I created Success Stories Membership with this idea in mind. The one thing ALL my high performing clients have in common is this - they have to overcome their personal challenges. Some are emotional (e.g., fear and doubt), some are physical (e.g., pain), and some relational (e.g., negative supervisor or parental pressure). In Success Stories Membership I teach you how to develop the mindset for success and adopt the foundational habits that lead to excellence. All high performers are welcome (athletes, coaches, business men and women, performing artists, high risk professions, etc.) ... the only requirement is that you have to want to be better than you are today. Learn more about what we are doing on the inside at www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership

Obstacle: Your mind races. There is too much to do, too much to think about. So much is going through your mind. At best you progress slowly with a clouded and distracted mind making mistakes along the way. At worst, you find yourself paralyzed, unable to move forward. How to Overcome: It starts with focusing your attention with these 5 steps: 1. Decide to concentrate (yes, it is an intentional choice) 2. Focus on one thing at a time (avoid multi-tasking) 3. Do what you are thinking and think about what you are doing. Have your head and body in the same place at the same time 4. Focus on what you can control 5. When nervous, focus outward. We usually get distracted by inward thoughts and feelings Head over to www.DrEddieOConnor.com/when-positive-thinking-doesnt-work for my FREE video, “What to do when positive thinking doesn’t work” for more details on how to let go of distractions and improve your concentration during performance. Check out “The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life” at www.thegreatcourses.com/dreddieoconnor for the 11th lesson, “Developing Focused Attention” and 23 other sport psychology topics that will enhance your performance! Head over to www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership to check out Success Stories Membership, an online community of high achievers overcoming obstacles and improving daily. LIKE this video if you believe focus is the most important mental skill. Let me know in the COMMENTS what your biggest distraction is when you want to focus. TAG and SHARE this with someone who would benefit from these 5 strategies to improve their concentration.

So many of my clients get frustrated when they slip in the new habit they are trying to build (or pick up one they are trying to quit). And I understand the frustration, we want to improve in a linear way, just getting better each day. But it doesn't work that way. Back when I was in grad school, we learned about relapse prevention and the work of Alan Marlatt, THE psychologist when it came to addictions in the 1980s through 2000s. The idea was basically to address both the internal and external risks that would contribute to using substances again and try to eliminate them, or respond to them in a more positive way. However, with 40-60% of people with substance use disorders relapsing within a year (Slomski, 2014 in the Journal of the American Medical Association) more recent models of change now include relapse as a part of the maintenance stage of change. OBSTACLE: This is where an intolerance of mistakes hurts you. A common response is to beat yourself up for the mistake, focusing on the failure and losing faith in your ability to change. That mental approach can turn a minor lapse into a full relapse. HOW TO OVERCOME: They key here is to realize that there is a real opportunity to grow from this mistake. You lapsed for a reason. What was it? Was it a particular urge you felt, an emption you gave into, a social situation that triggered you? Rather than sink into a depression about the mistake, do not lose the opportunity to learn from it by honestly exploring the reasons behind your choice to do what you didn't want to do. It isn't weakness. There was a good and understandable reason that you want to identify and address. Yes, this is easier said than done, but I promise you it is worth the effort. Remember, the path to success in any endeavor is through your failures. If you are struggling to improve, I'd love to support and help you in Success Stories Membership. Join the wait list now so you will be the first to know when doors open again in late February at www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership

My friends, 2021 is going to be awesome in Success Stories Membership. Can I give you a sneak peek into what I’m working on? I’ve just downloaded over 100 videos (yes, over 100!) to help my members get over their obstacles and achieve excellence. On the new membership site platform, you will be able to type in any word or concept, and Searchie will look through ALL my content and create a personal playlist for you cued to exactly where I mention it. For example (see the picture), I typed in “confidence” and BAM! a playlist of 14 videos cued to 19 places where I mention confidence appears. In the circle picture of my “Why You Under-Achieve” video, it is cued to the two places I mention confidence AND it transcribed so you can quickly read and see what you want to watch. How easy will that make it for you to make progress? Don’t miss out on this amazing feature and get on the Success Stories Membership wait list right now now so you will be the first to know when doors open again sometime in late February. Sign up at dreddieoconnor.com/membership

In this episode of the The Sports Project Radio Show, (LINK IN BIO -> Media -> Blog) Steve and Dr. Eddie talk about New Year’s resolutions and how long-term goals may not be helpful or realistic. Yes, have a mission and purpose, but at the same time do not lock in and limit your ability to adapt or adjust to new opportunities and adversity. The challenge is giving up the illusion of control and responding to the realistic experiences of today. Steve and Dr. Eddie go so far as to suggest that “everyone should experience losing a job” to propel you forward – if you allow yourself to be open to the pain in service of the good that can come from it. Listen to the whole interview for the details on exactly how to do it. One of the recommendations is to practice “patience and persistence” because you have to keep moving forward to make progress, it doesn’t matter how fast or slow. And if you have lost much, know that you get to build your life according to who you are and what you want today. Maybe the life you had was based on goals and dreams of decades ago? Might this be an opportunity to re-evaluate and set off on a new, more rewarding path? Listen through the end for exciting details about how the Success Stories membership is being upgraded for launch in February 2021. Go to

Obstacle: Automatic thoughts come in and destroy your confidence. Your self-talk becomes negative and repetitive. This leads to mistakes and poor play. How to Overcome: Accept that you cannot stop these automatic thoughts BUT you can choose your response to them. Be responsible and intentional about what you say to yourself in a way that is action focused, more encouraging and self-compassionate. This is a skill that you can practice to have a mind that builds your confidence and improves your performance rather than hurt it. Action Steps: 1 - Identify one negative thought that hurts confidence 2- Replace it with a more truthful realistic thought that builds confidence or tells you what do to succeed 3- ** Intentionally correct this thought EVERY time it comes up to retrain your brain. Head over to www.DrEddieOConnor.com/when-positive-thinking-doesnt-work for my FREE video, “What to do when positive thinking doesn’t work” for more details on how to take action even when your confidence is low. Check out “The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life” at www.thegreatcourses.com/dreddieoconnor for the 10th lesson, “Confidence and Self-Talk” and 23 other sport psychology topics that will enhance your performance! Head over to www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership to check out Success Stories Membership, an online community of high achievers overcoming obstacles and improving daily. LIKE this video if you want to build confidence. Let me know your best confidence building phrase in the COMMENTS. TAG and SHARE this with someone who wants to improve their physical performance with mental training.

Very Merry Christmas to you all, from all of us - Kenzie, Tynan, Eddie, Shea and Cian Remembering that today is about our loving God, loving us in our brokenness to be among us and save us. My heart is filled with love for these four. For you, my extended family and friends. And for the clients I am blessed to serve.

Obstacle: You’ve tried visualizing great performances, but it doesn’t translate into real life. Your skills don’t improve and your mindset isn’t changing. You sit, relax and picture what you want, but it doesn’t happen. How to Overcome: Visualization isn’t enough. That is why I prefer the term “imagery” that includes all your senses. Even more, there is a “PETTLEP” model for imagery and the first two components of your image are most important to include for development: **Physical: Rather than relaxing, get up and actually go through the physical motions of the skill you are developing or situation you are practicing. **Environmental: Practice imagery in the actual location of your performance environment. If unavailable, be sure to include details of your surroundings such as crowd noise, scent of the gym, and what you would see as you perform your tasks. Head over to www.DrEddieOConnor.com/when-positive-thinking-doesnt-work for my FREE video, “What to do when positive thinking doesn’t work” for more details on how to improve your performance. Check out “The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life” at www.thegreatcourses.com/dreddieoconnor for the 9th lesson, “Using Imagery to Prepare for Action” and 23 other sport psychology topics that will enhance your performance! LIKE this video if you use imagery. Let me know one physical action you will do to enhance your imagery in the COMMENTS. TAG and SHARE this with someone who wants to improve their physical performance with mental training.

Obstacle: You lack motivation. You want the goal, but can’t commit to the process of achieving it. You are inconsistent and lack the intensity needed to succeed … Maybe you are a coach, parent or supervisor and you haven’t been able to motivate your athlete, child or employee to get the best out of them. How to Overcome: Three things best increase motivation (and the lack of or opposite of these three will decrease it): * Competence - Motivation is increased when we feel like we are good at something. Positive self-talk and compliments from others will increase motivation. Criticism will decrease it. * Autonomy - Motivation is increased when we have a choice. We do it because we want to, not have to. Being forced to do something will decrease it. * Relatedness - Motivation is increased when we are surrounded by supportive others who value who we are and what we are doing. The lack of such relationships decreases it. Head over to www.DrEddieOConnor.com/when-positive-thinking-doesnt-work for my FREE video, “What to do when positive thinking doesn’t work” for more details on how to take action even when you don’t feel like it. Check out “The Psychology of Performance: How to Be Your Best in Life” at www.thegreatcourses.com/dreddieoconnor for the Increasing Internal Motivation lesson and 23 other sport psychology topics that will enhance your performance! LIKE this video if you are motivated to do so! Let me know what you are least motivated to do in the COMMENTS. TAG and SHARE this with someone who is highly motivated and see if they agree.

What if it wasn't about setting big goals and having a 3, 5, or 7-year plan for success? What if it was the daily discomfort, the doubt, the distraction and lack of motivation. Progress hurts. Improvement hurts ... and we are often consumed with chasing happiness and comfort. You aren't wrong or bad for wanting pleasure. You're human and humans are built that way. But champions are special humans that do things differently. Get on the Success Stories Membership wait list at https://www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership. I am working on some exciting feature right now for when I open the doors to you again in February 2021. You aren't going to want to miss this.