Skiing Your Fastest Starts with Respect
In my many years in ski racing, first as a racer, then as a sport psych consultant, I have studied and tested what I believe are the most important mental contributors to ski racing success including motivation, confidence, focus, and emotions. But there is one that I have recognized quite recently as being really important, […]
Read MoreThe Real Genius of Genius isn’t the Genius
Genius doesn’t usually interest or impress me. My work in performance psychology has frequently exposed me to child prodigies and assorted other geniuses in academia, sports, and the performing arts, so perhaps I have become inured to the experience of people born with special talents. Also, I think genius is often overrated. I have known […]
Read MoreAre You Sending Messages of Competence to Your Children?
Competence is the most neglected contributor to self-esteem. So much emphasis in the “self-esteem movement” that began in the 1970s was placed on ensuring that children felt loved that the role of competence in developing self-esteem has either been ignored, minimized, or misapplied. Competence is so important because it provides the foundation on which children […]
Read MoreSuperstition Does Work… Sort of
A fascinating article in The New York Times describes how superstitions actually do work, but not in the way you think. What they do is reduce worry about an event.
Read MoreOvercoming Frustration in Cycling
Frustration may be your most significant obstacle to achieving your cycling goals. We’ve all experienced the feeling of frustration when we get reeled in by the peloton after a breakaway or our legs turn to Jello with a mile until the summit of a climb. We feel stuck and discouraged, we tense up, and we […]
Read MoreDo You Send “Dark” Messages of Love to Your Children?
Of course you love your children and would never consciously reward your children with love and attention when they, for example, first sit up or walk, score their first goal, or get an A on a school test, or punish their failures with anger or rejection. The challenge is to become aware of the unconscious, […]
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