about 20% of the time did a student ONLY miss one class. 

This was the adherence violation effect in action. 

We adhere to our goal until we violate it. We adhere to how we view ourselves until we violate it. 

We violate it when we miss a workout class! We violate it when we give in and eat that piece of cake. 

and then? BAM! 

We miss again or we eat the whole damn cake! 

It’s NOT about the VIOLATION, It’s about the CONTINUATION! 

The shame and guilt of messing up hurt a lot. It often hurts worse than quitting because when we quit, we don’t have to keep returning to the scene of the crime. When we quit, there are no more painful reminders or people of how we messed up. The saddest part though is that we aren’t quitting on ourselves, we are quitting on who we want to become.

However, this is the one reason that destroys your fitness goals. 

It is pervasive, check out health club attendance in January and then in March. Over 50% of people drop out within 6 weeks. Once they miss once, they miss again…and again…and again…

The science behind this one mistake or lapse is abstinence violation effect.  All it takes is that one mistake or slip up and the mentality becomes a huge loss of confidence. We remind ourselves of all past failures and how once again, we are not good enough, We utter destructive thoughts like, “screw it, I blew it”, “see I knew I couldn’t do it”, ” ahh, here is another thing you messed up”, or ” see you knew you couldn’t do it.” 

And this is after we MISS ONE TIME! 

Look, messing up is a bruise NOT a tattoo!

It’s like getting a flat tire, we don’t leave the damn car on the side of the road or blame the car. We fix it or get it fixed! 

How would you explain your vacation to California if you got a flat tire on the way, so you turned around and headed back home?

It’s not about the setback, it’s about the comeback. The one workout you missed or one piece of cake that you ate does not define you. If you miss, it’s how you respond to the setback. Can you learn from it and simply show up the next day? That’s it. 

If you are able to overcome this one reason, then you’ll achieve your fitness goals. period! 

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the mental toughness books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.

Three Mental Game Lessons Taught by Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”

Three Mental Game Lessons From Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”

The Gambler is such a good tune and it has three lessons about how we can apply the mental game. It’s amazing to believe that the writer of this song, Don Schiltz shopped this song around for two years before it was picked up.

Patience & Persistence…

Johnny Cash put it on his own album, but it was Kenny Rogers who made this a mainstream, signature song! The chorus of this iconic song is the best ever when sung by ALL in the room. 

As a refresher, The Gambler is a tune about meeting a man on a train that is “bound for nowhere.”  

He speaks truth into the narrator’s life by asking for a drink of his whiskey and then providing “some advice.”

The first mental game lesson by Kenny Rogers “The Gambler.” He said, “If you’re gonna play the game, boy you gotta learn to play it right.” 

One of the best compliments I heard about a baseball team I worked with was “they play the game the right way.”  This opposing coach meant that they were a poised team that ran on and off the field, ran out ground balls to first base, backed-up one another, and held their own dugout in order. 

An amateur often does what a professional does but on purpose!

Playing the game the “right way” however, often just means playing  “my way”.  If you grew up playing baseball in the Dominican Republic, you flipped the bat after home-runs because it’s the culture of the sport. But, in the United States, bat flips are seen as showing up the pitcher. Playing street basketball at The Rucker Park in New York City is an entirely different game than inside a country-side gym. Advice from successful others is often about how they play the game. 

“Learning to play the game the right way” means being able to adapt and overcome and assimilate where needed into the culture. 

The second mental game lesson from Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” is “You never count your money When you’re sittin’ at the table.” 

The mental game can be boiled down to the essence of being able to focus on the process rather than the results. 

The process is even more important than the product. 

If we start counting our money, we are focused on the result rather than focusing on the next hand, which is the most important. Also, if we are counting our money while we are still playing, then it may seriously affect our play. We now do not want to LOSE the money in front of us, so we alter our style of play because we were focused on the money instead of the game. We will start to play it safe. 

Great players always play the game and NOT the context. 

When we allow results or the outcome to occupy our thoughts, it affects our current state of play. We get away from the process. Kenny Rogers The Gambler, admits in the next line, “there will be time enough for counting when the dealin’ s done.” 

The third mental game lesson “That the secret to survivin’ is knowin’ what to throw away, And knowin’ what to keep.” 

We can’t play every hand in poker. We can’t play every hand in life either. There will be runs of good times and bad times and the mental game lesson here is Discipline. 

Discipline requires self-control and staying committed to your goals and process. Discipline means doing the things you don’t want to do. In poker, if you have a good hand, the difference is being able to know when to fold a good hand that could cost a lot of your bankroll. 

Discipline also means that the person or team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins! This requires doing the little things correctly and being able to stay within ourselves and simply Play our game.

Stay in our lane. 

Run our race. 

Ol’ Kenny Rogers offers up plenty of mental game lessons in this song, but there are the three strategies that we can use.

And that’s an ace you can keep!

Dr. Rob Bell is a Sport Psychology Coach. His company DRB & Associates is based in Indianapolis.  Some clients have included: Indy Eleven, University of Notre Dame, Marriott, and Walgreens. Check out all the mental toughness books.   

Please check out the podcast 15 Minutes of Mental Toughness as we interview expert athletes and coaches about Mental Strength and their Hinge Moment.