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At the end of a shower, turn the water to totally cold and don’t flinch. Stand in the spray for one minute, breathing evenly and deeply. Pay attention to what it feels like without judging the feeling as good or bad.
If it feels like you can’t do something, don’t give up. Instead, double down. Commit to what you’re doing as though your capacities are far greater than even you have imagined. Greater commitment produces greater achievement.
In your training journal, write a list of all the unhelpful things that your inner critic says inside your head. On a different page, make a list of things that you’d rather hear from a coach. Tear out the critic’s list and burn it. Review the coach’s list whenever the critic shows up.
The inner critic is a voice that sits in the back of your head and inhibits your impulses. In real life, this can be a good thing because it keeps you within the good graces of polite society. But when you play, the inner critic’s feedback isn’t nearly as helpful. It blocks your brain, locks your body, and offers up advice like, “That’s a stupid idea.”
When you hold back from playing because you’re afraid of doing something wrong, do it wrong on purpose.
Build the habit of doing the things that scare you. There’s no need to figure out why they’re scary; that’s just a way to avoid doing them. Condition yourself to take action the moment you feel the fear.
To get better, you have to be willing to fail. If you try to avoid failure, you won’t improve. Failure is a great teacher, if you’re willing to learn from it. Don’t try to fail, but embrace it when it happens.