BFS: body language, focus, self-talk

It’s called Major League Mindset for a reason! Believing in yourself, envisioning your success, and focusing on EXECUTION are all core concepts of the Major League Mindset program. With that being said, today let’s talk about building self-awareness around three things that are 100% in your control and can give you the best chance for success in a repeatable and sustainable way.

• BODY LANGUAGE: Move like the best, boldest version of yourself

  • You can observe the best players by the way they carry themselves and by the presence they have. They look calm and under control. Big, positive, powerful and confident body language.

  • How often do you actually take the time to think about how you *carry yourself*? Probably not that often right? Well, our body language is a signal to others (and ourselves) that also reflects our own mental state.

  • Consciously think about how your body language changes when things are going well vs when they are going poorly, and when you’re feeling confident vs unsure of yourself.

  • Once you know how you carry yourself at your best, the key is to ACT it until you BECOME it. This is a proven way to “trick” yourself in the moment so that you can gain personal power and confidence to express the best, boldest version of yourself.

  • You’ll begin to notice that positive body language reinforces a positive overall mindset. You’ll appear more confident to your teammates and coaches, and you’ll *feel* better too. Try it out!

• FOCUS: Your focus determines your future

  • The best players focus one pitch at a time by being in control of themselves, having a plan on each pitch, and focusing all they have on EVERY. SINGLE. PITCH.

  • Present-moment focus is everything in life and sports. When you have all of your focus on the present-moment, you’re not distracted by past failures or worried about the future. 

  • When you make a mistake at the plate, on the mound, or in the field it can be easy to dwell on it. If you allow previous plays to cloud your judgment through, the odds are greater that you’ll make *another* mistake. 

  • Think: ‘BE WHERE MY FEET ARE’ b/c they are always in the present-moment. This will help you be aware and mindful of what is happening AT THIS VERY MOMENT, thus putting yourself in the best position to compete with all you’ve got EVERY. SINGLE. PITCH. 

• SELF-TALK: What we think, we become

  • Confident and successful players have strong, positive thoughts and dialogue running through their head. They take control and feed their mind powerful thoughts.

  • The inner dialogue that’s going on all the time in our head is THE most important thing we have going on. How we talk to ourselves is a huge part of creating a powerful self-image, which leads to a more confident YOU.

  • We want our self-talk to inspire, encourage, excite, and push us forward. This kind of self-talk will lead you to action, and build up your self-image.

  • Reframe negative thoughts with “I am” or “I will” statements such as “I am in total control”; “I am a winner”; “I am POWERFUL”; “I trained for this”; “I will not back down”;  “I will succeed”; “I am the best”; “ BRING. IT. ON”.

So there you have it, three concrete tips that any athlete can use to improve their mindset on and off the field. All 3 (Body language, Focus & Self-talk) work together to create your mental state, thus making up your Major League Mindset. Build awareness and practice these at home and incorporate them into your own routine. Developing that kind of self-confidence through your BFS is your secret weapon for dealing with the ups and downs that we all face as athletes.