The Peak Performance Expert

Even if the Red Sox manage to win tonight’s game, it is essential that the organization look closely at what has contributed to their collapse this September.

As an outside observer (and a fan), watching the team dissolve is both heart-breaking and fascinating – kind of like watching a train-wreck – it’s tragic yet you can’t take your eyes off the scene.

So how can we understand the  disintegration of such an excellent team?  Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s baseball game between the Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays provided a good metaphor for the uncertainties and challenges we all face in life. For a while it looked like the Red Sox had it in the bag with a 2-run lead but then set-up man Daniel Bard, who usually dispatches hitters with laser-like efficiency, fell apart as he allowed Toronto to load the bases.  It looked like he was going to get away with it but alas, the Jays scored 5 times in the 8^th inning. The Red Sox managed to put two more runs on the board in the 9^th but it wasn’t enough to win the game. 

I suppose the lesson in this is that sometimes, despite years of experience and hundreds of hours of preparation and a superb track record of peak performance, we can fail.  It can fall apart and no matter what we do at those times, we can’t get it right. 

The mental toughness comes after the debacle.  Do you let it eat away at you? Do you beat yourself up? Do you hide in shame? Do you give up?  Or do you take a step back and objectively evaluate what happened?  Do you use the set-back as an opportunity to learn and grow? Do you seek some help in figuring it out?   

I’m betting Bard feels pretty bad about what happened but I also think he’s already creating a plan to prevent it from happening again.

Red Sox center-fielder and MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury doesn’t hold back.  Criticized by some for his absence last year from the Sox dug-out while he was rehabbing from cracked ribs, Ellsbury has returned to the Sox this year with a vengeance. 

Displaying class and mental toughness, Ellsbury didn’t get caught up in the criticism. Instead he worked hard to build his strength and refine his skills.  It’s paid off big time. 

Hitting .313 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs from the leadoff spot, Ellsbury has been an integral part of the Red Sox success this year. 

Ellsbury stands out in another way and that is his unabashed delight in his own success.  When he homers or gets a hit, unlike many of his colleagues, he actually smiles and sometimes claps his hands.  There is no arrogance in this nor is he showing off; it is sheer authentic satisfaction in his ability to execute.  

And why shouldn’t he feel good about executing well?  Isn’t it the goal of any athlete to achieve success?   Read the rest of this entry »

First it was Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, then, at the very end, it was pitcher Javier Lopez.  They each committed a cardinal sin in baseball: they didn’t keep their eyes on the ball.  In just that split second when each looked away from the ball, the ball got away from them. 

For the rest of us, the term – keep your eye on the ball – serves as metaphor but there’s nothing like a real life example to demonstrate the wisdom of this old adage.  And it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused on the one thing we should focus on since there are innumerable temptations and distractions such as ringing cell phones, email, the internet, and bad music that seems to be piped in everywhere. 

Of course we can train our brains to focus more effectively but that takes time and effort and many of us are “too busy” (i.e, too distracted) to do so! 

For those of you who may be interested, here’s a quick technique to help you quickly remove distractions and  refocus: 

• Close your eyes and exhale slowly, real slowly.
• Now say to yourself, “I’m going to turn my mind off.”
• Now “see” with your mind’s eye, a blank computer screen.
• Relax your jaw  and tongue (we hold a lot of tension there).
• And be still for 10 – 20 seconds.
• Now open your eyes.
• Direct your energy to your task at hand.