The Magic Formula To Peak Performance Every Student-Athlete Must Know ✨
The Magic Formula To Peak Performance Every Student-Athlete Must Know ✨
I wish I knew this 14 years ago when my Life After Sports transition started
In this first edition, I’m breaking down why I started this lifeletter, the basics of peak performance, and how student-athletes can build a high-flow lifestyle.
Connect with me on LinkedIn so we can keep the conversation going.
The Magic Formula To Peak Performance Every Student-Athlete Must Know ✨
I remember saying to myself, “Damn I did everything right!” 😩
Well, that’s what I said aloud…this is how I felt inside…
I got good grades, I stayed out of trouble, I dotted all my i’s, and crossed all my t’s.
But after failing to walk on to hoop at Tuskegee University, I found myself working nights stocking shelves at a local grocery store and being a keyholder for my local YMCA.
And over a decade later, I’m a keynote speaker, peak performance coach, and author! 😎
So much has occurred in the last 14 years since my Life After Sports transition started. Many achievements, many lessons learned, and too many failures to count. 🤦🏾♂️
And I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.
It has set me up to help student-athletes today and assist others who wish to help student-athletes also.
1. Why I’m launching This Lifeletter?
If I had to give one word that completely defines me, I would pick: Writer
There are times when people ask me the million-dollar question, “What do you do?”
And I sarcastically reply: I write and think about things, and periodically share them.
But in all seriousness, it covers so much of what I do…
I write books
I write keynotes
I write sales scripts
I write business plans
I write poetry
And the list goes on….
I’ll share weekly practical and implementable strategies with those who want to: a) impractical student-athletes with irrational standards and unreasonable expectations b) the student-athlete that just wants to experience a positive and smooth transition c) the persona that wants to also help “a” and “b” and who wants to peak their performance also.
2. What To Look Forward To?
Every Monday, I’ll help you plan for a productive week by sharing the wisdom of my 10+ years as a business owner, 20+ years as a coach/consultant, and 32+ years as a peak performance expert (I’ll explain the last two in a future edition 😉)
This lifeletter will be short, perspective-shifting, and actionable!
I promise that some editions will have you putting your phone down or closing your laptop viewing the world differently than you did before.
3. Let’s Launch This Thang!
Here’s the first edition of “2 Infinity & Beyond” 🔥🚀📈
It Only Seems Like Magic When You Don’t Know The Formula
Have you ever seen an athlete perform and it looked like they were magical?
Whether it’s Step Curry or Sabrina Ionescu shooting unconsciously shooting the 3, Messi weaving through players to score goals, or Mahomes throwing no-look passes in FOOTBALL…
They make being in the zone look magical because they know the formula…
And the formula for peak performance is Flow!
Ok, let me break this down for you and give us a foundation to build upon going forward…
Peak Performance is backed by studies done in the neuroscience field and it’s defined as getting our biology to work for us rather than against us. This is primarily done by initiating an optimal state of consciousness called "Flow" where we feel our best and perform our best. You may know this state as "runner's high", "being unconscious", or "being in the zone".
Flow refers to moments of rapt attention and total absorption when we get so focused on the task at hand that everything else seems to disappear, action and awareness merge, our sense of self vanishes, time passes strangely, and performance just soars.
Research has shown that these peak performance flow strategies can increase productivity by 500%, provide 3 days of heightened creativity after experiencing a flow state, improve skill acquisition/learning by 490%, and increase creative problem-solving by 430%.
Flow is ubiquitous and universal and it shows up in anyone and anywhere provided that certain initial conditions are met. These conditions are called Flow Triggers and they are 22 things evolution shaped our brain to pay attention to and enable survival.
These flow triggers are broken down into 2 categories: Individual and Group/Social (what I refer to as Team Triggers of course).
Individual: Challenge-Skills Balance, High Consequences, Curiosity/Passion/Purpose, Autonomy, Complete Concentration, Clear Goals, Immediate Feedback, Novelty, Complexity, Unpredictability, Deep Embodiment, and Creativity.
Team: Complete Concentration, Shared Clear Goals, Shared Risk, Close Listening, Good Communication, Familiarity, Blended Egos, Sense of Control, Equal Participation, and Always Say Yes.
There are many more out there but these are the 22 scientists have established so far.
Action Step💪🏾
Skim through the 22 Flow Triggers, take inventory of your past, and make a note of which triggers were present in the moments you felt your best and performed your best. This will be the start of you creating a high-flow lifestyle.
Last Words…
The term formula here is used in the same way that computer scientists talk about algorithms, as a sequence of steps that anyone can follow to get consistent results.
Another definition to cover is that of mechanism which is a system of parts working together in a machine; a piece of machinery; a natural or established process by which something takes place or is brought about.
This is how we should view ourselves; hence the term “nervous system”.
Whether it’s in the sport we play or in life; many times we don’t get the results we want because we’re attempting to buck the system.
This is what I mean by getting our biology to work for us rather than against us.
Every edition of this lifeletter going forward will make sure we do just that and peak our performance properly.
Hope this added the fuel to ferociously launch your week! ♾️🔥🚀
See you next Monday! 😎
And when it comes to the infinite game of life…
Choose Flow.
Be Brilliant.
Ball Out.
Ready to invest in you?
Here are ways I can help:
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Ready to invest in your hair care, mental health, and self care overall? Click here to check out a brand that has EVERYTHING you need to serve these important areas.
Need help building a high-flow lifestyle or discovering your personal brand that’ll set you up for a positive transition? Click here to check out my coaching services and reach out so we can get the process started.
I spend my time speaking, coaching, writing, reading/researching, and thinking (and moving some major weight…as a powerlifter).
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