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The Fearless Mind: 5 Steps to High Performance
Life is a performance whether you're on the field, in the courtroom, or running a household. But many of us, when asked to perform, are overcome by fear. We lose our confidence and allow our insecurities to hinder us. In The Fearless Mind, sports psychologist Craig Manning teaches you how to beat mediocrity and embrace greatness. With many years of experience as a pro tennis player, collegiate tennis coach, and doctor of philosophy, Dr. Manning will help you overcome your fears, expel anxiety, build confidence, and become a high-performing individual no matter what your field. Learn how to unlock your mind and reach your greatest dreams. There are many mental pathways to performance, but there is only one pathway to true success having a fearless mind.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
302 people are currently reading
1024 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
November 3, 2021
I learned about this book from listening to the author's excellent BYU devotional address through a YouTube video. However, I felt more motivated after his talk than I did from this book. There is still good, applicable information here.
The chapters are super short and not completely user friendly. I'm not sure why it doesn't completely resonate with me. Maybe if I knew more about tennis, I might have gained more from the book. The author uses a lot of tennis examples. Those parts didn't always hold my interest and were harder for me to read.
What I learned:
Instead of using the word "goal" the author uses the word "objective." I like that. An objective is the thing you want to do. Once you figure out your objective you can set up a plan on how to achieve it.
It's better to be task-oriented than ego-oriented. Being task-oriented is focusing on what we can control-- doing the tasks we can do that are at hand. It works better than being ego-oriented which is focusing on winning-- on possible outcomes which is often accompanied by arrogance.
I like the author's definitions about mindsets and how they help define confidence as an ideal:
"Arrogance is an 'I'm good, you stink' approach.
Cockiness is an 'I'm good and I'm telling everyone' approach.
Confidence is an 'I am good' approach.
Passiveness is an 'I am not very good' approach.
Pessimism is a 'You are good, I stink' approach."
"I can do it!" statements, in other words positive thinking, works better than allowing fear. "I am good," is being confident and is a great thing to say to oneself.
The author shows it helps to notice and focus on several things we are doing right. Then choose one way to improve. The way to improve needs to be doable. It needs to be slightly challenging, but not overwhelming.
He shows daily self-evaluation is important. The author suggests evaluating oneself on five areas of performance as part of his "mental skills journal: these areas are: "motivation, anxiety, concentration, belief, and decision making." I guess those are his "five steps" to "achieving peak performance."
I used to think being future-focused is best, but I see now that way is faulty. It focuses on the outcome; something we can't control. It is closer to being ego-oriented. Instead, it's better to have the future in mind as an objective, but to focus on what we can do about it right now. That's being task oriented. I will apply that concept to my life.
The chapters are super short and not completely user friendly. I'm not sure why it doesn't completely resonate with me. Maybe if I knew more about tennis, I might have gained more from the book. The author uses a lot of tennis examples. Those parts didn't always hold my interest and were harder for me to read.
What I learned:
Instead of using the word "goal" the author uses the word "objective." I like that. An objective is the thing you want to do. Once you figure out your objective you can set up a plan on how to achieve it.
It's better to be task-oriented than ego-oriented. Being task-oriented is focusing on what we can control-- doing the tasks we can do that are at hand. It works better than being ego-oriented which is focusing on winning-- on possible outcomes which is often accompanied by arrogance.
I like the author's definitions about mindsets and how they help define confidence as an ideal:
"Arrogance is an 'I'm good, you stink' approach.
Cockiness is an 'I'm good and I'm telling everyone' approach.
Confidence is an 'I am good' approach.
Passiveness is an 'I am not very good' approach.
Pessimism is a 'You are good, I stink' approach."
"I can do it!" statements, in other words positive thinking, works better than allowing fear. "I am good," is being confident and is a great thing to say to oneself.
The author shows it helps to notice and focus on several things we are doing right. Then choose one way to improve. The way to improve needs to be doable. It needs to be slightly challenging, but not overwhelming.
He shows daily self-evaluation is important. The author suggests evaluating oneself on five areas of performance as part of his "mental skills journal: these areas are: "motivation, anxiety, concentration, belief, and decision making." I guess those are his "five steps" to "achieving peak performance."
I used to think being future-focused is best, but I see now that way is faulty. It focuses on the outcome; something we can't control. It is closer to being ego-oriented. Instead, it's better to have the future in mind as an objective, but to focus on what we can do about it right now. That's being task oriented. I will apply that concept to my life.
September 15, 2024
The author is a sport psychologist and I liked how he related that to everyday life. There were some great take-aways here.....some of them were definitely thought provoking.
Some of this was a little repetitive but overall, I liked his thoughtful ideas. So 4 stars.
Some of this was a little repetitive but overall, I liked his thoughtful ideas. So 4 stars.
November 19, 2017
I found this book after listening to an amazing talk he gave at a BYU devotional -- a powerful talk that has stayed with me and made me really think about the power of the way we think and what we say to ourselves inside our mind and how that affects our actions. Most of his analogies and experiences in this book are tennis/sports related, which is his realm of life, but the principles are easy enough to understand and apply to any aspect of our life and relationships.
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/craig-...
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/craig-...
October 20, 2017
Good read, some great ideas
This is not a perfect book, but it has some great ideas that connect well with developing more of a growth mindset. The I wish there were more detail about his journaling ideas so I could implement it more easily... I think this could help me and potentially my students in my student development class.
This is not a perfect book, but it has some great ideas that connect well with developing more of a growth mindset. The I wish there were more detail about his journaling ideas so I could implement it more easily... I think this could help me and potentially my students in my student development class.
March 16, 2017
There are some really good observations in here on how to be more courageous and how to train your mind to accomplish your goals. It was very athlete based so I had a harder time relating to some of the stories, but I found a few of his points really helpful.
February 21, 2010
THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!
November 24, 2024
I learned about this book through a professional mountain biker I admire. She shared it on her social media, claiming that it helped her process some irrational fear that was preventing her from reaching her potential in the sport. As a mountain sport enthusiast myself, I have also dealt with some crippling fear, especially when rock climbing. So I thought I’d try it out and see if you could help me advance in my sport (and in life) the way it helped her.
Overall, I think the book has some valuable advice, especially for people who live with a lot of anxiety. There is a substantial amount that can be applied to all areas of life, not just sports. But it’s pretty bad writing. The author is painstakingly repetitive, though I will argue that some of the advice is worth repeating (just maybe not as much as he does). Additionally, he makes quite a few contradicting statements. I can understand this from a human psychology standpoint, as humans are paradoxical by nature, but it was just plain confusing at times (such as his examples of “thinking” versus “worrying” and how he uses those words interchangeably, despite arguing in that they have different meanings and effects on performance).
If you’re considering reading the book, it’s highly likely that you can receive the same amount of value by reading the reviews or a summary of the contents online.
Overall, I think the book has some valuable advice, especially for people who live with a lot of anxiety. There is a substantial amount that can be applied to all areas of life, not just sports. But it’s pretty bad writing. The author is painstakingly repetitive, though I will argue that some of the advice is worth repeating (just maybe not as much as he does). Additionally, he makes quite a few contradicting statements. I can understand this from a human psychology standpoint, as humans are paradoxical by nature, but it was just plain confusing at times (such as his examples of “thinking” versus “worrying” and how he uses those words interchangeably, despite arguing in that they have different meanings and effects on performance).
If you’re considering reading the book, it’s highly likely that you can receive the same amount of value by reading the reviews or a summary of the contents online.
April 13, 2022
I didn't really enjoy this book. This was my first introduction into sports psychology, but it made me feel like sports psychology is watered down psychology.
After reading this book my takeaways are thus:
1. Focus on what you can control, yourself mostly, and have that be your metric.
2. Use Anders Ericcson's 4 steps for deliberate practice for improvement.
3. Use Albert Bandura's 4 steps for increased self-efficacy. Increased self-efficacy has numerous benefits.
4. Use something akin to his Mental Skills Journal to process information, track progress, and make plans.
5. Mental fitness/training is just as important as physical fitness/training.
After reading this book my takeaways are thus:
1. Focus on what you can control, yourself mostly, and have that be your metric.
2. Use Anders Ericcson's 4 steps for deliberate practice for improvement.
3. Use Albert Bandura's 4 steps for increased self-efficacy. Increased self-efficacy has numerous benefits.
4. Use something akin to his Mental Skills Journal to process information, track progress, and make plans.
5. Mental fitness/training is just as important as physical fitness/training.
August 27, 2018
This book changed me on a deep level. Craig Manning coaches college and olympic level athletes but I'm not an athlete. I read this book in an effort to be more effective in reaching life goals. The five steps he outlines are simple enough to sound cliche but they struck some chords that helped me change my thinking from fear to courage. This from the introduction: "High performance doesn't mean we have to be doing something great. Any task that is performed well is worthy of being called high performance."
"High performance is when those factors within our responsibility are being controlled and mastered."
"High performance is when those factors within our responsibility are being controlled and mastered."
February 3, 2024
I feel like I’ve been turned around in my thinking for a quarter century… always thinking about outcomes. I’ve learned, task oriented goals are really the SMART ones. They enable success in the skills that matter. Found insightful the methodical, but not overly complicated, way Dr Manning illustrates the principles that help one to operate in the present. I’m anxious to experience the impact of this thinking on the years, months ahead because just in the days since it’s been monumental.
June 1, 2023
He's a good communicator, it's easy to read but it doesn't explain as much as it purports to, it's somewhat redundant. It's clear and easy to read so it's good writing but stylistically it also seems a little vanilla, which is not why you read this kind of book. I guess both in content and in writing it left me wanting a little more.
April 18, 2022
One of the better “self help” books I’ve read, of course I may be biased because there are many of the stories are about tennis…
November 13, 2024
I heard this guy on a podcast. Amazing. But the book is too short. It apparently was published before be began working with NBA teams.
October 23, 2018
I liked this book because it was very relatable and full of good information. I was looking for a book with tips to develop a “good mental frame of mind” that I could use while I am running Cross Country and Track. The book provides stories that are very relatable and helps you to realize that you are not the only one who struggles with the mental aspect of sports or life in general. I would recommend this book to anyone that is challenged with overthinking stressful situations or doubting their ability to achieve their goals. It has stories of people that have incredible skills during practice but then underperform during game time. It provides solutions to the self destructive behavior that we find ourselves in when faced with stressful situations. Although this book is a great read for an athlete, it can also help anyone who may need a mental boost, or realize their impact to the world around them. I especially appreciated learning about my thinking patterns that was restricting me from seeing my full potential. I learned a lot about motivation. I loved this quote “Becoming Fearless-In order to motivate ourselves in such a say that inspires us to action, it is important to set objectives that are just outside our reach-thereby stimulating effort in the pursuit of the objective.” Essentially making realistic goals. If they are not realistic, then you set yourself up for failure time and time again, which doesn’t not help in overcoming your challenges. I also began reading a book called “The Gift of Imperfection”. I felt like it focused more on being realistic with your imperfections so you can make achievable goals. I’m sure it is helpful for some to take that approach when trying to overcome overachievement, however, I felt like I was constantly pointing out what I wasn't doing well, and Heaven knows I didn’t need help with that. The Fearless Mind gave me an uplifting feeling and motivation me to make positive changes. I would recommend this book to anyone.
April 28, 2019
4.5 stars. I was given this book by my mom. I’m usually skeptical of self-help type books these days (perhaps paradoxically, especially if they’re very short), but I don’t have much else to do right now (I’m recovering from surgery) so I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. The book uses insights from the author’s experience with high-performance athletes (the author is a sports psychologist and Division I college tennis coach) about how to conquer anxiety and perform better at whatever you do. I would have liked a bit more grounding in research, a bit less repetition in general, and more non-tennis examples, but this book has given me some new ways to look at things I’ve struggled with for a long time in my work, so I’m hoping it can help me make some positive changes.
Note: I was a bit hesitant at first because the author coaches at Brigham Young University and it looks like the publisher publishes a lot for LDS audiences; I’m Catholic myself, and while I neither think religion is essential to self-help nor think it doesn’t belong there at all, explicitly religion-based advice from a different religion can be hard to apply and at times off-putting. But the book is really not what I’d call religious at all. The author includes spirituality as one of his four aspects of people’s lives that he outlines at the start of the book (along with emotional, mental, and physical), but discusses this aspect the most briefly and generally, and explicitly says it does not have to involve religion. Aside from a couple of other brief mentions (e.g., a start-of-chapter quote about courage from a saint, mentioning that he knows a person he quotes from church), religion doesn’t come up in the rest of the book. I know a certain class of atheists can be very sensitive to any mentions of religion or of the idea that other people find it important / meaningful, but unless you’re one of those people, I don’t think you’ll find anything to bother you here on that account.
Note: I was a bit hesitant at first because the author coaches at Brigham Young University and it looks like the publisher publishes a lot for LDS audiences; I’m Catholic myself, and while I neither think religion is essential to self-help nor think it doesn’t belong there at all, explicitly religion-based advice from a different religion can be hard to apply and at times off-putting. But the book is really not what I’d call religious at all. The author includes spirituality as one of his four aspects of people’s lives that he outlines at the start of the book (along with emotional, mental, and physical), but discusses this aspect the most briefly and generally, and explicitly says it does not have to involve religion. Aside from a couple of other brief mentions (e.g., a start-of-chapter quote about courage from a saint, mentioning that he knows a person he quotes from church), religion doesn’t come up in the rest of the book. I know a certain class of atheists can be very sensitive to any mentions of religion or of the idea that other people find it important / meaningful, but unless you’re one of those people, I don’t think you’ll find anything to bother you here on that account.
December 7, 2025
There were some helpful thoughts here about becoming successful and high-performing in whatever we want to. Our physical success is linked to our mental focus. Some keys to that focus are motivation, understanding anxiety, concentrating, having confidence, and learning to make good decisions. Reiterated again and again was the idea that we need a purpose and objective that we work each day (in the present) to accomplish it without distraction from the past (guilt) or future (fear). Here are some quotes I liked:
"If you will learn to not just work hard physically but to work hard mentally, you will be blown away by what you are capable of achieving (p. vii)."
"Life is a performance... We are always performing. If we control our minds, we can make our lives fulfilling (p. ix)."
"I was working hard but not really going anywhere (p. xii)."
"I wanted every drill to have a mental purpose to it (p. xiii)."
"Our team went from a totally physical, almost mindless machine that would at times just go through the motions, to this highly alert, attuned-to-the-reality-of-the-moment group of individuals working toward individual perfection, united with a common purpose (p. xiii)."
"No one can make our dreams come true for us (p. 1)."
"When we don't have a clear objective or dream that is ours, all the skill and knowledge in the world will not help us (p. 2)."
"What if we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve, had a plan to achieve it, and never allowed any negative emotions or self-defeating thoughts to inhibit us? (p. 4)"
"Once we understand what is our responsibility and what isn't, then we are able to channel all our energy into mastering those aspects that we have direct responsibility for and not waste energy (emotional, mental, or physical) on those things that are not without our responsibility (p. 4)."
"What we do with our allotted time here on this planet and what we make of our life is a direct reflection of the choices that we make (p. 6)."
"High performance is not something that, once achieved, is ours forever (p. 9)."
"Deliberate practice... is explicitly intended to improve performance, reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results, involves high levels of repetition (p. 13)."
"I think that each day, we all do something pretty amazing, but we don't notice it and all too often direct our attention to the things that we didn't do well (p. 15)."
"The emotional side consists of our passions and desires that give us the energy to go after our objectives (p. 18)."
"What happened to our dreams and aspirations? (p. 23)"
"'Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses' (George Washington Carver, p. 27)."
"Once we allow self-doubt to dominate our mindset, it is easy to lose sight of our dreams (p. 28)."
"Mental Skills Journal...
Objective...
Plan...
Strengths...
Weakness...
Performance...
Motivation...
Anxiety...
Concentration...
Belief...
Decision making (p. 31)"
"Task-oriented individuals seem to stay very focused on the present (p. 40)."
"It is vitally important for us to always be working toward something, to have a clear purpose; otherwise we can get stuck swimming around in circles and fighting with ourselves (p. 44)."
"The correct path isn't contingent just upon hard work for years... Individuals that discipline their minds to attend to the present have greater capacity to adapt to real situations (p. 46)."
"Ego-oriented individuals put their happiness in the hands of others (p. 47)."
"Setting clear objectives is of the utmost importance (p. 57)."
"Confidence is obviously the best approach to high performance. I don't believe there is any limit to how much confidence one can have (p. 60)."
"'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly' (Robert F. Kennedy, p. 61)."
"Despite our early observations about Olivia's lack of physical talent, she was very coachable (p. 63)."
"Once we have learned and have a deep understanding that high performance is about continual growth, the greatest battle has been won (p. 67)."
"The first step in the Mental Skills Journal is to set an objective for the day that channels your energy in a productive way. Writing down your objective each day commits you to a purpose (p. 67)."
"Although we tend to perceive anxiety as negative, it can be a normal 'alarm system' alerting us to danger. At times it provides us with energy to get things done (p. 71)."
"We don't want to get rid of our anxiety, but we do need to learn to control it (p. 72)."
"By learning to control our thoughts, we prevent anxiety from disrupting our everyday lives (p. 73)."
"The objectives we set motivate us (p. 74)."
"They perform at extremely high levels for extended periods of time because they are not wasting energy. Their mental approach to what they do doesn't vary significantly (p. 75)."
"'The more things you think about, the slower you react' (p. 77)."
"Worrying is allowing our minds to attend to the future (fear) and the past (guilt) (p. 77)."
"'Whether you think that you can or that you can't, you are usually right' (Henry Ford, p. 81)."
"'Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be' (p. 83)."
"'Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail' (Nelson Mandela, p. 89)."
"Winning takes care of itself if we keep improving (p. 89)."
"Setting controllable, obtainable objectives and providing feedback each day enables individuals to stay focused daily on the tasks that will help them achieve their objectives (p. 94)."
"High-performing athletes are very disciplined at directing their attention to the task at hand and not feeding their own egos (p. 101)."
"If I didn't hold her accountable for her poor effort, she would engage in this self-defeating behavior again... She played hard throughout the rest of the season, focusing on her performance and not worrying about winning and losing (p. 123)."
"'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will' (Mahatma Gandhi, p. 125)."
"Confidence... arouses positive emotions, facilitates concentration, increases effort and persistence, affects game strategies, influences motivation (p. 126)."
"Sometimes we spend too much time attempting to figure out how to do something rather than just believing we can do it (p. 128)."
"When we are always striving to improve, it is important to remember the foundation on which our system is built (p. 134)."
"'Ninety-five percent of performance is physical, five percent is mental. However, the five percent that is mental rules the other ninety-five percent' (Dr. Keith Henschen, p. 137)."
"No individual is destined for greatness. We achieve high performance only through hard work--and not just any work, but precise work, paying attention to specific details of performance. High performance is achieved only through a fearless mind (p. 137)."
"When they are confident, their anxiety is usually lower, resulting in better concentration and better decision making (p. 137)."
"Balance is the key to high performance, and balance lives in the middle (p. 151)."
"Never underestimate the power of good decision making (p. 152)."
"The highest level of performance occurs when we have a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish and have a plan of action to achieve it. We have then developed and refined the fundamental skill sets needed. We know our strengths and weaknesses and are completely comfortable with who we are and how to maximize our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses (p. 153)."
"High-performing individuals direct their efforts to contributing to the greater good. They are intensely aware of what they are doing at all times, giving them a greater sense of control and confidence over their lives (p. 159)."
"If you will learn to not just work hard physically but to work hard mentally, you will be blown away by what you are capable of achieving (p. vii)."
"Life is a performance... We are always performing. If we control our minds, we can make our lives fulfilling (p. ix)."
"I was working hard but not really going anywhere (p. xii)."
"I wanted every drill to have a mental purpose to it (p. xiii)."
"Our team went from a totally physical, almost mindless machine that would at times just go through the motions, to this highly alert, attuned-to-the-reality-of-the-moment group of individuals working toward individual perfection, united with a common purpose (p. xiii)."
"No one can make our dreams come true for us (p. 1)."
"When we don't have a clear objective or dream that is ours, all the skill and knowledge in the world will not help us (p. 2)."
"What if we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve, had a plan to achieve it, and never allowed any negative emotions or self-defeating thoughts to inhibit us? (p. 4)"
"Once we understand what is our responsibility and what isn't, then we are able to channel all our energy into mastering those aspects that we have direct responsibility for and not waste energy (emotional, mental, or physical) on those things that are not without our responsibility (p. 4)."
"What we do with our allotted time here on this planet and what we make of our life is a direct reflection of the choices that we make (p. 6)."
"High performance is not something that, once achieved, is ours forever (p. 9)."
"Deliberate practice... is explicitly intended to improve performance, reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results, involves high levels of repetition (p. 13)."
"I think that each day, we all do something pretty amazing, but we don't notice it and all too often direct our attention to the things that we didn't do well (p. 15)."
"The emotional side consists of our passions and desires that give us the energy to go after our objectives (p. 18)."
"What happened to our dreams and aspirations? (p. 23)"
"'Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses' (George Washington Carver, p. 27)."
"Once we allow self-doubt to dominate our mindset, it is easy to lose sight of our dreams (p. 28)."
"Mental Skills Journal...
Objective...
Plan...
Strengths...
Weakness...
Performance...
Motivation...
Anxiety...
Concentration...
Belief...
Decision making (p. 31)"
"Task-oriented individuals seem to stay very focused on the present (p. 40)."
"It is vitally important for us to always be working toward something, to have a clear purpose; otherwise we can get stuck swimming around in circles and fighting with ourselves (p. 44)."
"The correct path isn't contingent just upon hard work for years... Individuals that discipline their minds to attend to the present have greater capacity to adapt to real situations (p. 46)."
"Ego-oriented individuals put their happiness in the hands of others (p. 47)."
"Setting clear objectives is of the utmost importance (p. 57)."
"Confidence is obviously the best approach to high performance. I don't believe there is any limit to how much confidence one can have (p. 60)."
"'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly' (Robert F. Kennedy, p. 61)."
"Despite our early observations about Olivia's lack of physical talent, she was very coachable (p. 63)."
"Once we have learned and have a deep understanding that high performance is about continual growth, the greatest battle has been won (p. 67)."
"The first step in the Mental Skills Journal is to set an objective for the day that channels your energy in a productive way. Writing down your objective each day commits you to a purpose (p. 67)."
"Although we tend to perceive anxiety as negative, it can be a normal 'alarm system' alerting us to danger. At times it provides us with energy to get things done (p. 71)."
"We don't want to get rid of our anxiety, but we do need to learn to control it (p. 72)."
"By learning to control our thoughts, we prevent anxiety from disrupting our everyday lives (p. 73)."
"The objectives we set motivate us (p. 74)."
"They perform at extremely high levels for extended periods of time because they are not wasting energy. Their mental approach to what they do doesn't vary significantly (p. 75)."
"'The more things you think about, the slower you react' (p. 77)."
"Worrying is allowing our minds to attend to the future (fear) and the past (guilt) (p. 77)."
"'Whether you think that you can or that you can't, you are usually right' (Henry Ford, p. 81)."
"'Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be' (p. 83)."
"'Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail' (Nelson Mandela, p. 89)."
"Winning takes care of itself if we keep improving (p. 89)."
"Setting controllable, obtainable objectives and providing feedback each day enables individuals to stay focused daily on the tasks that will help them achieve their objectives (p. 94)."
"High-performing athletes are very disciplined at directing their attention to the task at hand and not feeding their own egos (p. 101)."
"If I didn't hold her accountable for her poor effort, she would engage in this self-defeating behavior again... She played hard throughout the rest of the season, focusing on her performance and not worrying about winning and losing (p. 123)."
"'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will' (Mahatma Gandhi, p. 125)."
"Confidence... arouses positive emotions, facilitates concentration, increases effort and persistence, affects game strategies, influences motivation (p. 126)."
"Sometimes we spend too much time attempting to figure out how to do something rather than just believing we can do it (p. 128)."
"When we are always striving to improve, it is important to remember the foundation on which our system is built (p. 134)."
"'Ninety-five percent of performance is physical, five percent is mental. However, the five percent that is mental rules the other ninety-five percent' (Dr. Keith Henschen, p. 137)."
"No individual is destined for greatness. We achieve high performance only through hard work--and not just any work, but precise work, paying attention to specific details of performance. High performance is achieved only through a fearless mind (p. 137)."
"When they are confident, their anxiety is usually lower, resulting in better concentration and better decision making (p. 137)."
"Balance is the key to high performance, and balance lives in the middle (p. 151)."
"Never underestimate the power of good decision making (p. 152)."
"The highest level of performance occurs when we have a clear understanding of what we are trying to accomplish and have a plan of action to achieve it. We have then developed and refined the fundamental skill sets needed. We know our strengths and weaknesses and are completely comfortable with who we are and how to maximize our strengths while minimizing our weaknesses (p. 153)."
"High-performing individuals direct their efforts to contributing to the greater good. They are intensely aware of what they are doing at all times, giving them a greater sense of control and confidence over their lives (p. 159)."
September 8, 2021
Seriously, the concepts if this book are spot-on and COULD have been powerful learning; however, too much play by play of tennis matches distracts from the concepts. I felt like this was a journal of his accomplishments as a coach. Does the reader really need the actual scores of each match to understand the concepts....um, NO! Why not spend more time talking about HOW to actually utilize the mental skills journal? It almost seems like the mental skills journal is an afterthought and is thrown in here/there at the end of the chapters. I wish he would have spent less time on tennis scores and more time on how to apply/use the mental skills journal. I found myself skipping paragraph after paragraph and couldn't wait to finish it....sad, because I had such high hopes and had heard such good things.
December 6, 2017
I have never read a book quite like this one before. This was a self-enhancing book that is meant to help you better yourself. I never considered motivational books to be for me, but after reading this I can see how much this kind of literature can inspire you. The Fearless Mind by Craig Manning is a psychology book meant for athletes looking to improve their game. It focuses on 5 different steps to help you stay strong mentally and be in the right place for the best performance you can possibly give. I enjoyed reading this book because of how much it related to me. Many times in the book he would mention how much confidence, without cockiness, is one of the most important aspects to a high performance athlete. He also talked a lot about the focuses points that your mind should be on while performing. If an athlete has a task-oriented mind, only focused on the here and the now, then that athlete has a much higher chance of beating out an opponent that has an ego-oriented mindset, one based on the outcome of the match.
His 5 steps were not out of the ordinary for what I was expecting. I have heard many things about the psychology of sports because of the research I do online, but it was still good to see someone put words and meaning into the steps. It was good to have someone explain the steps and talk about how to have to apply them. His first step to having a fearless mind is motivation. This seems like an obvious step to becoming a high-performance athlete, but many people overlook it and fail when it comes to having enough motivation. His second step is anxiety. Anxiety has a negative connotation to it. Craig mentions that anxiety actually isn’t a bad thing. It can actually be a very driving force to help you accomplish tasks. It only becomes a problem when it shuts you down to the point where you have fear, or you focus on the wrong things. His third step is concentration. You need to have the attentional control in high pressure situations to stay high performing, there is bound to be high pressure when you perform anything if you have expectations. The fourth step is Confidence. He mentions how this is the most important thing that a high-performing athlete has to master. The fifth step is decision making. One of the greatest faults in sports is when you overlook how much the mind is the most influencing factor. If an athlete can’t make good decisions when on the field, then his physical capabilities mean nothing because they don’t know what to do with them. Overall this was a more interesting book than I thought it would be and I would recommend it to any athlete looking to improve.
His 5 steps were not out of the ordinary for what I was expecting. I have heard many things about the psychology of sports because of the research I do online, but it was still good to see someone put words and meaning into the steps. It was good to have someone explain the steps and talk about how to have to apply them. His first step to having a fearless mind is motivation. This seems like an obvious step to becoming a high-performance athlete, but many people overlook it and fail when it comes to having enough motivation. His second step is anxiety. Anxiety has a negative connotation to it. Craig mentions that anxiety actually isn’t a bad thing. It can actually be a very driving force to help you accomplish tasks. It only becomes a problem when it shuts you down to the point where you have fear, or you focus on the wrong things. His third step is concentration. You need to have the attentional control in high pressure situations to stay high performing, there is bound to be high pressure when you perform anything if you have expectations. The fourth step is Confidence. He mentions how this is the most important thing that a high-performing athlete has to master. The fifth step is decision making. One of the greatest faults in sports is when you overlook how much the mind is the most influencing factor. If an athlete can’t make good decisions when on the field, then his physical capabilities mean nothing because they don’t know what to do with them. Overall this was a more interesting book than I thought it would be and I would recommend it to any athlete looking to improve.
November 29, 2024
okay so this is my second time around reading this book. initially i gave it three stars, but i’m putting it down to two bc since then i’ve just read so many psych books that are phenomenal. this one just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.
he is very concise in his language, which is good, but i always want some more sentence variety. it feels like i’m reading a mantra half the time.
also, he has so many great stories but i dont think he’s a good storyteller. part of me wishes his timeline was in some kinda chronological order, because he jumped around a lot. i could piece together his career throughout the book, but it was unorganized. he needed to set the scene more in his stories too. i feel like what he said in one page could’ve been extended to two or three more pages. i wanna feel completely immersed and hooked by the story!
his claims were also a little generic and erratic. for example, at the end of some of his paragraphs he would say a random belief, but then not back it up with any reasoning why or researched evidence. his ideologies aren’t as believable as they should be if there’s no thorough explanation.
and lastly, he talks about his mental skills journal at the end of each section, but never really gives you a visual of what it looks like. i know, he wants to intrigue you with it then make you buy it for $$$, but the reader barely even gets an underlying framework of what to do. he has all these claims, but never really tells you HOW to implement them in a concise and direct way.
all in all, he has a lot of great points and knowledge, but he is just not a good story teller/writer. unfortunately that makes it really hard to find the book interesting. it more of a “here’s what i think and take what you want out of it book”, instead of proving his points and making an established argument. at least it was a very short read.
he is very concise in his language, which is good, but i always want some more sentence variety. it feels like i’m reading a mantra half the time.
also, he has so many great stories but i dont think he’s a good storyteller. part of me wishes his timeline was in some kinda chronological order, because he jumped around a lot. i could piece together his career throughout the book, but it was unorganized. he needed to set the scene more in his stories too. i feel like what he said in one page could’ve been extended to two or three more pages. i wanna feel completely immersed and hooked by the story!
his claims were also a little generic and erratic. for example, at the end of some of his paragraphs he would say a random belief, but then not back it up with any reasoning why or researched evidence. his ideologies aren’t as believable as they should be if there’s no thorough explanation.
and lastly, he talks about his mental skills journal at the end of each section, but never really gives you a visual of what it looks like. i know, he wants to intrigue you with it then make you buy it for $$$, but the reader barely even gets an underlying framework of what to do. he has all these claims, but never really tells you HOW to implement them in a concise and direct way.
all in all, he has a lot of great points and knowledge, but he is just not a good story teller/writer. unfortunately that makes it really hard to find the book interesting. it more of a “here’s what i think and take what you want out of it book”, instead of proving his points and making an established argument. at least it was a very short read.
December 14, 2017
The first time I hear of this book was from my club volleyball coach last year. She encouraged my team to buy this book and read it because it was supposedly going to help us with our mental game. My parents decided to buy me this book for Christmas last year. And at first I thought I was going to love reading it, but I ending up setting on my shelf the day after Christmas and not picking it up again for the longest time. Then a couple months ago, I saw it sitting there and I decided I wanted to take the time and read it. My high school volleyball team was struggling with their mental game, myself included, so I thought it was time to open up this book. The next day after I started reading it was a B-day. I had my sports psychology class. My teacher in that class, Mrs. Waters, told the class that we were going to read that book for our second term assignment. I was excited about it because now I had a reason to read it faster than I probably would have without the assignment.
As I read the book I learned a lot about how to have a fearless mind, not only in the gym, but in my daily life. It gave a lot of examples of athletes that the author had worked with that had struggled with true mental toughness and it was cool to see how much their performance improved when he coached them to have a fearless mind. He talks a lot about how fear doesn't exist in reality and that if we are confident in ourselves than we can accomplish anything we put our mind to. He tells us how we can never have too much confidence and when we are put in those pressured and stressful situations we can chose to be confident in our abilities and keep our focus on what we know how to do rather than focus on what could go wrong. This idea actually helped me a lot at one of my volleyball games this year. My team wasn't playing very well and the last four girls that had gone back to serve had missed their first serve. My coach was angry and the rest of my team was all in their heads. I was the next server. I went back to the line and I could feel the pressure on me. I started thinking of all the things that could go wrong and how mad my coach would be at me if I were to miss my serve and I felt like I would be letting everyone on my team down. That was when I remembered this book. I had served a volleyball thousands of times. I knew how to do it. I knew what I needed to do to get it in the court. So I took the advice from this book and focused on what I needed to do and was confident in my ability to get the ball in the court. I took a deep breath and served the ball. Not only did I make it in, but I got an ace. I was really happy that I had read this book because it helped me that game. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to better improve their mental toughness, whether in sports or in their daily life. There is so much you can learn from this book and it's definitely worth the read.
As I read the book I learned a lot about how to have a fearless mind, not only in the gym, but in my daily life. It gave a lot of examples of athletes that the author had worked with that had struggled with true mental toughness and it was cool to see how much their performance improved when he coached them to have a fearless mind. He talks a lot about how fear doesn't exist in reality and that if we are confident in ourselves than we can accomplish anything we put our mind to. He tells us how we can never have too much confidence and when we are put in those pressured and stressful situations we can chose to be confident in our abilities and keep our focus on what we know how to do rather than focus on what could go wrong. This idea actually helped me a lot at one of my volleyball games this year. My team wasn't playing very well and the last four girls that had gone back to serve had missed their first serve. My coach was angry and the rest of my team was all in their heads. I was the next server. I went back to the line and I could feel the pressure on me. I started thinking of all the things that could go wrong and how mad my coach would be at me if I were to miss my serve and I felt like I would be letting everyone on my team down. That was when I remembered this book. I had served a volleyball thousands of times. I knew how to do it. I knew what I needed to do to get it in the court. So I took the advice from this book and focused on what I needed to do and was confident in my ability to get the ball in the court. I took a deep breath and served the ball. Not only did I make it in, but I got an ace. I was really happy that I had read this book because it helped me that game. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to better improve their mental toughness, whether in sports or in their daily life. There is so much you can learn from this book and it's definitely worth the read.
January 15, 2024
I don't typically finish books that I don't love but I made an exception this time. I feel like his publishing team could have done a better job with shepherding him through the writing process with better editing and support. Some positives are that he has some great points to help those in athletic pursuits become better at self-mastery.
Some suggestions for the next edition:
-Be aware of redundancy
-Some sections seemed too short and some too long/repititous
-He mentions the Mental Journal but it isn't included in the book or there is no link to find it
-It is very tennis-heavy. Some other sports references would be helpful
-He mentions that applications can be made to any area of your life without giving real-world examples, just sweeping generalization comments.
-He fails to mention those who might come from less-privileged backgrounds and how these recommendations could be adapted. Not everyone has parents who can afford to hire professional coaching for their high school athlete.
For those who are interested in improving their sports mindset or skill set, this might be a great book for you.
Some suggestions for the next edition:
-Be aware of redundancy
-Some sections seemed too short and some too long/repititous
-He mentions the Mental Journal but it isn't included in the book or there is no link to find it
-It is very tennis-heavy. Some other sports references would be helpful
-He mentions that applications can be made to any area of your life without giving real-world examples, just sweeping generalization comments.
-He fails to mention those who might come from less-privileged backgrounds and how these recommendations could be adapted. Not everyone has parents who can afford to hire professional coaching for their high school athlete.
For those who are interested in improving their sports mindset or skill set, this might be a great book for you.
August 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this. As someone who has struggled life-long with a fearful mind, the idea of having a fearless mind is very desirable. I absolutely love the power his approach gives to me. I have already begun putting his philosophy into practice and have been surprised at how effective it is.
I’m a stay at home mom, not an athlete, but this approach to mastering one’s mind is truly applicable to all.
I enjoyed the stories and deeply appreciated the idea that anyone can develop a fearless mind with deliberate practice.
My only complaint is that I wish the journal he references throughout the book was available for purchase on its own. I know you can access it on his website if you subscribe to his service. But I would really like to just have the journal separately.
But, I guess that’s one of the ways he makes his money. And, when it comes right down to it, I will probably end up paying to use it because I want the all the tools available to develop my own fearless mind!
Thank you, Dr. Manning! This book is a life changer! 🙏🏻💖
I’m a stay at home mom, not an athlete, but this approach to mastering one’s mind is truly applicable to all.
I enjoyed the stories and deeply appreciated the idea that anyone can develop a fearless mind with deliberate practice.
My only complaint is that I wish the journal he references throughout the book was available for purchase on its own. I know you can access it on his website if you subscribe to his service. But I would really like to just have the journal separately.
But, I guess that’s one of the ways he makes his money. And, when it comes right down to it, I will probably end up paying to use it because I want the all the tools available to develop my own fearless mind!
Thank you, Dr. Manning! This book is a life changer! 🙏🏻💖
November 14, 2022
I didn't gain anything new, in fact I found his lessons outdated. I believe he used some real losers as his great examples of how sports psychology helps. Look at who he picked to support his claims: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodrigez, Brian Treacy all of which have scandals and blemishes in their amazing careers. He calls his sports career mediocre at best. I think he read the wrong books. Of course this book will be forgotten as part of his mediocre efforts at reaching the bigs, but I give him 4 stars for effort. I read other reviews and his Devotional speeches are much better. His chapter on Anxiety was devoid of critical research and that in a nut shell is what I think of his training counseling. I believe he destroyed his lanky #1 who he over did his reverse psychology on. No wonder there has been no national champions in his book who make it the right way that he's worked with. He is a hinderance to human emotional development. Buyer beware!
April 6, 2020
Focusing on the positive
Overall I really liked this book and thought that it had a lot of helpful tips about being mindful and focusing on the things that you can control. Be deliberate and intentional about the way that you do things. Be confident in your abilities and the things that you can control. Use positive affirmations to show gratitude for the world around you and don’t hesitate to take on things that will stretch you professionally or personally.
This book is a little light on content and I was hoping that the author would provide a more detailed walk through his system and how he gets athletes or other professionals to perform at a high level. He mentions journaling and provides a table to use that is referred to in the book, but I’m not really sure how to use it effectively.
Overall I really liked this book and thought that it had a lot of helpful tips about being mindful and focusing on the things that you can control. Be deliberate and intentional about the way that you do things. Be confident in your abilities and the things that you can control. Use positive affirmations to show gratitude for the world around you and don’t hesitate to take on things that will stretch you professionally or personally.
This book is a little light on content and I was hoping that the author would provide a more detailed walk through his system and how he gets athletes or other professionals to perform at a high level. He mentions journaling and provides a table to use that is referred to in the book, but I’m not really sure how to use it effectively.
August 3, 2020
-He changed his major and stopped fighting himself on the tennis court. He came to peace with things and life was better in all ways.
-Integrity effects everything. There were internal struggles on his team and the team struggled all year.
-Mediocrity does not bring joy.
-Our reactions rather than stopping to think lead to trouble. I think addiction lies here, but I'm not totally sure.
-Learn from the past and leave it there
-"There would be some pretty significant joy in seeing him reach his dreams and a sense of satisfaction that I contributed to his success to some degree. However when the match is over, I will go back to my responsibilities and to my own life. I can't live his life, nor do I want to. I have to be responsible for those things over which I have direct control." This is good to remember in relationships. Be aware of co-dependancy.
-In order to reach our greatest potential, we need to stop fighting with ourselves and consolidate our energy for the purpose of achieving whatever we choose.
-"In virtually every field of endeavor most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly, and then stop developing completely." I've seen this many times with people who approach Mike with ideas. Unfortunately he is on the front end and they can't do anything until he builds it. Often they have lost interest and motivation by the time it's ready.
-"Some choose not to listen to their spiritual side and hence don't develop a deep sense of trust and confidence in themselves, often resulting in living a purposeless, aimless meaningless life." Others choose to develop the skills necessary to listen to their spiritual side and find great confidence and comfort, giving them a real sense of purpose throughout their journey, a critical component to developing a fearless mind."
-many skilled athletes pour their energy into their sport but neglect other areas of life. When the sport is gone, they become depressed. This happens with missions, marriage, college, etc. Often things with measurable outcomes, but when the whirlwind of those end and the dust settles what is left. Are you climbing that second mountain (spiritual) or staying focused only on the first (temporal).
-"Guilt and fear don't exist in reality; they are created in our minds and exist in the abstract."
-When we act in anger or frustration we put ourselves in a self-destructive cycle. Fear is retractive. Love is expansive. Mike was saying that boxers will taunt each other to try and create rage in the other. They may box with more bury, but will make poorer decisions.
-focus on the moment
-"...it takes hard work and a lot of practice to learn how to think in an effective, productive, fearless way."
-When the inner and outer worlds align, we are at our best.
-If we focus on outcome objectives (winning), we are focused on things out of our control.
-Are we motivated by ego or task. Ego is focused on outcome. Task is focused on what is in our control.
-be present. It is good emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically, mentally.
-Tennis or any sport is a microcosm of life: the best and worse of ourselves are magnified for everyone to see, including ourselves.
-Focus on the future creates anxiety sets in. Same with worrying about your kid's future. Focus on now.
-"When we are accountable for our own lives, growth is inevitable." My sister in law said this was transformative to her.
-"When we set appropriate objectives, fear has very little if any room to exist in our daily mental processing."
-"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
-Don't compare. This puts your happiness in other's hands. I love the story told at my college graduation. His son was happy with the candy he got at Halloween until he saw his brother's stash.
-focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
-We can't change people. In "Love Warrior" she talks about how when her Dad stopped trying to take her addiction problem on himself she was terrified. It was the beginning of her change.
-"Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall." Nelson Mandela
-"He who would do some great thing in this short life must apply himself to the work with such a concentration of his forces, as, to idle spectators who life only to amuse themselves, looks like insanity." John Foster
-learn not to worry what others think. Focus on what you do well.
-"courage is fear holding on a minute longer."
-trust in the laws of nature and use them to your advantage
-confidence can stand the test of time because it is not dependent on anyone or anything.
-"Ninety five percent of performance is physical, five percent is mental. However, the five perctent that is mental rules the other ninety five percent." Dr. Keith Henschen
-theory vs experience. Do we want to look good or actually get good at something. Hitting strokes vs playing a game. Having parenting theories vs parenting. Academic vs real life.
-"I am working with Ferraris and Porshces: I just need to fine-tune the engines." Help people feel they are high quality but may need some suggestions- parenting, coaching, leading, etc.
-"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King Jr.
-"Living in the present is one of the most, if not the most, important mental skill an individual can learn. It provides great feelings of control. It allows the individual to learn form the past and to leave behind any hurt feelings, reducing feelings of repression. It also prevents fear from factoring into the everyday processing of information. When the mind stays attentive to the task, the proverbial door to fear stays closed, as all fear exists only in the future."
-"Continual pursuit of truth." This is something I keep thinking about. Truth is freeing and satisfying to the soul.
-Integrity effects everything. There were internal struggles on his team and the team struggled all year.
-Mediocrity does not bring joy.
-Our reactions rather than stopping to think lead to trouble. I think addiction lies here, but I'm not totally sure.
-Learn from the past and leave it there
-"There would be some pretty significant joy in seeing him reach his dreams and a sense of satisfaction that I contributed to his success to some degree. However when the match is over, I will go back to my responsibilities and to my own life. I can't live his life, nor do I want to. I have to be responsible for those things over which I have direct control." This is good to remember in relationships. Be aware of co-dependancy.
-In order to reach our greatest potential, we need to stop fighting with ourselves and consolidate our energy for the purpose of achieving whatever we choose.
-"In virtually every field of endeavor most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly, and then stop developing completely." I've seen this many times with people who approach Mike with ideas. Unfortunately he is on the front end and they can't do anything until he builds it. Often they have lost interest and motivation by the time it's ready.
-"Some choose not to listen to their spiritual side and hence don't develop a deep sense of trust and confidence in themselves, often resulting in living a purposeless, aimless meaningless life." Others choose to develop the skills necessary to listen to their spiritual side and find great confidence and comfort, giving them a real sense of purpose throughout their journey, a critical component to developing a fearless mind."
-many skilled athletes pour their energy into their sport but neglect other areas of life. When the sport is gone, they become depressed. This happens with missions, marriage, college, etc. Often things with measurable outcomes, but when the whirlwind of those end and the dust settles what is left. Are you climbing that second mountain (spiritual) or staying focused only on the first (temporal).
-"Guilt and fear don't exist in reality; they are created in our minds and exist in the abstract."
-When we act in anger or frustration we put ourselves in a self-destructive cycle. Fear is retractive. Love is expansive. Mike was saying that boxers will taunt each other to try and create rage in the other. They may box with more bury, but will make poorer decisions.
-focus on the moment
-"...it takes hard work and a lot of practice to learn how to think in an effective, productive, fearless way."
-When the inner and outer worlds align, we are at our best.
-If we focus on outcome objectives (winning), we are focused on things out of our control.
-Are we motivated by ego or task. Ego is focused on outcome. Task is focused on what is in our control.
-be present. It is good emotionally, socially, spiritually, physically, mentally.
-Tennis or any sport is a microcosm of life: the best and worse of ourselves are magnified for everyone to see, including ourselves.
-Focus on the future creates anxiety sets in. Same with worrying about your kid's future. Focus on now.
-"When we are accountable for our own lives, growth is inevitable." My sister in law said this was transformative to her.
-"When we set appropriate objectives, fear has very little if any room to exist in our daily mental processing."
-"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
-Don't compare. This puts your happiness in other's hands. I love the story told at my college graduation. His son was happy with the candy he got at Halloween until he saw his brother's stash.
-focus on what you can do, not what you can't.
-We can't change people. In "Love Warrior" she talks about how when her Dad stopped trying to take her addiction problem on himself she was terrified. It was the beginning of her change.
-"Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall." Nelson Mandela
-"He who would do some great thing in this short life must apply himself to the work with such a concentration of his forces, as, to idle spectators who life only to amuse themselves, looks like insanity." John Foster
-learn not to worry what others think. Focus on what you do well.
-"courage is fear holding on a minute longer."
-trust in the laws of nature and use them to your advantage
-confidence can stand the test of time because it is not dependent on anyone or anything.
-"Ninety five percent of performance is physical, five percent is mental. However, the five perctent that is mental rules the other ninety five percent." Dr. Keith Henschen
-theory vs experience. Do we want to look good or actually get good at something. Hitting strokes vs playing a game. Having parenting theories vs parenting. Academic vs real life.
-"I am working with Ferraris and Porshces: I just need to fine-tune the engines." Help people feel they are high quality but may need some suggestions- parenting, coaching, leading, etc.
-"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King Jr.
-"Living in the present is one of the most, if not the most, important mental skill an individual can learn. It provides great feelings of control. It allows the individual to learn form the past and to leave behind any hurt feelings, reducing feelings of repression. It also prevents fear from factoring into the everyday processing of information. When the mind stays attentive to the task, the proverbial door to fear stays closed, as all fear exists only in the future."
-"Continual pursuit of truth." This is something I keep thinking about. Truth is freeing and satisfying to the soul.
February 1, 2023
I wanted to love this because I love listening to interviews and speeches by Dr. Manning. BUT, this book just doesn’t do him justice. It tried to have a logical structure, but it didn’t feel like a logical progression from one idea to the next. I couldn’t feel 5 steps toward anything. It feels like a collection of short, inspirational thoughts or talks. I wanted to learn how to use his journal, how to apply these principles to more than tennis. I still believe I can apply them to myself, but I’m going to have to do the work to figure it out. The ideas are so good. I don’t even mind sports analogies. But it just missed the mark in what I wanted it to be.
Am I sorry I read it? Or that I own it? No! I’ll probably go back and refer to ideas from time to time. But I’m also not sure I’d recommend it often.
Am I sorry I read it? Or that I own it? No! I’ll probably go back and refer to ideas from time to time. But I’m also not sure I’d recommend it often.
July 17, 2019
I loved the mental aspect of success in sports. I loved the way he designated ego-oriented individuals with poor performance because they are focused outward on how they are perceived and things they can’t control (winning) versus task-oriented individuals who expend energy on making good decisions every step of the way and putting healthy energy into what they can control (where they send the ball at a certain point in the game). I got a little bored of the tennis jargon and recaps. I wish it had a bit more variance in the examples shared from sport to sport but I realize that tennis is this author’s expertise. Great book, short read.
February 2, 2023
Really great book. Taking a sports psychology class from Dr. Manning and love his stories and experiences in both.
Key takeaways from the book:
- Capitalize on what you do well by recounting your strengths each day
- Focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t. As you do this your rate of improvement will be consistent and will increase.
- Play to your strengths
- Anxiety is not always a bad thing. However, controlling our minds can help us control anxiety
- Have a positive proactive mindset and focus on the present
Key takeaways from the book:
- Capitalize on what you do well by recounting your strengths each day
- Focus on what you can control, not on what you can’t. As you do this your rate of improvement will be consistent and will increase.
- Play to your strengths
- Anxiety is not always a bad thing. However, controlling our minds can help us control anxiety
- Have a positive proactive mindset and focus on the present
October 31, 2024
The author had an amazing podcast episode I enjoyed which led me to his book; but unfortunately, the book wasn’t presented in the most clear and applicable way. I guess if you know about tennis and sports maybe you’d understand? But I am not very knowledgeable in either of those topics, so I was lost most of the time when he’d dive into application and relevance. Kind of a bummer because I believe the concepts are strong. With a bit more tweaking this book could be amazing, but I get that it wasn’t meant to be a mass market read.
November 2, 2024
I am such a fan of this book and the perspective the author shares based on his experiences. I started using the journal to track performance in my sport, and I absolutely love the way I'm able to reflect on my progress + mentality while being intentional about how I feel about my performance and improvement. This book is also the first audiobook I've finished, and I am so happy that I was able to dive in and really resonate with a sports psychology book to continue developing as an athlete and coach :)
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