Want To Perform Better? Understand the Performance Mind

The last article we posted by Scott Price stirred up a lot of comments and controversy.  He’s back again with another “mind-provoking” article.

The Performance Mind

by Scott Price

Set your intentions high. Time is ticking…

Your greatest intentions are the organizing power for your entire life.

If you are looking for how to achieve;

• your ideal body weight
• increased endurance
• better climbing
• more speed
• greater health and balance in your life, then read on.  It all begins in the mind, and you’ll get a 7 step process you can use to power up your cycling.

Ever wonder why Tiger Woods decided to try to make a Par 5 in golf into a 3 shot hole?

Ever wonder why Lance Armstrong decided to morph his entire physiology to become a 7x winner of the hardest sporting event in the world?

Ever wonder why William Trubridge dives over 300ft under water on a single breath of air?

Ever wonder why Usain Bolt decided to be the fastest man ever in the world?

We may never know the why as that is deeply personal in each individual but we can see that every accomplishment at any level is a result of the idea to do so. If you have the idea that you are stuck being over-weight because of genetics or that “I could never do that”, guess what? It’s living a self-fulfilling prophecy. This article is here to provide you resources to apply the way to get where you want to go, if you are really willing to do the work!

It’s not only these world-class performers but all us achieve what we think is possible, period.

Some of these thoughts are conscious and a direct intervention.  I’ll use Lance as an example;

“What is the hardest sport in the world?”

“Cycling”

“What is the hardest event in cycling?”

“Le Tour”

“How do I win it?”

Here is an unconscious example how our surrounding very well could determine our destiny. Then there is Usain Bolt the fastest man to ever run 100m. This is my own metaphor for how he started to believe he was fast.

Little toddler Usain takes his first steps in Jamaica. Uncle Bob (Marley) says, “Ho ho look at the lil Bolt man go! He is fast like lightning!”. Everyone laughs, Usain continues to get positive acknowledgement and love for being fast in a place where track running culture is mega popular and resourced….. We know what he goes on to do. It begins with a thought.

This relates to me growing up in the great white north and loving cycling. I was nearly an outcast for not playing hockey and few understood cycling, for some reason I was drawn to being different and taking on the additional challenges that cycling provided. I put my attention on cycling and trained full-time starting in high school. Where was my mind when I was at school? On cycling, did I skip cycling to go to school? No. Did I skip school to go cycling yes! Did I miss cycling rides or races because of parties and dances? No. My mind and attention was on cycling which lead too me being a national champion and winning over 100 races.

The point of what I am getting at is as a coach I see over and over that the mind needs to be focused and clear to organize everything that comes after. An athlete might say they want to climb faster but if they are not willing to lose weight then there is a mental misalignment and setup for frustration, lack and failure. We don’t want that! It is easy to avoid with an advocate for your highest aspirations and experiences.

Here is the most powerful breakdown on this process. People that are naturally neurotic tend to be the most successful in the world.

The future of performance in my opinion is to perform well within your individual reality and needs rather than the win at all costs attitude our society currently endorses and celebrates.

1.  Awareness. We have to know that something is a possibility like there are 100 mile fondos, cycling national championships or mountains to climb up faster

2.  Intent. Your personal identification of where you would like to go. There is dreaming, then there are things that are deeply personal and you are WILLING to take action and do the work to get there. Know the difference; intent is not passive or dreaming. It is the real deal.

3.  Attention. Yes, that single word is the key to the single great power we have as human beings. Will you pick up the key or skim past it? That is fascinating. We only ever realize what we put our attention on. If you look like you are working but your mind is elsewhere you will tread water.

We have 2 levels of attention. Practical attention is focusing to pour hot water without spilling or tying your shoe laces. Our powerful deeper attention is underlying the mundane and is the tether that pulls us to where we are going. Our attention has us grab onto things that aid our quest, people, ideas, resources, coaches… Are you a pretender or is your eye on the prize?

4.  Alignment. To keep this brief. This is acknowledgment that we benefit from being aligned with all of the forces and resources that surround us, like Usain growing up in sprint mad Jamaica.

5.  Effort. Your idea needs legs. Don’t be stuck in the clouds, break a sweat, push, write things down and make phone calls. Go try what you want to be, it will quickly reflect that more work needs to be done.

6.  Realization. We are not done yet. This is the mental realization that you are progressing and you see that you can do it. Your growth is the result. This is the true success. Whether or not it is a big win, fame or money. This is where deep empowering satisfaction is found.

7.  Manifestation. Ok, people who engage and act on the power of these steps do get what they want. A shiny gold medal, a promotion, an invention, an incredible piece of art or a yellow jersey.

*Note. Yellow jersey is metaphorical as I fully support people taking on their own challenges and conquering them without the insecurity of cheating or drugs. 99% of the true yellow jersey wearers in the world don’t actually get presented yellow jerseys! This is the power of acknowledging you are doing things your way for the right reasons. Own it and feel amazing inside and lead by example.

People set intentions on a range of dreams, hopes and wishes: To be loved, to have children, to get a better job, to remodel your house, to write a book, to lose weight, to conquer a challenge, to climb like Contador or to feel free. No matter which intention carries the most importance to you, when you set a Super Intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things will happen!

At this moment, where is your greatest gift, your greatest power?

Ask yourself the most important question,

“Where is my attention?”

Having an advocate with the knowledge to help you unlock your potential or to frame cycling goals and training in balance with your life is a wonderful thing.  My attention is on providing these relationships and seeing people flourish on many levels through cycling.

Scott and Darryl talk about the mind, coaching, and cycling:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7BIc0hW0zY&feature=youtu.be’]

Contact Scott at [email protected].

Scott Price is a unique cycling coach that is at the leading edge of what the future of sport will look like. Highly conscious, highly intuitive, personally responsible athletes creating incredible performance, experiences and raising the bar for all humanity. Scott is applying his lifetime of knowledge, study, experience of racing with grand tour greats and scoring over 100 victories in over 1,000 endurance events to provide remote coaching to athletes that want to discover what we are really capable of physically as well as the internal state we embody. In walking this walk, when you team up with Scott and his coaching program you gain a wealth of knowledge, inspiration, an advocate and a friend that only cares about your highest good and best interest. The challenges we take on are at the heart of what it is to be alive and it can be awesome.