Why Do Olympians Perform at Their Best??? How to tap into a new level of performance

Listen to Podcast Here

Why Do Olympians Perform at Their Best??? How to tap into a new level of performance

Why do athletes always seem to perform their best at the Olympics?

Today, we are going to talk about this and how you can utilize it in your training and competition, so you can:

Tap into a new level of performance.

This past week marked the beginning of the Olympics …

And why is it that it seems athletes always perform their best at the Olympics?

You could say it’s because they’re world-class athletes.

Of course, you’d be right, they must have an extreme level of athletic ability to get to their position.

But why do they break world records at the Olympics, but not at their trials?

You could say it’s because of their workout programming, periodization, and tapering.

And, although I do believe that plays a role,

I believe there is something more.

I believe athletes perform their best at the Olympics because …

They are competing for a Greater Cause.

For these two weeks, everyone in the world is watching them.

And when these athletes compete …

They are not only competing for themselves, but they are also competing for:

• Their trainers
• Their training team
• Their entire country as a whole

And competing for this Greater Cause …

Enables them to tap into a new level of performance they never had accessed before.

And you can do the same!!!

Every time you train or prepare to compete, see if you can compete for a Greater Cause:

• For your teammates
• For your school and community
• Maybe even for your state or country

And when you compete for a Greater Cause, you connect with a deeper source of energy that will enable you to tap into a new level of performance you have never accessed before.

The same holds true for your life!!!

Every day, you can tap into a Greater Cause ...

And emanate from that space in how you walk and act …

And see how that impacts your:

• Interactions
• Performance
• Becoming the person you were born to be

What Greater Cause are you competing for???

Connect with it every time you train or prepare to take the field of competition.

What Greater Cause are you living for???

Connect with it every day of your life.

As you do this over and over …

See how this enables you to tap into a new level of performance you have never accessed before!!!

I wish you well on your journey of competing and living for a Greater Cause, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Is It Worth It??? What to do if you are worried about your hard work not paying off

Listen to Podcast Here

Is It Worth It??? What to do if you are worried about your hard work not paying off

“What if my hard work is not paying off???”

Have you ever asked yourself that before?

“I am putting in countless hours training my skills, strength, and conditioning, but I’m worried I am not getting any better!!!”

Have you ever experienced that before?

“When the season rolls around, and I’m not any better, I’m going to feel like a FAILURE and I WASTED all that time, attention, and energy, and may never be the athlete I thought I could be!!!”

Have those thoughts ever raced through your mind before?

Look, I understand …

I struggled with this a lot during my athletic career, so today we are going to talk about:

What to do if you are worried about your hard work not paying off.

Throughout my athletic career, I trained a lot,

But often worried my hard work may not be paying off.

I recall one off-season …

I was training 2-3 times per day on my:

• Skills
• Strength
• Conditioning

In my free time, I was:

• Watching my nutrition
• Training my mind
• Making sure I was getting to bed at a good time to enhance my recovery

But I was still afraid I was not doing enough, and worried I was not getting better.

As the off-season was winding down, and the season was drawing nearer …

These feelings began to grow and swell within me.

Finally, when the whistle blew to begin the first game of the year …

I let all the feelings go in SURRENDER.

As a result:

• I had one of my best performances of my career up until that point
• I helped lead our team from behind to victory
• I could sigh with relief, confidence, and assurance that my hard work had paid off, and I was becoming the player I knew I could be

As athletes, many times we struggle with worrying our hard work is paying off.

We spend countless hours in the gym and on the practice field, training our:

• Skills
• Strength
• Conditioning

However, we are not sure if we are getting better.

And, if we don’t get better by the time the season rolls around …

We can feel like a FAILURE and that we WASTED all that time, attention, and energy. And maybe …

We feel like we will never become the athlete we thought we could be.

Many times, when faced with these emotions, we approach our training like …

A child planting a garden.

They plant their seeds and for the first few days, they check to see if they grow.

After the first few days or weeks not seeing the seeds growing or sprouting, they give up believing they’ll never grow.

Or when they finally see the seed beginning to sprout they try to pull it up, but end up damaging its roots and killing it in the process.

However, The experienced farmer takes a different approach.

They plant their seeds, work the soil, and water them.

Then they sit back, with patience, and trust Nature will enable the crops to grow and sprout in the proper timing.

The experienced athlete approaches their training in a similar way.

They put in the time, attention, and energy training their skills, strength, and conditioning. They watch their nutrition, train their mind, and enhance their recovery.

But then, they sit back, with patience, and trust Life will enable their gifts to grow and sprout in the proper timing.

And that’s the ingredient that will help you to have a relaxed confidence and assurance that your hard work is paying off.

Put in the work …

But then, sit back, with patience, and trust Life will enable your gifts to grow and sprout in the proper timing.

The same is true for opportunities in your life beyond your game.

You will have a dream, a vision, a calling.

You will put in the work to pursue that dream:

• Mastering your craft
• Surrounding yourself with people to assist you in your pursuit of your dream
• Creating opportunities so you can walk through doors that will guide you to your dream

And weeks, months, and years may go by and your dream may not come.

However, once you put in the work …

Sit back, with patience, because Life will enable your dream to grow and sprout …

In the proper timing.

I wish you well on your journey of being patient and trusting Life will reward your hard work, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Now What??? How to make the most of your opportunities (in your sport and in life)

Listen to Podcast Here

Now What??? How to make the most of your opportunities (in your sport and in life)

The ball is in your hands …

Now what???

Coach has called you in to pinch hit for your teammate …

Now What???

The play is coming your way and it is up to you to make the tackle …

Now What???

Today, we will talk about:

How you can make the most of your opportunities in your sport, and how this prepares you to make the most of your opportunities in life.

In sports, we are presented with many opportunities to make a play.

However, it is how we respond to these opportunities that will dictate the outcome.

All too often …

We get caught up in our heads.

We overthink and overanalyze:

• We lack trust in ourselves, our technique, and our abilities
• We lack trust in our teammates, and whether they will be there for us
• We lack trust in our coaches, and whether they are putting you in the best position to win

When we get caught up in our heads …

We inhibit our abilities and don’t perform to our potential.

However, experienced athletes …

Get out of their head and into the moment.

They sink into the flow of the game:

• They trust in themselves, and their countless hours of training and preparation
• They trust in their teammates, and their countless hours of training and preparation
• They trust in their coaches, and their countless hours of training and preparation

And when they get out of their heads and into the moment …

They free themselves up to perform at their potential.

The same is true in life.

Opportunities will present themself to you:

• An opportunity for a new job
• An opportunity to lead a group
• An opportunity to chase down your dream

How will you respond when these opportunities present themselves to you???

Will you get caught up in your head?

• Lacking trust in yourself, and whether you can handle it
• Lacking trust in those around you, and whether they can support you
• Lacking trust in your teachers and mentors, and whether they can help you succeed

Or, will you get out of your head and into the moment?

• Trusting yourself, and in your training and preparation
• Trusting in your teammates, your family, teachers, and peers around you
• Trusting in your coaches, your mentors, those you look up to, and a Metaphysical Power that always has your back

And when these opportunities come to you …

What will you do to allow your full potential to come to the table and make the most of them???

The ball is in your hands …

The opportunity is here for the taking …

How will you respond???

I wish you well on your journey of making the most of your opportunities, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Need Help With Motivation??? How to stay MOTIVATED in any situation

Listen to Podcast Here

Need Help With Motivation??? How to stay MOTIVATED in any situation

Are you looking for a way to stay motivated?

Or have you struggled with motivation in the past?

That’s OK, because today we will talk about:

A process to help you stay motivated in any situation

Throughout my life, people have always asked me how I have always been highly motivated in whatever I have done:

• How I was able to stay motivated to push myself as an athlete
• How I was able to stay motivated to impact athletes as a coach
• How I was able to stay motivated to create new content and speeches as a speaker

And, throughout my life, I have most often responded with something along the lines of:

“Because I want to be the best person I can be.”

And although there is a lot of truth in that, it doesn’t quite accurately paint the real picture.

Because as I have reflected …

I have never felt the need for motivation!

For the most part, I have loved everything I’ve done so much that I’ve never really needed motivation.

If you are struggling with motivation, this is where I would encourage you to start:

Are you actually doing what you love to do?

If so, motivation should render itself obsolete …

There should be little need for motivation since you love to do it so much.

If not, reflect on why you are doing it in the first place.

Is it because society tells you “you should be doing it” ???

And, where might Life be guiding you instead.

However, there are some times in our lives when the pure love of the craft is not enough for motivation, and we need to find an alternative method.

In this case,

What do we do???

And although most of my life I have never really needed motivation,

There was one situation where I did need to find an additional process to keep me motivated.

There was a period in my life where I got extremely sick.

My body shut down and stopped producing the hormones that provided me the energy to get out of bed and carry on with my day.

As my body started to shut down, my willpower also began to shut down:

• I was losing the will to do what I loved to do
• I was losing the will to get out of bed
• I was losing the will to live

However, I couldn’t lay around in pity all day!!!

During this time, I was a student in college and a coach of a high school basketball team …

So I needed to go to school and coach these young men.

I needed to find a process to stay motivated and overcome my medical conditions.

I desperately grasped for different ideas, tools, and methods …

But all of them seemed to fail!!!

However, I did find one process that worked for me. One that gave me the energy to overcome my medical complications, go to school, and impact the athletes at practice.

The Process

Step 0

When I woke up, I would take some intense breaths to ensure I would not fall back asleep.

Step 1

After breathing, I went deep within myself.

Past my heart and to a place so deep it did not even feel like it was a part of me …

Yet at the same time, I knew it was one of the purest parts of me there was.

Step 2

After connecting with this deep part of me …

I felt and visualized myself going throughout my day, emanating from this source of potential: 

• How I interacted with my teachers
• How I interacted with my classmates
• How I interacted with my players at practice

Step 3

After seeing how this source of potential impacted those nearest to me, I began to feel and visualize this source of potential emanating from me and impacting people beyond:

• In the school
• In the community
• In the state, country, and world

And if that was not enough, I even extended it to see how it impacted people for generations to come.

And through this process, I experienced enough energy to get out of bed, go to school, and impact people at practice.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH YOUR MOTIVATION

I would recommend a similar process.

First, reflect on whether you are doing what you love to do.

If so, go deep within you, so deep you connect with a source of potential that does not feel like it’s a part of you, yet at the same time you know it’s one of the purest forms of you there is.

Feel and visualize yourself going throughout your day, emanating from this source of potential.

See it impacting those around you …

And extend it beyond:

• To those in your family, on your team, and in your school
• To those in your community, state, and country
• To those in the entire world

Eventually, this process will give you the energy to do whatever it is you are here to do.

I wish you well on your journey of being motivated in any situation, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

4th of July Wisdom: Technique to give you the FREEDOM to be who you are in any situation

Listen to Podcast Here

4th of July Wisdom: Technique to give you the FREEDOM to be who you are in any situation

For whatever reason, have you ever felt dirty or just a little bit off???

It’s as if you were so busy doing what society told you that you were supposed to be doing, but there was a misalignment with who you actually believed yourself to be.

And you wish you could throw away the person generated by society so you can step into who you actually are.

Today, we are going to talk about:

A technique to give you the FREEDOM to be who you are in any situation

A few years ago, I learned a powerful lesson at a 4th of July party that freed me up to be who I am in any situation.

The Story

I was at my family’s cottage and we were hosting a 4th of July party.

We invited guests over and I was doing everything “I was supposed to be doing.”

• I was active
• I was social
• I was being a good host
• I was doing many things for different people

However, deep inside I felt dirty and a little bit off.

As the party went on, these feelings grew and eventually became overwhelming to the point I felt like I had to get away.

Eventually, I had an opportunity to take the dog to the bathroom.

I took it up a hill, away from the party on the lake, and out to some woods.

When we reached the woods …

There was a sense of stillness and serenity.

I proceeded to take the dog on a walk through the woods,

And for whatever reason,

During this walk …

I connected to a deeper part inside of me.

And when I connected with this part of me …

I was filled with so much energy and exhilaration,

And I wanted to go back and immerse myself in the party.

So, we went back down (the dog, me, and that deeper part of me),

And we had a great rest of the time.

The Reflection

As I reflected on this experience, it reminded me of a time during my basketball career.

I was stepping into a leadership role and was doing everything “a leader was supposed to be doing.”

• I was being vocal
• I was the first to show up and the last to leave
• I was enhancing the energy of everyone around me

However, deep inside, I felt dirty and a little bit off.

As the season went on, these feelings grew and eventually became overwhelming to the point I felt like I had to get away.

One day, I had an opportunity to play in an empty gym.

Nobody else was there. Only a few lights were on.

It was just ME, the BALL, and the HOOP.

I turned my mind off and played freely.

And after that time training, I sat down to take my gym shoes off, and overlooked the empty hardwood.

And for whatever reason,

During this time …

I connected to a deeper part inside of me.

And when I connected with this part of me …

I was filled with so much energy and exhilaration,

And I wanted to go back and immerse myself in the rest of the season.

As the season continued, I had a lot more fun (me and that deeper part of me).

The Lesson

There will be times in your life when you do what “you are supposed to do.”

But many times, this may lead you to feel dirty and a little bit off.

And these feelings may grow and become overwhelming, making you feel like you want to get away.

You may escape to an environment of stillness and serenity.

Where your mind can turn off and …

You can connect to a deeper part of you.

And when you connect with this part of you …

You become filled with so much energy and exhilaration,

Where you can go back and immerse yourself in society.

Although you may be carrying out the same tasks,

You will be performing them with that deeper part of you …

That part of you who you really are …

In any situation.

My Encouragement

If you are feeling dirty or a little bit off, when you are doing what “you are supposed to do,”

And these feelings are becoming overwhelming,

Find an environment where you can experience stillness and serenity.

Where your mind can turn off and …

You can connect to a deeper part of you.

And when you connect with this part of you …

Allow it to fill you with energy and exhilaration,

And go back and immerse yourself in society,

Performing them with that deeper part of you …

That part of you who you really are!

When you repeat this process, you can realize …

That you have the FREEDOM to be who you are in any situation.

I wish you well on your journey of being who you are in any situation, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

Performance Anxiety??? How to Remain Cool, Calm, and Composed (even in PRESSURE SITUATIONS)

Listen to Podcast Here

Performance Anxiety??? How to Remain Cool, Calm, and Composed (even in PRESSURE SITUATIONS)

Do you want to remain cool, calm, and composed, even in pressure-filled situations?

Perhaps you admire the great performers, and how they can remain poised during the heat of the moment.

And you want to emit that same relaxed confidence regardless of the situation you are in.

Well, luckily, today we will talk about:

How to remain cool, calm, and composed, even in pressure situations.

Recently, I was asked how I have been able to remain so calm and poised despite everything I’ve gone through in life:

• Through my athletic career
• Through my health complications
• Through my journey serving as a coach
• Through my steadfastness of staying true to what I feel my Purpose is

The way I explained it to them is:

It’s like a Sandwich …

• On the surface, I appear cool, calm, and composed
• Beneath that, I still feel waves of intense fear and anxiety
• However, beneath that, I have a deep seed of peace and stillness, knowing that a Greater Power is fueling me and I can handle anything that comes my way

The same seems to be true for elite performers:

• They look calm on the surface
• But they still get nervous and the butterflies
• Despite their nerves, they realize they can handle anything and they emit an aura of relaxed confidence

Which brings us to our question:

How does one develop this deep trust they can handle anything???

• So they can overcome their fear
• So they can take action in the face of anxiety
• So they can remain cool, calm, and composed under pressure

My answer is …

CONNECT TO THIS DEEPER POWER WHILE GOING THROUGH AN INTENSE EXPERIENCE

When you are in a pressure-filled situation,

Connect to that deep seed of peace and stillness underneath the fear and anxiety.

And then, do what you came to do.

Regardless of the outcome, you will know …

That you too action in the face of fear and you made it to the other side.

After taking this action amidst fear enough, you will realize …

Fear cannot stop you …

And you can emit the same aura of relaxed confidence …

AND YOU WILL REMAIN COOL, CALM, AND COMPOSED, EVEN IN PRESSURE SITUATIONS.

I wish you well on your journey of remaining cool, calm, and composed in pressure-filled situations, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle

My Dad Did What??? 3 Ways Fathers Can Impact Their Student Athlete Child

Listen to Podcast Here

My Dad Did What??? 3 Ways Fathers Can Impact Their Student Athlete Child

This is for the fathers of student athletes.

(Or, if you are a student athlete, share this with your father)

Today, we will talk about:

3 Ways Fathers Can Impact Their Student Athlete Child

In my opinion,

Fathers are the most influential role models in the lives of student athletes.

Even more than their coaches.

Even more than their favorite superstars on TV.

In my opinion, fathers are the most influential role models in the lives of student athletes.

Disclaimer:

I AM NOT A FATHER!!!

However, I was a student athlete and I have coached many student athletes over the years.

And the three traits we will talk about today are what I respected about my dad as well as the fathers of the student athletes I have coached.

1. Promote a variety of activities for your child to participate in

Growing up, my dad encouraged me to try out a variety of activities.

He encouraged me to play various sports like:

• Football
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Golf

He also encouraged me to try other activities outside of sports like:

• Woodworking in the shop
• Water skiing
• Guitar

By promoting a variety of activities for me to participate in,

My dad enabled me to discover what I was passionate about and see many opportunities Life was guiding me towards.

2. Encourage your child to expand their comfort zone

There was a period of my playing career when I was passive and timid.

I had great skill, was a hard worker, and an encouraging teammate, but my leadership was not there yet.

One day, as I was finishing a grueling basketball workout, drenched in sweat and exhausted, my dad said to me:

“Everyone wants a leader, yet very few are actually willing to be that leader.

I am not going to tell you to be that leader,

But if you do, it is completely your choice.

But YOU will need to be that leader.”

Once he said that, he flipped a switch inside me.

• I crushed the end of my workout
• I made the choice to be a leader
• I stepped into a leadership position

Rather than overtly tell me what to do,

(There were times he did try that tactic and I rebelled against what he said almost every time 🙂)

In this instance, my dad skillfully flipped a switch inside me,

That helped me to make my own decision to expand my comfort zone.

In turn, I stepped into a leadership position.

3. Be an example of a being of character

Perhaps the most powerful memory of my dad came outside of sports.

We were at a hospital for some medical complications I was dealing with.

One morning, I had an early appointment, probably around 6:00 AM.

We were staying at a hotel down the road from the hospital and we were walking to the hospital through the dark and cold morning during a blizzard.

I recall looking at my dad, briefcase in his hand, being pelted by the snow.

In that moment …

I respected him so much.

Here was a man who gave up everything for me.

Here was a man who took time off work to me with me.

Here was a man who was out in this cold blizzard to help find answers to make me healthy, to help find answers so I could have the vitality to live my dream.

In that moment, I thought to myself:

“That is someone I want to emulate someday!”

I wanted to emulate:

• His resilience
• His perseverance
• His willingness to give so much so someone can live their dream

And I had so much respect for him.

Rather than enforce his values and beliefs on me,

My dad was an example of a being of character,

And I wanted to one day exemplify those qualities as well.

3 Ways Fathers Can Impact Their Student Athlete Child

• Promote a variety of activities for your child to participate in
• Encourage your child to expand their comfort zone
• Be an example of a being of character

And when you embody these qualities,

Your child will respect you so much and want to make you proud.

Because, after all …

You are the role model they look up to most.

I wish you well on your journey of impacting your student athlete child, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Inspiring YOU every step of your way,

Kyle