Fight Your Fear and Win: 7 Skills for Performing Your Best Under Pressure

by Don Greene

We've all been that make-it-or-break-it moment of our careers - on the brink of a deal, poised at the starting gate, under the spotlight waiting to speak or perform in front of our peers. At this point, where everything seems to be on the line, most of us experience one overriding reaction - fear - and this fear can have negative physical, mental and emotional consequences on how well we do our job. Don Greene, sports psychologist and stress coach to top executives and entertainers, has spent decades studying fear and its effect on performance. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Greene shares the proven techniques he has used with Olympic athletes, Grand Prix drivers, the New World Symphony and Merrill Lynch traders to help them perform their best under pressure. "Fight Your Fear and Win" begins with a self-assessment performance survey that will allow you to pinpoint your own reactions to how you handle distractions, how you are affected by nervousness, your mental outlook, your response to fear and your ability to bounce back from failure.

Genres: Music, Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Business

254 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2002

Reviews

[Dan Graser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to gain some background information regarding several concepts that Don Greene introduces in his widely read works, Performance Success and Audition Success. Despite the somewhat cringeworthy title, this work mostly delivers on that goal. In the interests of full-disclosure I did not go through the more general process outlined in this work since I already had done so for the more musician/artist specific process outlined elsewhere. As such, I can't really verify the somewhat grandiose claims this particular book makes. What I can say is that I received a good deal of understanding of some of the terminology he uses elsewhere and a reinforcement of notions of his I thought I knew, but wanted to double-check. Also, having found his method very useful for my discipline, for the general reader I can imagine this might be helpful for the scenarios he outlines. A fine read, but I wouldn't say it's necessary for my musician friends if you've already tackled the two aforementioned works of his.

[Devon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for help dismantling crippling fear in any kind of performance. Breaks down performance requirements and offers a kind of measurement tool for gauging each of these components. (Taken with a grain of salt, but did not harm to play along and try it.) Written with a quality of a "So call now!" TV advertisement but valuable input to make reader think about each step of maintaining control.

[Ratana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most valuable piece in this book is the assessment that breaks down success/productivity into subtopics. Downside is that even if you buy the book the online version of the assessment has a separate fee.

[Pumza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wil use thebook every day to acquaint myself with the principles taught here because I am aware fear will never go away.

[Ben Oxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apply it and see the results

Excellent advice from a master practitioner. Dr. Don Greene has set a standard that if applied, performers can aspire to and succeed.

[W F · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best tip I can give for peak live-performance: be great at what you are about to do. Whatever you have put in is what you will put out. If you are still afraid of your performance, chances are, you know that you are lacking in some fashion. Performance psychology seems to largely be an attempt to correct the underlying problem by suggesting that we pay very close attention to the act of not paying very close attention and struggle very hard on the act of not struggling very hard. The method of being hyper determined and energetic and tuned to your exact output is a great recipe for baking a bitter cake. Do we get performance anxiety while driving cars or walking our dogs? Should we? Perhaps we all have a bit more to learn from our everyday routines and highly developed skills than from the overanalysis and meta-observation of our performance behaviors. I will break down the seven skills in Greene's book in three paragraphs or less.
Determination and Energy. What exactly are you trying to do and how well do you want to do it? Are you not determined enough to do it? Probably not. If you are not determined enough to begin with, quit. The world could use a few less half-hearted performers. Is your energy too low? Perhaps. Perhaps you have a problem outside of your art. Life is complex. Perhaps you are down on your luck. Go ahead and solve your personal problems without blaming the act of performance. Perhaps your behaviors and faults are deeper than the specific task that you are having trouble accomplishing. Perhaps.
Perspective and Courage. Perspective is good for preparation. Having a rightly-aligned perspective is a precursor to motion of any kind. You see where you aim. You achieve what you aim at and move toward, precisely. As far as I can tell, human accomplishment is no more than the exact some of the exact practices that a person puts into his pursuit. That is worth thinking about for a while. Courage is also excellent. Courage is perhaps the greatest virtue a human being can posses. To be kind or joyful is partially manufactured, although still admirable. To be courageous is to become a person who stands up for himself and others despite the consequences. To be courageous is to be the kind of person who acts before thought, before rationalization, and in alignment with the survival of himself and others. Courage should be at the top—before determination.
Focus, Pulse, and Resillience. Focus is more important than most other skills or traits. Your ability to focus can be cultivated through deliberate practice of your skill and love for your craft. If you truly need to do what you are attempting to pursue, the focus will result without your strain. Pulse: filler. Resillience: if you are focusing on resillience, you lack courage and have bountiful fear. Your lack of resillience is a lack of character. Work on your life outside of performance.
I would replace the seven-step model with the following: 1. Do you need to do this? 2. If "no," quit. If "yes," why? 3. If you understand why you need to do it, everything else sort of falls apart. Courage and focus knocks everything else out of the water. Most of the other values are the natural byproducts of living your life. These problems are not performance problems, they are life problems.
In sum, the willing participation in overcoming fears is admirable. Conquering fear is a courageous, focused, and difficult endeavor that will reap dividends in any pursuit. What scares you the most?

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a musician who who amplifies stress internally, while somehow keeping a calm outward appearance, this book put me on the right path to finding a better balance. It's filled with a wealth of techniques to find your optimal level of performance, and I hope to continue going to it for reference, especially in times where I need reminders to calm down. While they have you take a test in the beginning to assess your current performing mindset, it's still useful to read the book straight through. Each chapter covered topics that were of great insight to different areas of stress when performing, and offered case studies and methods on how to either combat them or let them go, the latter being the most important, but also a challenge to actually achieve.

[Jason Yau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a solid book on reaching peak performance through mental rehearsal, mindfulness, mental cues, and more. It started getting repetitive, though, as it's really 7 areas of focus, with 4-5 high-level tactics to drive mastering those 7 areas.

It didn't blow me away, but it reinforced concepts I've heard about elsewhere and provided specific steps for applying them. For example, what does "visualize yourself succeeding" and "mental rehearsal" really mean? This book provides a clear checklist/guide, which is nice.

[Carlos Amador · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the other two books which were more alike this was targeted to a more general audience.

There are some additional techniques and concepts that tie in nicely with some of his previous writings.

I really liked it and enjoyed it. It gives a different perspective on a lot of autopilot behavior we take for granted.

You don't have to be a certain way you can make a concious choice to see that there are alternative automatic responses.

I highly recommend it.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I heard Don Greene give a lecture on performance anxiety at Juilliard and figured I'd read his book. Unfortunately I didn't learn anything that I didn't already know or couldn't have pieced together using common sense!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for anyone looking to feel a bit more confident throughout life's challenges. Nothing astonishing but generally solid, practical and achievable advice on ways you can be more focused, calm, and strategic to better perform on stage or just at home being the best person you can be.