Mindset Matters

Mindset Matters

By Riley JensenBusiness
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Mindset Matters episodes

  • Episode #241 What Your Kids Need Most (Especially from Dads)
    🎙️ Podcast Script: "What Your Kids Need Most (Especially from Dads)"
    Hello everybody, you’re listening to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host Riley Jensen and today we are talking about what your kids need the most, especially from Dad’s.
    With Father’s Day coming up, I’ve been thinking a lot about my favorite job in the world: being a dad.
    Not only is it my favorite—it’s the most rewarding, most challenging, and probably the most important thing I’ve ever done.
    Now, as a mental performance coach and someone who studies the psychology of sport for a living, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact a parent’s mindset can have on an athlete. So today, I want to share a few insights and practical things I’ve learned—not just from the field or the clinic, but from the front seat of my car driving my kids around.
    1. Don’t Turn the Car Ride Into a Coffin
    Sometimes we’re so busy—school, practice, training, tournaments—that the car ride becomes just another chore. But I’d challenge you to see it as a gift. That car ride? It’s one-on-one time. And it won’t last forever.
    So instead of rushing through it, use it.
    🎯 Ask questions like:
    “What’s something you’re proud of this week?”
    “What do you think you’ll be like when you're older?”
    “What’s your favorite thing about yourself?”
    Let curiosity lead. Compliment something small. Play their favorite song. Those little things build connection—and that’s what really sticks.
    2. What Not to Do in the Car
    Here’s a few things I don’t recommend in the car ride—or ever, really:
    Don’t talk about how much money sports are costing. That’s an adult issue. Let them play free from guilt.
    Don’t make it all about success. Instead, talk about effort. Talk about preparation. Talk about courage.
    Don’t catastrophize. Avoid words like “always” or “never”—especially when describing your kid’s performance. Keep things in context.
    Don’t overvalue grades or stats. They matter—but they’re not everything. Some of your child’s most incredible qualities won’t show up on a stat sheet.
    3. Don’t Belittle the Coach
    Whether you agree with their coach or not, your child needs to see the coach as the expert.
    If you tear the coach down, you force your kid into an unfair position: “Do I listen to my parent or my coach?” It’s not right. And it doesn’t help them grow.
    Support the process. Let the coach coach. Let the kid be a kid.
    4. Teach the Power of Yet
    This one’s gold.
    When your child says,
    “I’m not fast enough,”
    “I can’t figure this out,”
    or
    “I’m just not good at this,”
    —add one word.
    “Yet.”
    “I’m not fast enough… yet.”
    “I haven’t figured it out… yet.”
    It rewires the brain. It opens up possibility. And it reminds them that greatness isn’t instant—it’s a constant work in progress.
    Think about it: Is there anything you’re great at now that didn’t take work?
    6 min
  • Episode #240 Embrace the Suck
    🎙️ Podcast Segment: “Embrace the Suck” – Inspired by Chapter 3 of Pure Unadulterated Guts
    Hello everybody, you’re listening to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host Riley Jensen and today we are talking about Embracing the Suck. But we are also talking about how the great one’s don’t stay in the suck.
    Let me ask you a question.
    Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right—showing up, putting in the work, staying consistent—but nothing is happening? Like, you're watering the dirt... and all you’re getting is more dirt?
    That’s what growth feels like most of the time. And that’s why I love the story of the bamboo tree.
    See, if you plant bamboo, you water it, feed it, fertilize it, give it sunlight—and for five years, nothing breaks the surface. Five years of showing up, of digging in, of zero visible progress. But then—almost overnight—it explodes. In just six weeks, it can shoot up to 90 feet. That’s not magic. That’s how growth works. Quiet. Underground. Relentless.
    So here's a question for you:
    Could you keep going for five years without seeing results?
    Because the great ones do.
    The great ones embrace the suck. They water the dirt when it’s boring. They show up when it’s uncomfortable. They bet on who they’re becoming, not what the scoreboard says today.
    You know, people love calling athletes “overnight successes.” But Lionel Messi once said, "I wasn’t an overnight success. It took me seventeen years, six months, twenty-seven days, and four hours to become the player you see today."
    That quote hits hard. Because we often glorify the outcome and ignore the grind.
    So let me pause and ask you this:
    What’s your bamboo forest?
    What are you tending to—even when it doesn’t show?
    Are you prepared to keep going when it’s silent, when it’s hard, when the results don’t match the effort yet?
    You’ve got to train yourself to expect adversity, not fear it. Because when it hits—and it will—you’ll already have a plan. Mental performance isn’t about pretending things are easy. It’s about being ready when they’re not.
    I’ll leave you with a story my grandfather used to tell—one that always stuck with me.
    A traveling salesman breaks down on a dirt road out in the country. He’s hot, sweating, frustrated—and realizes he forgot to pack a jack. But in the distance, he sees a farmhouse. So he starts walking toward it, hoping to borrow one.
    As he walks, he starts thinking, “What if this guy doesn’t help me?”
    Then, “What if he’s rude?”
    Then, “What if he slams the door in my face?”
    By the time he knocks, he’s so worked up that when the farmer opens the door, he shouts:
    “You can keep your damn jack!”
    ...and walks away.
    We laugh, but that’s real life, right? That’s how our minds work when we let frustration take the wheel. Instead of solving the problem, we spiral. That’s why learning to embrace the suck—to lean into difficulty instead of running from it—is one of the most powerful skills you can develop.
    So here’s your challenge this week:
    When it’s tough, when it’s frustrating, when it feels like you're just watering dirt—keep going. Show up anyway. That’s how you grow your bamboo forest.
    5 min
  • Episode #239 Adversity
    Hey there everybody, your listening to the Mindset Matters Podcast, I’m your host, Riley Jensen—and today I want to talk about something every athlete, every coach, every parent, and every high performer deals with:
    Adversity.
    Here’s a truth you need to hear: Every great team, every elite performer I’ve ever worked with—they all hit adversity. Not once a lifetime. Not once in a career. Every. Single. Year. Sometimes it’s a slow burn—a dull pain that drags you down. Other times, it hits like a sucker punch you never saw coming.
    But the best of the best? They don’t wait to get lucky. They have a plan for when adversity shows up.
    Let’s pause here for a second. I want you to think: What’s the adversity in your life right now? Is it physical? Emotional? Financial? Something you’re hiding from the world? Got it in your head? Good—hold that thought.
    Now, here’s where we separate winners from whiners.
    The elite performers I work with—they manage their body language when things get tough. That might sound simple, but it’s powerful. Why?
    Because the science is clear:
    👉 Body language affects your self-talk
    👉 Self-talk affects your body language
    And vice versa, back and forth, it’s circular in nature.
    When you’re slouched, sulking, and defeated—your brain picks up on those cues and feeds more negativity. But when you roll your shoulders back, stand tall, breathe deep—you’re telling your brain, “Hey, we’re still in this fight.”
    Let me give you a simple coaching principle I love:
    The next play is the most important play.
    That’s true in football. It’s true in life.
    Dwelling on the last mistake doesn’t make you tougher.
    Getting back to business does.
    And when adversity strikes? Positive people don’t fake it. They work the plan they already made when they were clear-minded. When things weren’t emotional.
    Here’s one of my favorite quotes.
    It’s from Thomas S. Monson:
    “Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.”
    That leads perfectly into one of the wildest studies I’ve ever read:
    📚 The Biosphere 2 Project at the University of Arizona is fascinating to me.
    Scientists created this perfect little world in a biosphere—controlled weather, no pollution, no storms. And guess what? The trees inside? They grew exceptionally fast... but collapsed under their own weight. Why?
    No wind.
    Turns out, trees need wind to develop what’s called “stress wood”—it’s what makes them strong, resilient, and able to grow toward the light even when things aren’t perfect. No stress means no strength.
    So let me ask you this:
    Could the “wind” in your life right now be helping you grow stronger in ways you can’t see yet?
    Interactive Moment: Reflect or Journal
    Take a second—or if you're listening while driving, just mentally work through this.
    Ask yourself:
    What is this particular adversity trying to teach me?
    What outcome do I really want from this?
    Who do I know who’s overcome something like this before?
    Will this thing I’m stressing over even matter in five years?
    Write it down. Talk it out. Send this episode to someone who needs to hear it.
    Here’s my Final thought:
    Adversity is not the enemy.
    Adversity is the wind.
    And if you’re intentional about how you respond to it? You don’t just survive—you grow into something stronger.
    You develop Pure Unadulterated Guts.
    Until next time—keep going. Your wind is working.
    5 min
  • Episode #238 E + R = O
    🎙️ Podcast Segment – Chapter 2: The 90-Second Rule
    Alright, here’s another question for you.
    Have you ever said or done something in the heat of the moment—and instantly regretted it?
    Now… what if I told you the entire field of sport psychology hinges on mastering that exact moment?
    Today’s episode, inspired by Chapter 2 of my book Pure Unadulterated Guts, is about one of the most powerful concepts I know:
    👉 E + R = O
    Event + Response = Outcome.
    It’s simple—but not easy. And it starts with a story from one of the most resilient minds in modern history: Viktor Frankl.
    Frankl survived the Holocaust. He lost his family, his health, his freedom… but not control over his attitude.
    He famously wrote:
    “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”
    That’s what this episode is all about—choosing your response. Because in sports, in business, and in life, your response is your super power.
    Let me break it down:
    E is for Event.
    Things you can’t control: the weather, a coach’s decision, a missed call, someone cutting you off in traffic.
    R is for Response.
    That’s the choice.
    Do you lash out?
    Do you breathe?
    Or, Do you reset?
    O is for Outcome.
    You don’t always control it—but your response can change everything.
    Let me give you a real-world example that cost two NFL players millions.
    Less than 3 minutes into a game between the Broncos and Raiders, Aqib Talib and Michael Crabtree threw punches.
    Why? A chain-snatching incident from a year earlier still festered.
    What could’ve been handled with a conversation—or even just maturity—erupted into a full-blown brawl.
    Result? Suspensions. Fines. Damaged reputations.
    All over 90 seconds of poor emotional control.
    —Here’s some of the science behind it:
    Your brain releases chemicals when you're triggered. Those chemicals last about 90 seconds.
    If you feel anger longer than that? That’s you choosing to stay mad.
    Let me say that again:
    After 90 seconds, the emotion becomes your CHOICE.
    Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor put it like this:
    “If you’re still angry after 90 seconds, it’s because you’ve chosen to let that circuit continue to run.”
    That’s wild, right?
    🔥 So here’s the big takeaway:
    The event doesn’t define you.
    Your response does.
    Now it’s your turn:
    I want you to think about your own “E+R=O” moment this week.
    What was the event that happened to you?
    How did you respond?
    What outcome did it create?
    Even more important: What would you do differently next time?
    Shoot me a DM, tag me in your post, or email me at [email protected] with your thoughts. I’d love to hear your story—and maybe even feature it in an upcoming episode.
    🎯 Want more tools like this?
    You’ll find this and more in Chapter 2 of Pure Unadulterated Guts.
    It’s not just a book—it’s a playbook for high performers.
    And remember:
    You can’t always control the event.
    But you can always control your response.
    That’s Pure Unadulterated Guts.
    5 min
  • Episode #237 What's your Coconut?
    🎙️ Episode Title: “What’s Your Coconut?”
    Hi everybody, you’re listening to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host, Riley Jensen, and today, we are talking about coconuts.
    Let me start this podcast like I always do, with a question.
    What’s the one thing you’re holding on to right now… that’s holding you back?
    It might feel important, even necessary—but what if that thing is actually your trap?
    We live in a world where pressure is everywhere—notifications, deadlines, family drama, politics, uncertainty, comparison.
    And when we’re feeling pressure, we try to control everything. It feels safer that way, right?
    But ironically, control is often the very thing that keeps us stuck.
    Let me explain.
    There’s this old story that’s been told in villages across parts of Asia and South America—
    A story about how they trap monkeys.
    Here’s how it works:
    A farmer cuts a hole into a coconut. Just big enough for a monkey to slip its hand through.
    He ties the coconut to a tree, fills it with nuts, berries, maybe even something sweet.
    The monkey comes along, curious and hungry, and slips its hand inside.
    Grabs a big ol' fistful of the loot.
    But here’s the trap: it can’t pull its hand out while holding on to everything.
    The hole is only big enough for an open hand.
    And even as the farmer walks up—
    Even as danger gets closer—
    The monkey doesn’t let go.
    It simply won’t let go.
    Now, here’s the rub:
    You and I? We do the same thing.
    We clutch tightly to things—control, perfection, our reputation, that one opinion someone had of us in 2003—
    Even when they’re hurting us.
    Even when they’re keeping us stuck.
    So here's the question for today:
    What’s your coconut?
    Is it needing to always be right?
    Is it a version of success that no longer fits your life?
    Is it someone else’s approval?
    Think about it.
    What's that one thing you're clinging to, believing it'll keep you safe or successful—
    But it's actually costing you peace… freedom… maybe even joy?
    (Pause for effect)
    To help combat this mentality, I ask my clients to use a simple tool called The Control Circle:
    Draw a circle.
    Inside the circle, write down everything you can control—your attitude, your actions, your energy, your preparation, and your response to things.
    Outside the circle? Write the stuff you can’t—other people’s opinions, past mistakes, outcomes, the weather, politics, the market.
    And then—
    Let. It. Go.
    Because freedom comes when we stop fighting battles we were never meant to win.
    So today—
    Open your hand.
    Let go of what’s keeping you stuck.
    And walk away free.
    You’ve got the Pure Unadulterated Guts you need to do it. .
    Now it’s time to use it.
    Optional Listener Prompt:
    🎯 DM me or tag me with your answer to this question:
    What’s your coconut?
    I’d love to hear what you’re working to release.
    4 min
  • Episode #236 Produce Where You're Planted
    🎙️ Produce Where You’re Planted (Podcast Mini-Talk – 5 minutes)
    Let me ask you something:
    Have you ever killed a houseplant?
    If you’re like most people I speak to, you probably have.
    When I ask this in group settings, about 90% of the room raises their hand.
    So I always ask the follow-up: Why?
    And the answers come flying in:
    “Too much water.”
    “Not enough sunlight.”
    “I forgot about it.”
    “I wasn’t consistent.”
    Or my favorite… “I didn’t talk to it.”
    Houseplants are surprisingly high-maintenance. I’ve been a serial houseplant killer myself.
    But now let me flip it on you.
    Have you ever heard of the difference between sweet corn and field corn?
    If you’re not from the Midwest, maybe not.
    Here’s the deal:
    Sweet corn? That’s the stuff you eat off the cob at a BBQ.
    But get this—only 1% of corn grown in the U.S. is sweet corn.
    The other 99% is something called field corn—and it’s a workhorse.
    It feeds livestock. Fuels your car. Turns into syrups, oils, and starches.
    Field corn isn’t picky. It doesn’t need perfect weather.
    It grows in rough soil, tough conditions, and with very little praise.
    It just produces. Year after year.
    Thirteen billion bushels. $23.5 billion in economic impact.
    And it keeps going—even when it’s dry, dark, or difficult.
    So let me ask you a gut-check question:
    👉 Are you a houseplant… or are you field corn?
    Houseplants need ideal conditions to thrive.
    They need compliments. Consistency. The right environment.
    But field corn?
    Field corn wakes up and produces no matter the weather.
    No excuses. No special treatment. Just grit.
    We all love encouragement. I do too.
    Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
    And it’s true—praise feels good.
    But if your purpose is rooted in vision, not validation, you’ll go farther.
    A clear, strong vision allows you to produce where you’re planted—even when things aren’t perfect.
    So here’s your challenge:
    🎯 What’s one area of your life where you’ve been waiting for ideal conditions?
    Waiting for approval… recognition… a “perfect” time?
    Instead of waiting—produce anyway.
    Today. Where you are. With what you have.
    You don’t need a greenhouse.
    You need grit, vision, and the willingness to show up—every single day.
    🗣️ I’d love to hear from you:
    What’s one way you can produce this week, right where you are?
    Drop me a DM or tag me with your “field corn moment.”
    Let’s build a movement of people who grow, regardless of circumstance.
    You don’t need perfect conditions to be great.
    You just need Pure. Unadulterated. Guts.
    4 min
  • Episode #235 The Power of Mental Repetition
    🎙️ Episode Title: “How to Train Without Moving a Muscle (The Power of Mental Reps)”
    OPENING HOOK (0:00–0:30)
    “Let me ask you something... Have you ever laid in bed the night before a big game and walked through the whole thing in your head? The warm-up, the noise, the play-call, the snap, the moment...
    What if I told you—that right there—is actual practice?
    Yep. Today, I’m gonna show you the science behind mental reps—and how you can literally improve performance… without ever moving a muscle.”
    “There’s a fatty layer in your brain called the myelin sheath. Think of it like insulation on an electrical wire. The more reps you take—mental or physical—the more this sheath wraps around your neural pathways, locking in those skills and making your brain faster, sharper, and more focused.
    Now here’s the game-changer: You don’t actually have to move your body to build it. When you visualize an action with detail—your brain lights up as if you were physically doing it.
    🧠⚡️It’s not ‘muscle memory’—it’s neural insulation getting thicker, stronger, and more automatic.
    One study I love—144 basketball players were split into two groups. One group physically shot free throws. The other group mentally rehearsed free throws in detail—same length, same emotion, same focus.
    At the end of the week? They improved the same amount.
    Let that sink in. You can use mental reps to get better without burning out your body.”
    “Alright, let’s make this personal.
    Think of a moment in your sport—or life—where you wish you’d done something different.
    🧠💭 Now close your eyes and mentally walk through that scene. Slow it down. Rewind it. Now play it again—but this time, do it right.
    Ask yourself:
    What do I see?
    What do I hear?
    What do I feel in my body?
    What’s the smell in the air, or the taste in my mouth?
    The more senses you use, the more real it becomes—and the more myelin you build on those brain circuits.
    This isn’t fantasy. It’s not ‘woo woo’. It’s how elite athletes get extra reps without extra wear and tear.”
    “Here’s how I start imagery sessions with the athletes I work with.
    Step 1: Breathe. Inhale for 4… exhale for 6. Calm the mind, calm the body.
    Step 2: Progressive relaxation. From your toes to your forehead—relax each muscle group and sink into your seat.
    Step 3: Walk through the moment. Your warm-up. Your cleats hitting the turf. The crowd. The wind. The snap. The shot. The celebration.
    Use all five senses. And here’s the magic—practice both what’s already happened and what’s coming. Fix the past. Rehearse the future. Do both.”
    “You don’t need a field. You don’t need a gym. You don’t even need your shoes on.
    All you need is five minutes… and some guts.
    Champions see it before they live it. And like Bill Walsh said:
    ‘Champions act like champions long before they are champions.’
    So… what moment are you about to rehearse?
    DM me your answer or tag me in your mental rep routine. Let’s build this together.
    Until next time—train your brain, and trust the reps.”
    5 min
  • Episode #234 Time Travel Addiction
    Hey everybody, welcome back to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host, Riley Jensen, and today we are talking about time travel, and how it should be considered an addiction of sorts.
    Let me ask you something:
    Right this moment, where are you? Where is your mind right now?
    Is it replaying a moment you wish you could redo?
    Or fast-forwarding to a future outcome you're anxious about?
    You’re not alone.
    Our minds are expert time travelers. It’s actually what sets us apart from the animals.
    In any given moment, we’re can either drifting into the past… or sprinting ahead to the future.
    Now, here’s the problem with that:
    When we live in the past, it often sounds like a your favorite country song, the words usually include:
    "Woulda. Coulda. and Shoulda.”
    I call that Uncle Rico Syndrome—you know, the guy from Napoleon Dynamite still stuck reliving high school football highlights and missed chances.
    On the flip side, when we jump too far into the future, we run into “What if?” anxiety:
    What if I’m not good enough?
    What if I blow my opportunity?
    What if I my boss doesn’t like my idea?
    Sound familiar?
    Let me give you a picture.
    It’s the 1980 Kentucky Derby.
    Two horses—Great Prospector and Golden Derby—are neck and neck. They’re flying down the final stretch.
    Suddenly, Great Prospector leans over... and bites the other horse. You can look this up online, it’s fascinating.
    Guess who won?
    Not the biter.
    Golden Derby did.
    Why?
    Because he stayed focused.
    And focus wins.
    So here’s the principle: We give power to what we focus on.
    If you're focused on distractions—
    like our past mistakes and our future fears—you give those things power over your present moment.
    Let me say this clearly:
    Your body lives in the present. So should your mind.
    You can’t make plays from the past. And you can’t win a game that hasn’t happened yet. Your power lies in the present moment.
    But—what if we could use the past and future intentionally?
    In the perfect scenario, your focus is like driving through the canyon.
    You glance at the rearview mirror to stay aware.
    You glance at the peaks ahead to know where you’re headed.
    But you drive looking through the windshield at the road! —in the present moment.
    So here’s a ratio that works:
    5% past. To learn.
    5% future. To plan.
    90% right here, right now.
    That way, your lessons from the past and dreams of the future can shape your actions without running you off the road.
    Can I get personal for a second?
    When I was stuck in the past, buried in regret, or angry, my mom would look at me and say:
    “Time to pull out the windshield wipers!”
    And she’d literally make a swiping motion with her fingers and go,
    “Erase, erase... move forward.”
    I still picture it today when I catch myself slipping….
    When I was overwhelmed with the future, worried about what might happen, my grandma would just say:
    “Let’s cross that bridge when you get to it.”
    That line used to frustrate me... until I realized she was right.
    Because most of the things we worry about?
    They never actually happen.
    If you're chasing success—on the field, in business, in life—
    stop time traveling.
    There’s no power in “what was” or “what if.”
    The magic happens in the right now.
    And if you forget that… just pull out the windshield wipers.
    Let me leave you with a few questions. My experience is that the great one’s ask great questions.
    What’s your version of a mental “windshield wiper?”
    Will you tag a teammate who helps you stay present?
    Will you drop a thumbs up emoji in the comments if this hit you at just the right time?
    Let’s get after today, one present moment at a time.
    5 min
  • Episode #233 Triumph and Disaster
    🎙️ Episode Title: Treat Triumph and Disaster the Same
    Let me take you back to a football film session in college. These were not always the easiest meetings, but they were definitely fundamental to our progress.
    We were reviewing a 3rd-and-5 play. I threw the ball. Receiver catches it. Converts the first down. He stands up and pounds his chest a few times toward the crowd.
    Click. Coach Uperesa freezes the film.
    He points. “What is that?”
    A few guys chuckle. Until we saw his eyes.
    “What… is… that?”
    Silence.
    Then he lit into us.
    “You’re gonna pound your chest for doing what you’re supposed to do? You’re gonna bring attention to yourself because you executed your job?”
    And then came the line that changed me:
    “This team has never been, isn’t now, and never will be about you.”
    That moment hit me like a freight train. Because the truth is, most of us—athletes, professionals, parents—we want credit. We want to show people what we’re doing. It’s part of the reason we love a crowd. The praise of men can be a drug if we aren’t careful.
    But Coach taught me something that day:
    👉 The need to play for something bigger than yourself.
    He didn’t want me to be the best player on the team.
    He wanted me to be the best player for the team.
    There’s a massive difference.
    💭 Pause and Reflect for a second.
    • When was the last time you pounded your chest—literally or metaphorically—for just doing your job?
    • Are you playing for the people around you—or just trying to stand above them?
    Now fast forward to one of my favorite poems of all time:
    “If” by Rudyard Kipling.
    One line always sticks with me:
    “If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same…”
    What does that mean exactly?
    I think it means you don’t get too high when things go right.
    And you don’t lose your mind when things go wrong.
    Both are temporary.
    Both are liars.
    Both will pass.
    If you score a touchdown in the first quarter, do you coast for the rest of the game?
    Of course not.
    So why would you coast after a big win in life?
    And why would you collapse after a loss?
    🛠️ Try This:
    1. Embrace the suck don’t stay in the suck.
    2. Embrace your wins, don’t stay in that moment too long.
    3. Celebrate or mourn your situation—but set a timer.
    4. Give yourself 5 minutes, 5 hours, maybe 5 days to feel it fully. Then get back to the work.
    5. Use both moments—triumph and disaster—as teachers.
    What can I learn from this? What’s the next right thing?
    6. Ask: Who am I becoming in the peaks and the valleys?
    That answer reveals your character.
    I’ll end with this:
    Success and failure don’t define you.
    Your response to both does.
    So the next time you win big—or fail hard—remember what my college Coach Uperesa would say:
    “This isn’t about you. It never was.”
    Finally let’s do quick 🧠 Challenge:
    Before the day ends, take inventory to yourself:
    • Are you lingering too long in a win?
    • Are you still dragging around a loss?
    Set the timer. Acknowledge it.
    And then, let’s get back to work.
    5 min
  • Episode #232 Negative Thinking
    Let me hit you with a crazy stat:
    📊 77% of your thoughts today?
    Negative. Self-defeating. Counterproductive.
    That’s 50,000+ thoughts working against you.
    But you’re not stuck.
    Here’s how to fix negative thinking 🧵
    Stop Speaking in Absolutes
    “I always screw up.”
    “They never pass me the ball.”
    That’s not truth—it’s fear talking.
    Replace it with:
    “Sometimes I struggle—but I’m growing.”
    Audit Your Circle
    Who are you around?
    Do they bring hope—or drag you down?
    You don’t need a crowd.
    You need a crew.
    Mind Your Mouth
    Your words shape your mindset.
    “I can’t do this” → “This is hard, but I’m built for hard.”
    Feed Your Brain Right
    Books. Podcasts. People.
    Get intentional about your input.
    Control the Controllables
    You don’t need to carry everything.
    Focus on:
    ✅ Sleep
    ✅ Nutrition
    ✅ Attitude
    ✅ Preparation
    Let go of the noise.
    Look for the Good
    Train your eyes to find:
    Wins. Progress. People doing good.
    Momentum stacks.
    Mind the Gap
    Between stimulus and response is your power.
    Don’t react. Respond.
    💭 Your thoughts are either training you…
    or draining you.
    You choose the path.
    5 min

About Mindset Matters

From the publisher's feed

Riley Jensen (Twitter: @rileyjensen) has been playing or coaching high school and collegiate football for more than 27 years. Over the past (7) years he has been part owner and co-founder of the Mountain West Elite sports camps which operate in several states.