More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Jim Murphy
Read between
May 12 - June 5, 2025
To be fully present is to be completely engaged in the moment, fully experiencing it, with no needs, no desires, and no thoughts of the outcome.
The first thing to know about your subconscious is this: it puts all danger in the same file in your brain, whether it’s physical or emotional. It doesn’t differentiate between the fear of a tiger about to attack you and the fear of being attacked on Reddit or Instagram. To your brain, it’s all the same.
the painful ones get embedded in your psyche, so the subconscious can be on the lookout for them to protect you.
We update the subconscious with the truth and give it a new belief about the situation.
The more each of these athletes analyzed and worried about his issue, the more his subconscious believed there was in fact danger in that activity.
Take the emotion out of it. Find the smallest change that would have made a difference (if possible) in the situation. Insert a positive, high-energy feeling—as well as the small change— into the context of the mental block. Anchor that positive feeling into the original painful context, creating a new empowering association (and belief) with it.
Find the smallest change
Insert a positive, high energy feeling—and the small change—into the memory
those images and feelings are the result of your thoughts.
Are you willing to be uncomfortable? Are you willing to look foolish and laugh at your foolishness? Are you willing to fail? Are you willing to face the feeling of failure, or even panic? Do you have a purpose beyond success in your profession?
Pressure is the reward given to those who seek excellence.
the beliefs that you’ve had going into your performance along with the predominant thought patterns that created the state you’ve had going into the performance (and of course during the performance itself).
performance is based on three elements: Your belief about who you are and what’s possible for you; your ability to be fully present (fully engaged in the moment, heart, mind and body), and your freedom to play like a kid.
Resonance is the freedom and passion that come when we’re fully present and in sync, feeding off the energy—and potential adversity—that performance under pressure may bring.
Great experiences occur when we remove all judgment and vibrate with positive, powerful energy.
Most people want to succeed so badly because they feel it will enhance their lives.
That’s faulty logic.
to learn and grow to become a worthy opponent, someone who brings out excellence in others to learn how to be worthy of your sufferings, and to be worthy to share excellence—and the moment—with others.
When you’re able to let go of ego and attachments, all things are possible.
Believe and receive.
Share your heart, not your ego. Pursue mastery, not the score. Love your opponent. Visualize presence (but not perfection).
Dreams are feelings you can control; goals are outcomes you cannot (not completely).
It’s loving the journey more than the outcome.
the best competitors are sharing their unconditional love for their sport with the world.
Inner Excellence mindset: I compete to raise the level of excellence in my life, to learn and grow in order to raise it in others.
Will you be present and grateful today in each moment, and see what that moment has to teach you? Are you going to be true to yourself when the world around you is trying to make you like everyone else? Can you drop your attachment to your ego and listen and learn?
Wanting the best for his opponents. The realization that his greatest opponent was necessary for him to reach his potential and have the experiences he loves most.
Flow state comes from loving the people you’re in the dance with because love drives out fear.
When you’re prepared to share in the suffering, then you can share in the glory.
“the master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
visualize the path of mastery,
seeking to be wholehearted and fully engaged in your life,
What matters most is to be present to what’s possible in your life, to who you’re created to be, to the beauty and glory surrounding you at this very moment. When you do, that’s when you feel resonance.
This is greatly enhanced through visualization: seeing yourself performing with your ideal performance state and feeling how you want to feel in the middle of whatever chaos may arise in competition.
One of the critical aspects of visualization is to become emotionally prepared for pressure and stress.
If you can see the stressful events in your mind before they happen, and can then imagine your own confident response, you’ll give yourself the best chance of staying focused and confident when the time comes.
How do I want to feel?
What does it take to get that feeling? What keeps me from that feeling? How can I get it back? What am I willing to work for?
“This is how it’s supposed to be today.”
“I expect nothing… I can handle anything.”
(“something incredible is about to happen”)
(“I expect nothing; I can handle anything”).
The difference between champions and near champions is the ability to play for something outside of self. —Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame football coach
It has always been my philosophy, and I really believe this sincerely, that a football player is a person first, a tennis player is a person first, a swimmer is a person first. Then you go ahead and coach the activity that he’s participating in.
Redefine success Connect individuals with a vision beyond themselves Seek self-mastery—and help others do the same
The best coaches create an inspiring vision of selflessness and self-mastery that empowers the group to be who they’ve never been before.
“Winning is a by-product of learning to live decently”,
“I focused on my team. I didn’t want to let my team down. The other thing was that quitting was not an option. Nothing was going to stop me except my body literally breaking down.”
The language you use as a leader is crucial.
Self-mastery is a crucial pursuit in leadership, because in order to elevate the performance of the group, the leader must learn to humbly serve the members while maintaining his or her self-assuredness.
