Warrior Mind Podcast

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m interviewing again mental

toughness expert Doug Strycharczyk, CEO of AQR International.

Mental Toughness

Expert Doug Strycharczyk

An expert in guiding organizations and individuals to develop performance, well-being, agility and aspirations, Doug is a leading authority on the assessment and development of mental toughness, mindset and resilience, key enablers for these outcomes, with extensive experience, in 80+ countries, in the application of mental toughness into every sector – particularly the worlds of work, education, well-being, young person development, health and sport.

Operating very much at

the leading edge of this growing field, Doug works closely with Peter Clough

Professor of Applied Psychology at Huddersfield University and Dr John Perry,

Head of Psychology at Mary Immaculate UC to ensure that our work is

evidence-based and the models are robust.

Enjoy this podcast interview

with mental toughness expert Doug Strycharczyk

About AQR International

The goal for AQR International is to offer a range of innovative and

accessible psychometric tests, tools and development programs which attend to

“how we think and why we do something”, designed to improve

performance, wellbeing and positive behaviors with people of all ages and with

organizations.

The accent is on accessibility. We develop tools and instruments which most

people can use comfortably and with which they can achieve excellent results.

Specialties: Organization Development & Assessment and Development of

people – particularly those in management and leadership positions Development

of young people – particularly around employability, attainment and wellbeing.

For

a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory

Consultation.

Subscribe

to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about how our

beliefs can affect our actions and create self-fulfilling prophecies.

Beliefs, Performance and Self-fulfilling Prophecies

A

self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that causes itself to be true due to

the behavior (including the act of predicting it) of the believer.

Self-fulling, here, means “brought about as a result of being foretold or

talked about,” while prophecy refers to the prediction.

There is a direct correlation between human behavior and the

beliefs held by individuals such that human experiences confirm our suspicions

about them. These are self-fulfilling prophecies that have considerable

influence on social capability. They make individuals believe what they see and

their perception and interpretation as valid. Based on what you believe, there

can either be positive growth or depreciation of your performance capacity.

Individuals holding retrogressive beliefs fail to do their best as they are not

usually well informed. Some of the worst assumptions that harm individual

performance as well as hint on how to work your way out of the maze follow in

the succeeding paragraphs.

1. What are your perceptions of good

and evil in people, events, and days?

Getting messy with your wife as you get ready for work could make

you believe that the day may not augur well for you. What if, for so long,

someone embodied your role model and then at some point you realize you can no

longer believe anything about them? How do you take your everyday little

failures? Do you give up and think you can never be better just because you did

not seem to perform better on a particular day? Unfortunately, these beliefs

turn into self-fulfilling prophecies in the long run. Generally, there is so

much evidence out there that gives credence to what we believe about other

people and life circumstances every day.

If you are experiencing bad times and nothing seems to work out

for you, then it may be tough for you to get through the day. Your lousy

perception of the role model you no longer trust may hinder you from learning

something valuable from them. Human capability is related to beliefs we hold

about the performance of particular tasks. After all, we tend to think that

it’s not very worthy of losing time trying. However, the detrimental effects

beliefs have on your performance are not inherent and could be altered.

Identifying and combating them helps in managing your performance in a positive

sense. Prove your beliefs wrong by fighting them head-on.

Enjoy

this podcast on self-fulfilling prophecies

2. How do you perceive what you have

and what you don’t have?

Human perception of what they are capable of and what they are not capable of as a product of their genome deters the prospects of mastering and improving their performance. People always tend to think that some people are naturally born with particular talents that enable them to perform excellently. On the contrary, it could be true that you are not born with the ability, but with hard work and determination, the best performance is also achievable.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about the importance

of your Self-Esteem, what it is and how to change it.

How To Boost Your

Self-Esteem

People make mistakes. And

things don’t always go your way. Perhaps you’ve lost a job, a relationship,

your home. But what happens next is based largely on what you believe about

yourself. Without strong self-esteem and self-confidence, you can quickly feel

down, defeated, and depressed.

For example, let’s says

someone looking for work (Sarah) emails over 300 resumes and finally lands an

interview. Another individual (Greg) is on the company’s short list. The two

resumes look quite similar, but Sarah has worked hard to build up her

self-esteem and self-confidence over the last 12 months and Greg hasn’t, which

becomes even clearer in the interview process. Who gets the job?

Sarah does, though it

actually doesn’t matter, because if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be fazed. Why? The

person with strong self-esteem will keep going, while the one without it will

give up.

While self-esteem and

self-confidence are undeniably linked, they aren’t exactly the same. Self-esteem

is the way you see yourself according to your worth and overall value.

Self-confidence is trusting your own abilities, qualities, and judgment. Both

self-esteem and self-confidence are essential ingredients for healthy living.

If you don’t have strong

self-esteem in who you are and self-confidence in what you can do, you will

feel unfulfilled, insecure, and a sense of despair, and will be ultimately

unhappy. You will disapprove of the things you do accomplish because you’re

“not good enough.” You’ll believe you can’t do anything right, which makes you

stumble and fall in your endeavors.

Enjoy

this podcast on enhancing our self-esteem  

But you can improve your

self-esteem and self-confidence—now. Take the Action Steps below to get

started:

Action

Steps:

1. Face your fears. Don’t let them overpower you. Fears are rarely as bad as you think they are. You will definitely boost your confidence if you effectively face your fears and eventually conquer them. FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real.

2. Learn from your

mistakes. It’s okay to make a mistake. Just make sure you learn from those

mistakes to avoid making the same ones in the future. Learning from your

mistakes will make you wiser and stronger when you face other challenges.

3. Assert yourself.

Know what you want and determine how to get it. You can make your dreams come

true. Do what it takes to reach your goals.

4. Reward yourself.

You need to approve of yourself, just as you are. If you don’t accept yourself,

no one else will. Find ways to reward yourself when you achieve desired

accomplishments.

5. Ask and know. Do

you feel uncomfortable about something? Ask yourself why, and then deal with

it. Do what it takes to rid yourself of the discomfort you feel. Only then will

your real confidence shine.

6. Don’t allow yourself

to fail.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about the importance

of your self-image, what it is and how to change it.

Your Self-Image Creates Your

Reality

Do you often wonder why it

is challenging for you to change your life? More so, why do you not start doing

the things that will boost your wealth, health and relationship?

There is only one answer to those question, your life is determined by your self-image. How do you see yourself like? Your mind will subconsciously follow the image you see yourself like. What you try to say to yourself is only a conscious decision. “I want to change.”

The conscious decisions will

never overpower your subconscious. That’s the reason people often change for a

while and are then forced back on their blueprint path.

What

is the meaning of self-image?

Self-image is in simple

terms the way you see yourself in mind. What are your characters, what makes

you, who is the real you? Regardless, everybody has mental pictures of herself

or himself.

Our self-images are diverse

including poor or rich, successful or unsuccessful, fat or thin and winners or

losers. How you see yourself becomes the blueprint of your life. Our self-image

acts like the software of the computer in our minds. You automatically operate

according to how you look at yourself in the inner image.

Similar to an airplane

flight, our lives have a set destiny when they start. An airplane will have an

established destination, for example, Washington DC. The destination acts as

your goal in life that you aim to achieve. It is your self-image.

A midcourse correction is

common while in a flight. The plane may decide to go to New York via London.

This is the same situations in life where you come across distractions in your

course of pursuing your goals. However, this does not change the destination

point. Regardless of life’s distractions, you will achieve your goals.

Your actions that you take

during life determines your life reality. Positive reactions are as a result of

positive mental attitude brought about by thinking consciously. Regardless of

that, your subconscious mind makes most of your decisions. This is because

subconscious mind operates according to your self-image.

Our life follows our

self-image strictly. The blueprint gives our lives consistency giving them a

specific goal and outcome. Otherwise, our lives would be a combination of lots

of unresulting outcomes.

What happens in cases such

as when a famous athlete with record-breaking success starts to lose his or her

life after a defeat?

The athlete sees himself or

herself as a winner. In their self-image, they are winners and cannot see

themselves losing. A defeat impacts their self-image making to change from a

winner to a loser. The situation does not only occur in sports but all aspects

of life.

People suffer failure in all

aspects of life including health, financially, emotionally, and mentally. This

takes part in changing your self-image and will affect your life. The newly

acquired self-image prevents you from getting your life back on track. The new

One might wonder how does daydreaming and reasoning correlate, since daydreaming is often judged as illogical and a total waste of time. A mere conscious escape from reality into the realm of sheer imagination and wishes, which in the end has zero impact in bettering your current predicament. Thus, we are bluntly asked to snap out from it and face reality head-on. However, this common reaction to daydreaming is correct if and only if one is daydreaming in an unhelpful manner. Actually, daydreaming can be very productive, and it is also the best form of learning when utilized appropriately.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about the five

stages of loss we experience whether it be sport, business of life. 

The

Five Stages of Loss

During competition

(especially during the Open), there are times when giving our best doesn’t

guarantee a win. The problem is that no matter what we are doing, there is

always someone who is faster, stronger or has more drive. When a loss occurs,

we take it personally and begin the grieving process of the loss, especially in

a major competition.

You need to realize these emotions are good. From them, you harbor the drive to do better next time. When you’ve completed the stages of loss, you’ll pick yourself up and work harder to win at the next competition. But what these stages look like?

* Denial and Isolation

The first stage of loss is

denial. There is a disbelief that having given your all, you didn’t win the

competition. You may look at the situation and feel like you’ve been jilted and

robbed from having the title. You may even feel that a ref made a bad call and

cost you the competition. Denial can come in many forms, but it doesn’t change

the outcome.

* Anger

Once you’ve worked past the

denial that you’ve lost, anger sets in. There is an inner fire that burns. You

may become aggressive and get into shouting matches with others. Some athletes

throw balls, helmets and bats in a rage. They may also threaten to quit or

storm out of an area as things escalate.

Enjoy

this podcast on the five stages of loss

* Bargaining

The next item in the stages

of loss is bargaining with a higher power. This is the belief that despite all

the suffering in the world, that God’s main focus is listening to your loss and

making it better. The outcome might change such as a revelation of illegal

substance abuse from the opponent. You may offer to donate a portion of your

winnings to charity. Go to church next Sunday. Even name drop him in high

profile interviews.

* Depression

Realizing that the denial,

anger and bargaining didn’t work, you slip into the next progression in the

stages of loss. That’s depression. Here, you hit an emotional low. You might

begin to lead yourself to believe others view you as the world player of all

time. That your time in the sun is over. That perhaps it is time to hang up your

hat and call it quits. However, you need to remember that this is a single

competition and the next one things might go your way.

* Acceptance

At this point, you’ve

accepted that you’ve suffered a loss as a competition. You understand that a

loss doesn’t define your abilities. Instead, you realize this is a chance to

pick yourself up off the ground and to reevaluate your situation. You use this

opportunity to improve your game face and you train harder than you do did the

last time. The result is that when you enter the next competition, you are

ready to take on and this time succeed.

Through the stages of loss,

athletes are able to learn from their failures and turn things aro...

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about how you

are meant to succeed and that there are no good excuses for you NOT to succeed.

You

Are Meant To Succeed!

You are a unique, original, one of kind creation!  There is NO ONE else like you in the entire world!  You are a masterpiece, with an unrepeatable opportunity to create and become what has never been before.  The knowledge, tools, and insights to meet and exceed your human potential are readily available.  The task ahead of you is both exhilarating and daunting, it will take mental strength and the way to personal success is not by accident.

Tommy Newbury, in

“Success Is Not An Accident“, provides the simple,

straightforward and workable tactics, techniques and procedures to thrive and

succeed in a hectic, dynamic world.  No

one plans to be mediocre; rather mediocrity is the result of no plan.  You choose where you go, and who you

become.  By changing your choices, you

change your life.

Success is absolutely

predictable.  This is a “cause and

effect” world.  Unwavering

principles govern every area of life.  By

focusing on the basics you make success happen. 

As Emerson once said, ‘By law and not by luck, what one sows one reaps.’

Tommy offers seven

important lessons to allow you to take control of your life.  The first is a challenge to choose success.  Ultimately success is measured at the end –

you must work hard and never give up. 

The essence of success is to go somewhere worthwhile.  You have to define that destination for

yourself.  To “know” where you

are headed is to abide by the law.

* You are

pure potential.  * You are

meant to succeed.  * There are

no alibis. 

Enjoy

this podcast on you are meant to succeed

There are no justifiable excuses. 

You have no one to convince and no one to blame.  The world is an action space.  You have to be willing to act; you have to be

willing to do.  Don’t wait to feel like acting

– act and adjust by feeling.

As you journey through

life you become.  Are you becoming by

design or disaster?  Are you in control

or are you reacting to life? 

You must be clear on who you are becoming and what you

aspire to.  You are sure to get something – why not make

it stupendous.  Define your dream – flesh

it out in every detail.  The more

splendid the dream, the more motivation it will require.  Nothing in life is free; every effect has a

cause.  You must cause your dream to

become a reality.  You must pay the

price.

Motivation is in

thoughts and words, but the real

energy of achievement is in action. 

Write down simple, clear, compelling goals.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this impromptu episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I talk to Doug Strycharczyk

about mental toughness in preparation for our more in-depth upcoming interview.

Mental

Strength and Doug Strycharczyk

An expert in guiding organizations

and individuals to develop performance, well-being, agility and aspirations,

Doug is a leading authority on the assessment and development of mental

toughness, mindset and resilience, key enablers for these outcomes, with

extensive experience, in 80+ countries, in the application of mental toughness

into every sector – particularly the worlds of work, education, well-being,

young person development, health and sport.

Operating very much at

the leading edge of this growing field, Doug works closely with Peter Clough

Professor of Applied Psychology at Huddersfield University and Dr John Perry,

Head of Psychology at Mary Immaculate UC to ensure that our work is evidence-based

and the models are robust.

Enjoy

this podcast conversation on Mental Strength

with Doug Strycharczyk

The goal for AQR International is to offer a range of

innovative and accessible psychometric tests, tools and development programs

which attend to “how we think and why we do something”, designed to

improve performance, wellbeing and positive behaviors with people of all ages

and with organizations.

The accent is on accessibility. We develop tools and instruments which most people can use comfortably and with which they can achieve excellent results.

Specialties: Organization Development & Assessment

and Development of people – particularly those in management and leadership

positions. Development of young people – particularly around employability,

attainment and wellbeing.

For

a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory

Consultation.

Subscribe

to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.

Over

six years and going strong!  With over 1M

downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind

Podcast.

In

this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to discuss how to decide

upon what you want most vs. want you want now.

What

You Want Most vs. What You Want Now

It’s been a difficult

week. You’re exhausted, drained and praying for the weekend. Friday evening is

here, and you are faced with some choices: You could continue your Armed Forces

Triathlon training at the gym, join your battle buddies for happy hour, or

watch your favorite shows at home with a takeout pizza. What will it be?

During the course of life, your self-control is regularly tested when it’s necessary to choose between what you really want and what you just want now. What you really want usually involves big, long-term goals involving your career, your family, your life experiences and your health. You are probably aware of what is required to achieve these big goals, but it’s usually very difficult to get yourself to do it day-in-day-out. Here are 3 ways that will help you choose what you really want over short-term gratification.

Clearly

define what it is that you want most

What is your biggest

desire in life? Certain people can easily answer this question, but for some,

the answer is not so clear. Whichever it is for you, spend some time thinking

about and defining what you really want, in order to build up your ability for

self-control. This will enable you to keep your big goals in sight and reduce

the amount of distraction that happens when you indulge yourself in short-term

gratification. Consider these questions:

* What

values do you use to define yourself?

* What

do you want people to remember you for?

* What

are the big goals that are worth sacrificing smaller things for?

* What

kind of impact would you like to leave on the world?

* What

kind of things do you want to achieve and experience in your life?

Now you have a clearer

picture of what’s really important to you, work out how to keep it constantly

in mind. You could do this by having a daily prayer or reflection, or it could

be a poster on your wall or a background on your phone. Whatever you choose, it

will serve to remind you of what’s important when you feel tempted by something

that doesn’t align with your goals, which will keep you motivated to stay on

the right path. Consciously choosing between quality family time and happy hour

makes it easier to make the right choice rather than thinking about how nice

some beer and chicken wings might be at the time. Making the connection between

your daily decisions and what you value most can really help you achieve the

self-control required to get to your big goals in life.

Enjoy

this podcast on what you want most

Alter

your surroundings to bring what you want most closer to what you want now

One of the key

challenges when you want to achieve your long-term goals is the temptation to

do what feels easiest, or even to do nothing at all. Examples would include

watching TV all afternoon or getting fast food instead of making a proper

dinner.

Over six years and going

strong!  With over 1M downloads from over

15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the

Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to discuss how to create more positive emotions

in your life.

5 Tips to Experience More Positive Emotions in Your Life

The pursuit of hearing a great speech that inspires you, or doing an activity you hold close to your heart can increase your positive emotions. The same feelings can be felt when you witness your partner, friends, or family members being exposed to such emotions. What you need to remember is that emotions are contagious and having happy neighbors, siblings, and friends close to you can increase your odds of feeling the same way. This explains why you can walk in a room where everybody is laughing and find yourself smiling as well. Emotions and human bodies are interrelated and connected, and positive emotions can enhance your health, resilience, and performance.

Moods, whether good or bad, are part of human life. Every day, we are confronted with different situations where we need to manage our emotions. For instance, we might encounter unexpected setbacks when we least expect and feel upset or disappointed. That’s normal. Nevertheless, when you feel happy, proud, grateful, or excited, you open up to new ideas, events, and people. Positive emotions have the power to shape your perspective and a sense of purpose. If positive emotions outweigh negative emotions, you are not only protected from mental health problems but also more open to possibilities that life has to offer. Luckily, you can experience more positive emotions in your life by creating a positive emotion portfolio.

Enjoy

this podcast on how to experience more positive emotions

How to Experience More Positive Emotions

When you

think about positive emotions, it’s reasonable to think about pure happiness.

However, the range of positive emotions is broader and encompasses the feeling

of gratitude, love, pride, serenity, awe, inspiration, optimism, hope, humor,

and peace. When the stresses of life overtake your attention and time, try

overturning them by creating a positive emotion portfolio which you can achieve

by doing the following;

* First things first, choose an emotion

you’d want to feel more in your life, be it love, pride, awe, joy, inspiration,

confidence, hope or love* Create a collection of your favorite

songs, letters, videos, poems, and pictures that can boost your emotions and

store them in a folder on your phone or laptop where you can access them when

need be* Review your positive emotion portfolio

for about 8-15 minutes daily for one week* At the end of the week, take some time

and reflect on what has worked in your life and what hasn’t. Avoid any

circumstances that could trigger your negativity and add some positive items to

your portfolio* Use your portfolio as often as

possible and reflect on it every time you need to build inner resilience and

strength that will, in turn, pave the way for a long-lasting happiness

 For a more

in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory

Consultation.

Subscribe

to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.