How to Have a Shooter's Mentality as an Athlete
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down why so many athletes misinterpret what it means to be selfish. The episode covers why athletes in slumps need permission to be selfish, the difference between true selflessness and fear, and why every athlete needs a shooter's mentality.
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The Pre-Game Mistakes Every Athlete Makes
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share where athletes go wrong in their pre-game routine - and it's not because you're not doing enough. The episode covers the difference between superstitions and routines, why forcing positivity before a game is one of the most common mental mistakes athletes make, the fan mentality versus the player mentality, and why the perfect routine is actually an imperfect one.
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Hard Work Is Just The Entry Fee
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Nick and Adam cover why hard work is just the entry cost at the elite level, the five anchors every athlete needs to develop, and what hard work looks like as you rise the ranks might. Nick shares a story about an athlete heading into his third NHL dev camp who only got on the ice four times in two weeks — and why that was exactly right. When you get to a certain level, everybody's working hard. Everybody's in the gym and putting in the reps. Hard work stops being the thing that separates you and starts being the thing that just keeps you in the room....
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Accepting Range of Results, Cognitive Diffusion, & The Unconscious Mind
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down how an athlete can tap into their unconscious mind. The episode covers Nick's broken triangle framework, the difference between standards and expectations, and why Rod Brind'Amour disconnecting himself from his own team's win is the perfect example of autonomy-supportive leadership.
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Change is Chaos, Taking Your Shell Off, & Off-Season Phases
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share what it actually takes to grow and why the most uncomfortable moments of an athlete's career are often the most important ones. The episode covers the lobster analogy and what it really means to shed your shell, the difference between being forced to grow and being stuck, why change is chaos before it's progress, and how themes are more powerful than goals when it comes to off-season focus.
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Playing With a Chip on Your Shoulder, Pseudo Ceilings, & Raising Your Standard
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam break down two of the most misunderstood concepts in sport - the chip on your shoulder and discipline vs motivation. The episode covers why external motivation isn't always the enemy athletes make it out to be, and how there's a difference between principle and supportive motivation. They also chat about what selective disobedience actually means and why doing your best means something completely different when nobody's watching.
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Athlete Stress, Peaking Early, & The Unconscious Chase
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam share why eliminating stress shouldn't be the goal for athletes - and why trying to get rid of stress too quickly leads to burn out. The episode covers the difference between distress and eustress, why the better you get the more challenging the journey becomes, and what it actually means to build versus chase when everything's on the line. Nick previews his upcoming book Now or Never and shares why the athletes who wait until the end of the runway to start their mindset work are already behind.
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Playing on the Edge, Staying Grounded, & Four-Part Growth Framework
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam highlight the difference between taking responsibility and taking the blame. Confusing the two is one of the most common mental mistakes an athlete makes. They also cover the fault vs. responsibility framework, why the better you get the more other people are at fault, and how confidence fits into the three-four mindset. They also dive deep into why the nicest athletes are the easiest to beat - and what it actually means to play on the edge.
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The Childlike Athlete, Unstructured Play, & Creating Your Environment
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam get honest about one of the most overlooked topics in sport - what the love of the game actually means. They break down why it's so hard to define and what happens when it starts to fade. The episode covers the three psychological needs every athlete has to have met to truly love what they do. They cover why unstructured play is disappearing and what it's costing young athletes. Plus - how to build the love of the game into your mental performance tools.
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Perfect Mindset Trap, Fear of Losing Success, & Authoring Your Story
The CEP Mindset Podcast
In this episode of The CEP Mindset Show, Cassidy, Nick, and Adam dive into the Survive Land vs. Thrive Land framework, why fear of losing success hits different than fear of failure, the river you have to cross to get to the next level, and why tending to your lead is more important than protecting it. They also cover why striving for the perfect mindset is actually a trap — and the legendary sports psych who hung up on his All-Star pitcher to prove it.
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It's normal and okay to get stuck. We can't avoid challenges, pressures, and distractions in sports or life.
But we can learn how to use these events as growing opportunities. Specifically, this post will show you the 3 phases to transform your mindset.
I've been using this concept with many of my one-on-one clients because of the simplicity, clarity, and power it gives them.
The 3 Phases
First - in phase one, things are great.
Then, phase two - things get tough. Adversity, pressure, and expectations build.
Phase three is the product of growth from phase two.
The key is understanding that phase three is actually better than phase one.
The Practical Lessons
Lesson 1 - Don’t Resist Phase 2
When people are in phase two, they wish they could go back to phase one. This is a huge mistake.
It's not about trying to go backward but trying to move forward. Once you get into phase two, you can’t undo it. You can’t pretend like it didn’t happen and go back to phase one.
We can't change what's happened.
Stop resisting phase 2 - you need to go through it to get to phase 3.
When you embrace your journey, you are better able to accept, understand, and move forward into phase 3.
Essentially, this is all about breaking free of the weight of results. Letting go of the need to, have to, and shoulds. It’s where you stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. You make the switch from an outside-in approach to life — letting the external world dictate your internal mindset — and move to an inside-out approach where you take control of your inner world first, then once grounded and centered you go and tackle the outer world.
I also refer to this as being Mindset First — it’s the whole premise of my book.
Lesson 2 - Don’t Identify with Phase 2
People fall into the common trap of identifying with a phase 2 mindset.
They may say something like, “I’m always too hard on myself. This is who I am”.
If you choose to identify with phase two, you aren’t going to phase three. There is no solution because your identity is stuck in phase two.
To avoid falling into this trap, I like to help clients reflect on their assumed identities.
For example, “are you really always too hard on yourself? 100% of the time? And who says that you are?”
Then to really hit the point home — “as long as you keep holding on to that belief, there is no moving to phase 3, so the choice is yours if you are going to keep CHOOSING that identity.”
Instead, I encourage them to use the language: “In the past, I was often too hard on myself. I have had a tendency to do so…” This change in narrative ensures they stop identifying with it and gives them the ability to more freely step into a phase 3 mindset.
Lesson 3 - Create Phase 3
The first two lessons help you let go of phase 2, but to seal the deal you want to create a clear phase 3 mindset. This is about being intentional about who you choose to be and how you want to show up.
Then make a stark contrast between phase 2 and 3. By clarifying what each phase looks like for you, the choice to show up in a phase 3 mindset becomes increasingly obvious.
Todd Herman’s alter ego strategy is a great tool to bring the contrasting identities to life.
Separate Mindset from Results
Just because you have a “phase three mindset”, does that mean you’ll get “phase three results”?
The answer is simply no.
Sometimes, you get “phase two results.” That's part of life and part of sport.
If you’re chasing a phase three mindset for phase three results, that means you don’t have a phase 3 mindset.
The phase 3 results will come, but you need to ruthlessly follow the practical lessons above and lock in your phase 3 mindset first.
And once the results do come, expect new adversities to arise. As they do, stick to the process, stay in a phase 3 mindset, and make adjustments along the way.
I hope you have found this helpful. I love using this framework with clients. It helps break down what we are working on and how we are working on it. It’s both simple and powerful.
And once they get it and start applying the lessons — they get results.