7 Thoughts for a Confident Performance with Powell Cucchiella, LMHC

Hello! Welcome to the Monkey Mind Newsletter where we provide you with the tools to be a more successful and resilient athlete and human. 

TOPIC
7 Thoughts for a Confident Performance

Every mental coach, sport psychologist, wisdom expert, etc…will tell you that one of the most important things you need to do to maintain confidence and consistency in sport (and life for that matter) is to get control of your thinking. They say that you need to think positive thoughts or have good self-talk.

And this is true!

Your thoughts are powerful. They guide how you feel and behave. Being aware of them and directing them appropriately is the highest priority in mental performance.

Professional mental coaches will help you to seek out the truth in your thinking and to evaluate what your past experience tells you about the event you are facing; and then reframe your thinking to a positive version. They may even go into the underlying beliefs, fears, traumas, thinking traps, or experiences that have led you to think the thoughts that you do.

All of this is important!

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) specializing in athletic performance, I do all of these things in my individual sessions with clients. However, there is one thing that tends to not be so clear for many athletes trying to work on their mental game.

That is: What exactly should you be thinking to help you be confident going into a performance or when you make a mistake in one? For some people, just simply thinking positive thoughts doesn't work for them. It might seem fake to see the situation going well or to say positive thoughts like- “I got this,” “you’re going to be ok.”

When I work with clients I want to give them several different categories of positive thoughts that they can redirect to. The type of positive thought that works for one athlete may not work for all and their choice in the matter ensures one will be a good fit.

Here is a list of different categories of thoughts along with some examples. What have you found works for you? Or which do you think you should try that would be helpful in the future?

MENTAL PERFORMANCE TOOL
7 Types of Thoughts for a Confident Performance 

1- Visualize a positive outcome– Seeing what success looks like helps you move towards it. Gets a way better outcome than moving away from a negative experience. “If this went well, ____ would happen.”

2- Hype thoughts- “You got this.” “Be Brave.” Etc...

3- Rational thoughts- “if x happens, I will just…” “my past experience tells me…” "I've prepared for this. I’ll be ok." "My teammates will not hate me if I make a mistake."

4- Perspective thoughts- “What is really important here?” “Even if this goes poorly, I still have all of these great things in my life… I’ll be ok”

5- Gratitude thoughts- Remind yourself of some things you are proud of or happy about. “I’m grateful to play this sport." "I’m so lucky that I get to play this sport.”

6- Process Thoughts- These are the specific, actionable, and controllable actions one would perform in their sport. A baseball/softball hitter might think - “Elbow up, quick step, attack.” These help you to maintain confident behaviors even when you "don't feel it." And gives you more control over your success.

7- Present Moment Attention (Mindfulness)- This is less of a thought and more of an action but it certainly is something you should do with your attention to stay focused, let go of the past, and be in the moment. Come back to any one of your 5 senses. Small details of what you see, smell, hear, taste, or feel.

As always, repetition is extremely important. Find one of these that you like the most and practice it!

Become aware that you are in a negative space, reset with a breath or saying “STOP” to your negative thoughts, and then plug in one of the positive thoughts above.

Best wishes in consistent and confident performance!

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

Powell

If you wish to inquire more about my services or have any other questions, you can fill out the contact form on the contact page of my website.

Website: www.positivelyelite.com

CONTRIBUTOR
Powell Cucchiella, LMHC

Positively Elite was founded by Powell Cucchiella, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). With over 15 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families, Powell specializes in helping performers of all types reach their peak potential.

Powell offers a variety of tools and techniques, profound clinical skills, a deep understanding of the mind, and an innate ability to connect with clients as they work towards finding consistent success. 

Powell obtained a B.A. in Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a concentration in Child Development, while also playing four years of Division 1 soccer. A decade later, Powell received his M.A. in Counseling and Community Psychology at The Sage Colleges, and wrote a thesis on The Total College Athlete: Increasing Performance by Promoting Well-being.

After college soccer, Powell went on to play for the top premier Baltimore amateur soccer teams, winning several state and national outdoor and indoor championships. Powell often draws from his own successes and challenges as an athlete and performer as he works with his clients. He is able to understand the needs of others who share a passion for being the best they can be in their chosen craft.

As an active performance and mental health counselor and former teacher & professor in the Capital Region, Powell is passionate about sharing his knowledge and wisdom so that he can help athletes and performers all over reap the rewards of investing into the mental game!

Having led countless workshops and one-on-one sessions for individual athletes, coaches, teams, and schools, he is driven to bring Positively Elite's services all across the country one day!

Website: www.positivelyelite.com

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