The Champion's Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive

by James A. Afremow

Still, most of us too quickly dismiss the idea that we could be like or even surpass the heroes we admire and respect the most.

Rather than merely trying to mimic these qualities, why not seek your fullest expression of your positive aspects and attributes and become like the champions you admire?

Find the trait inside of you You can admire others but you also have your unique strength inside of you. Find that Develop it,

champion yourself,

Sports are 90 percent mental, and the other half is physical.

You will learn how to think, feel, and act like a champion as preparation for accomplishing your highest athletic and fitness goals.

What separates the top few from the many in a sport? Mentality.

“Your mind is what makes everything else work.”

It’s a mental ability to handle the pressure, to play well at the right moments.”

because their secret to great performances is not their innate athleticism or technical skills—it’s their minds.

“Mind is everything. Muscle—just pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind.”

The mental abilities of confidence, concentration, and composure are crucial for being a champion in everything you undertake, be it work or sports or both.

Just as you can build physical strength through training, you can also build mental strength through training.

A champion makes greatness happen, despite what may seem like impossible odds.

Part of this process requires us to maintain our eagerness to learn and grow, and to take well-trained, disciplined action to make solid change in our lives.

Champions develop and maintain a complete body and mind approach to their performance—the perfect blend of mentality, athleticism, and technique. They enthusiastically make the best of every situation, consistently put in the hard work, and take the extra time needed to realize their aspirations.

Attitude is a decision, and it is also a learned behavior, requiring discipline and energy to sustain.

To perform at a champion’s level, think of gold as your official color of excellence. Look at your personal and athletic efforts through gold-tinted lenses. Think about personal gold as both a reward and a color of action or prompt to bring out your best qualities and performance.

Recognize that there will never be a better time and place than right now and right here to become a champion in your own game and life.

Identify precisely what you do that hurts your own cause the most. Eliminate that action or viewpoint immediately. To perform at a champion’s level, you must break any bad habits, such as a tendency to arrive late to practice or just going through the motions when you get there. We are all champions until we lose to ourselves.

Will you continue to sacrifice what you most want to achieve in your game for what is comfortable in the moment? Or will you keep putting your best foot forward, especially when you feel like doing it the least?

How does it feel different when performing at peak levels versus just doing business as usual? Are you arriving early to practice or running late? Are you making weekly plans for training or just winging it because you’re too tired or too busy? Are you giving the extra effort needed for excellence?

“Do it. Then say it.”

Panic is not an option for a champion.

Acting like a champion really works if you work at it. So go work at it now.

“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse”

“How will I be a champion today?”