Today I am joined by the 2x World Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist in rowing, Annie Vernon. After an incredibly successful 10 year career, Annie has taken her interest in peak performance and and studied many of the world`s greatest athletes for her phenomenal book Mind Games, trying to understand what sets them apart from the rest. And that`s exactly what we`ll talk about today: How to develop the psychology of an elite athlete to thrive in all areas of your life!

Max Out Insights:

You`re always competing - against yourself or somebody else

Competition can bring out the best in us - World Records aren`t set in training, but in the Olympic final with the whole world watching

Competition can also bring out the worst in us - when we start comparing ourselves to others or previous or idealized versions of ourselves, base our self-worth on our performance, or neglect other areas of life

In elite sports, the highs are very high and the lows are very low

As an athlete, you create your own reality and self-justify your odd lifestyle to be able to stick with it, even if the rest of the world doesn`t understand

The most important and difficult challenge is achieving your true potential

Belief is a choice - you choose what you want to believe and then convince yourself of that new reality

Max Out Quotes:

“People don`t set world records in training, they set world records in the Olympic final.”

“Sport is something you do, but it doesn`t define who you are.”

“Do you stand on the starting line actually believing you can win the race?”