I'd like to welcome University of Victoria Women's Golf to the mental conditioning team. We're meeting long distance until the spring season, when they come south to play in Las Vegas. Big thanks to Coach Justin Clews for making it happen.

If you're an adult involved in sport (coaches and parents, I'm talking to you), take note of this research from the Aspen Institute.  The most common motivations students gave for playing high school sports were having fun (81%) and exercise (79%). Winning (53%) and the pursuit of college scholarships (39%) were much lower priorities among high school students (Project Play). Please remember this the next you're working with student-athletes (or musicians, dancers, or theater kids, for that matter).

How's the voice in your head? Or rather, how are the voices in your head? The 4C's of self-talk are the Critic, the Coach, the Cheerleader, and the Counselor. Much like our tendency to focus on problems, it's the Critic who dominates 3/4 of our self-talk, when it needs to be the other three.  My challenge to you is to notice who is speaking, and them name the speaker, "I see what you're trying to do, Critic." Doing so creates space that allows the more helpful voices chime in. In his excellent book Chatter, Ethan Kross describes how using your name is also helpful. Speak to yourself as if you're giving advice to someone else - "Mark, you've done the work. Remember your cues and crush it." So start talking to yourself instead of listening to yourself.