People often ask me HOW do you do it? “IT” being all the different martial arts I study (11) and teach (I approximate the number of total classes I’ve taught to be around 26,000), the dozens of articles and blogs, 3 books I’ve written and the crazy sports; boxing,kickboxing, full contact stick fighting, Jiu Jitsu, skiing, kitesurfing, surfing, motocross, kayaking, rock climbing, wilderness camping, hunting, fishing, etc…I’ve been, and in some cases I am still involved in?
On top of that I run and I am sustained by owning and running my own business for the last 28 years, 19 of which I operated a successful martial arts school. Did I mentioned I was a trained Chef and opened my own restaurant in a very prestigious area in Southern California at age 23? …or that I’ve taught at one of only 8 Ivy League Universities in the world for the past 20 years?

The answer???

I absolutely decided at a turning point in my life to….

RAISE MY STANDARDS
What got you here to this point will not get you to where you want to go. What do I mean by this? As a player, team, coach, or just trying to survive, you are in a constant league of competitive improvement and evolution. You cannot play at the level that got you to the state championships, when you are in the nationals. You cannot play or think at the level you were at as an amateur, fighting as a Professional. What got you here will not get you where you want to be. Now, this is not to say you should change your approach, if it works for you on the levels you are now competing at; then it is sound, in concept and principle. The KEY Component to focus on is the “Elevation Of The Standards” you and/or your athletes hold for themselves.

NOW, you may be thinking to yourself that’s Great, but how can I use this?
Ask yourself, am I a World Class Coach? If the answer is not absolutely affirmative, there may be an issue with your self-concept. If the answer is yes, then how does a World Class coach act? Think? Dress? Stand? Speak? Interact? Are your standards as high as possible? Do you expect more from yourself than anyone else possibly could? If you are honest, you are thinking, “I have some work to do.”
…And how about your team? Do they emit the energy of a team of Champions? Do they practice at the highest standards, play their very best, walk, talk and act with the confidence, style and charisma of a champion? Are they 100% ON when they practice, train and compete? Are they HUNGRY? Are they MINDFUL of their goal? Do they fight with the intent, desire and passion as if no one could possibly expect more out of them than themselves?

It’s actually pretty simple, if you want the BEST, you MUST raise your standards to the level of those that are the best! You want more, BE more!
As one of my teachers pointed out to me….It’s NEVER crowded at the TOP, Kevin!

The Power Within

“What we believe becomes our reality, and we don’t live in reality, we live within our personal representation of reality.”

Belief is a feeling of certainty. There is no maybe, just certainty.

In order to change a belief, we must adjust our references that support that belief. Always remember, you get what you focus on. This is what distinguishes the difference between a champion and everyone else. A champion focuses on the references they have in relation to excellence, they think about the positive references that relate to their personal experiences. In other words, they think and focus on what they have ACCOMPLISHED, what others have accomplished, what others have said positively about them, etc., and most of all, they imagine success! They see it, feel it, hear it and taste it. That is what they focus on and that is what they become, successful! They make those images big, bright and bold in their mind’s eye constantly, and so it becomes. They push their thoughts and visions about their losses, failures and undesirable outcomes way back in the darkest file room, making them a small, unimportant learned test, that has expired in it’s value, no longer part of the future. When I look to find an athlete’s “sticking point”, I always find it is in some way related to what they believe to be true.

Is it always reality?…No, but it’s always their reality.

Did you know, that we have the most amazing built in homing device available, that there is only one other animal that has a goal seeking homing device that is as sophisticated and accurate as the one human beings posses? The homing pigeon is the only other being in the animal kingdom that even comes close. There is a part of our brain called the reticular cortex. This small finger size part of our brain is instrumental in filtering information, sort of a like a bouncer at a club that allows only certain clients to enter. This filtering system is known as the “Reticular Activating System”, a master sorting system that is truly invaluable to us. When you focus on something, your mind looks for every possible way to get it. So, always focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want!

Just because you aren’t competing, doesn’t mean you can’t BE a champion!

© Kevin Seaman 2012/ kevinseaman.net

What’s   Your   M.I.Q.?
by Kevin Seaman 

I’m sure you’ve heard of the term, “I.Q.”, these are initials for the words, “Intelligence Quotient.”
 Your IQ is the most recognized type of intelligence. Throughout a person’s formal education they are tested on their verbal and mathematical intelligence. This is generally the basis for evaluating a student’s I.Q.

But, did you realize that there are multiple forms of intelligence? In fact, did you know there are over ten different recognized forms of intelligence? Extensive research has been done on this subject by individuals like Dr. Howard Gardner, Professor at the Harvard University Graduate School in his studies of Extraordinary Minds.

Your unique “combination of intelligence” is what makes up your individual character and personality. It is the framework of who you are as a person.

Here are just a few examples of the many different forms of intelligences people possess.

1)  The first type of intelligence is your “verbal intelligence.” This is the ability to speak and communicate with others, to use and understand language. This would be valuable to a leader, an administrative director or politician. Someone like JFK, Martin Luther King, Anthony Robbins and Zig Zigler are prominent examples of verbal intelligence.

2)  Your second intelligence is mathematical. This would be in regard to your capability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, to read financial statements and have the grasp of basic ac- counting and economics. Someone with this intellectual strength make insightful brokers, investment consultants and CPA’s.

3)  The third form of intelligence is “physical intelligence.” A person could fail miserably on a verbal and mathematical exam yet be extraordinary in the field of athletics, although this may not show up on their report card. Many people with this form of intelligence were looked at as NOT as smart as others when I was going to school. This is a stereotypical outlook due to the status quo. In times past, these individuals were powerful warriors, Tribal Chiefs, hunters and leaders due to their skills. This form of intelligence has to do with how well you command the use of your body, your balance, coordination, agility, timing, distance judgment, use of body strengths and body awareness. This is evident with people like basketball player Michael Jordan, swimmer Michael Phelps, and martial arts master, Bruce Lee. This form of intelligence is one of the highest paid and idolized qualities when utilized and applied at an optimum level.

4)  Your fourth form of intelligence is musical. As with individuals like, Mozart or Beethoven, Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Kenny G, or Stevie Ray Vaughn. They are all examples of high levels of musical intelligence, yet these individuals, as students, may not have been considered intelligent and may not have done well in other school subjects. None the less, they had a unique ability to create music that was at an exceptional level.

5)  Your fifth form of intelligence is what is referred to as visual and spatial intelligence. This is the ability to see and use shapes, forms and patterns. A painter, an architect, an engineer or a sculptor would possess high levels of this form of intelligence. A designer, for example, may be able to develop a dynamic car design and then work with an engineer to materialize that design into a beautiful Lamborghini or Ferrari. A sculptor or architect may see a vision of structures, then people with different levels of intelligence may be able to help transform or convert this into a reality.

6)  Your sixth form of intelligence is interpersonal. This is the highest paid form of intelligence in America. It is the ability to communicate, negotiate, persuade, motivate, to be interested in and influence other people. It consists of a high degree of sensitivity to the moods and thoughts and feelings of others and the ability to interact with them effectively in order to get things done both with them and through them. Managers, team leaders, coaches, consultants and politicians usually have interpersonal intelligence developed to a very high degree. because of this, people want to work with them and cooperate with them in order to accomplish group goals or projects. Many people who have the 1^st form of intelligence have this 6^th one as well.

7)  Your seventh form of intelligence is intra-personal intelligence. This is the advanced ability to be very aware of yourself, to know exactly what you want and what you don’t want, and be able to set goals and make plans. For their success, people with a high level of intra-personal intelligence spend a good deal of their time reflecting on how they are thinking and feeling. These individuals are able to communicate internally more effectively in many cases. They therefore, know themselves better and better able to relate to others.

8)  The eighth form of intelligence is entrepreneurial intelligence. This is the ability to see needs or market opportunities and then be able to provide products or services to meet these needs and sell them at a profit. The developers of Apple, Amazon and Ebay are in this category.

9)  The ninth form of intelligence is intuitive intelligence. “I refer to this as a form of primal intelligence.” This is the ability to sense the rightness or wrongness of a situation. To judge situations or people quickly and accurately, to come up with ideas, insights, or solutions using your intuitive abilities. This gives you the ability to react quickly to a problem or sense danger almost before it happens. My mother was an excellent example of a high level of intuitive intelligence.

10) Your tenth form of intelligence is abstract, or conceptual intelligence. This form of creative intelligence was possessed by Albert Einstein, who could see himself riding on a beam of light, as a result he was able to formulate the theory of relativity. Writers, artists and rainmakers are a few examples of these individuals, such as Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney, Steve Jobs and James Patterson.

11) The last form of intelligence is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is your ability to relate to how others are feeling and being able to express your emotions and feelings to others. People who have high levels of emotional intelligence know how to touch others deeply and usually have a great deal of control and clarity as to the emotions of themselves and others. They are very receptive to the emotional states and needs that are present and therefore more capable of guiding themselves and others in the proper direction.

“You possess special talents and abilities that make you unique, different from anyone else who has ever lived. The odds of there being another person just like you are more than 50 billion to one. Your remarkable and unusual combination of education, experience, knowledge, problems, successes, difficulties and challenges, and your way of looking at and reacting to life, make you extraordinary.” –Brian Tracy

How Can You Use This?
Although there are probably more, these are some of the more obvious forms of intelligence. Each and every one of us possesses a unique combination of some or many of these forms of intelligence at different levels and degrees. This unique personal combination is what forms a kind of personal intellectual profile. It makes you unique from any other person and simultaneously capable of performing at extraordinary levels.

As with all forms of intelligence, some people will possess a certain level of natural or developmental aptitude in each area. However, I do believe that anyone can improve and cultivate any of the forms of intelligence discussed in this article to a higher degree regardless of their natural aptitude. What you can do is to identify your intelligences, be aware of them, respect and develop them. Respect the variable intelligences of others as well. Also, take an opportunity to develop a high level of faith and confidence, and engage your ability to use your mental powers. You have the ability to accomplish amazing things with your “unique personal combination of these mental powers.” They are yours alone, take action and make use of them. You will be absolutely amazed at what you can accomplish!

Kevin Seaman is available for private training, consultation, coaching and speaking engagements. To inquire or if you would like to book Kevin for an event, team training or individual training contact us at the e-mail address listed above.
© 2012 all rights reserved. May be shared in entirety. Material may be reproduced upon request with written permission. Just ask.

For more Winning Mind Set Strategic Wisdom To Live By…
Go to:  www.thewinningmindset.com or check the product page on kevinseaman.net

Building Your Mental Tool Box
By Kevin Seaman 

Originally I organized the Winning Mind Set Program for myself and other athletes because I saw a void in the area of utilizing the mind’s involvement in a cognitive, organized, easily applicable method. Initially I applied what I learned to myself. I learned what worked and absorbed it, then built on it. I also learned

what didn’t work and rejected it, tossed it, filed it and learned from it as well.

There has not been a day that has passed since, where I haven’t made some improved adjustments, further researched the subject of personal development and performance enhancement, or asked myself key questions toward my effort to understand on a deeper level. Next, I applied what I learned to the people I have trained. Using these methods, I have helped thousands of people improve themselves athletically and personally, myself not withstanding.

Now, although the Winning Mind Set was initially formatted for athletes, coaches and trainers, the material is known as “Profound Knowledge” and can therefore be applied as a Universal Tool Box for success in any endeavor. Here are a few more TOOLS for your box.

1) Excellence has a structure! Therefore whatever it is you wish to accomplish there is someone who has either done it or done something similar that you can study from and unlock the essential KEYS to accelerate your success. Don’t try to re-invent the wheel. Research the experiences from as many of these people as possible, and replicate the areas applicable to you!

2) Experience also has a structure! When you change the structure of your thoughts, your feelings will also change in relation to those experiences.In other words, just as there is a CODE that opens certain programs in your computer, your brain also has codes which run certain physiological and emotional programs. Change the code, and you change the meaning of the prior experience.

3) You visualize thousands of times per day to control how and what you do! Imagine if you could control your visualization and control your outcome with incredible results, would that be valuable to you? It is as easy as changing channels on your TV set. First, be aware of what you are seeing in your head, is it where you want to go, or is it actually focused on where you fear that you will go? Is your inner dialog congruent with your inner vision? Or is that also focused on what you don’t want, rather what you do want? If you don’t like the channel, choose not to view it and adjust to what you do want. It’s absolutely that simple!

Don’t forget to change the sound. Adjust the dialog with according volume, voice quality and powerful words that stimulate and tap into the emotional power you need and want for success!

4) The quality of your life is relative to the quality of your communication with yourself and others! Your communication transmission is both internal and external. As I have stated in prior TIPS, research has concluded that you talk to yourself nearly 50,000 times a day.Yet, research has also shown most inner communication is negative.

Why is that? What you say and how you say it to yourself is crucial. Your communication is absolutely HABIT driven. In other words, Habits are patterns developed through repetition and they can be changed. Patterns are formed as we grow, they are etched into us from childhood and go something like this…. Don’t do that! Put that down, don’t touch that, Stop that…You’re too small…too young… No! No! No!.. No, you can’t, very rapidly becomes…No, I can’t in most people. How do you talk to yourself?

5) It’s not what happens…It’s how you respond to what happens! You cannot and I cannot control what happens to us in our lives. But, what we do have control of is how we respond to what happens. We actually only have control over three things in our lives: The words we use, the pictures we make in our head, and our actions.

I love this quote by Aldus Huxley
“Experience is not what happens to you; it’s what you do with what happens to you.” 

Once again, the quality of your life is a direct result of the quality of your communication, both internally (with yourself) and externally (with others)? You see, in life it’s not what happens to us, but how we interpret it that gives it meaning. It’s not life, but how you represent life that determines the way you feel. …and actually we don’t experience reality, we experience our representation of reality. Well, just how do we represent our thoughts? We “re-present” our thoughts through the words we use. Remember, one of the most powerful principles of controlling our attitude is by controlling our thoughts through the words we use. For example, is it a catastrophe or a problem? Is it a disaster or a challenge? When you seek to de-amplify your problem, you will find it easier to take control of that problem and work towards a solution.

Although we have little control over the stress we face in our lives, what we can control is how well we respond to these problems. We realize we can limit our risk factors, but we cannot control how or when we may be challenged. We can, however, control how we respond. People who are highly skilled at problem solving possess the ability to respond quickly and effectively when faced with a challenge or a problem. They demonstrate high levels of “response-ability” on a daily basis.

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
-Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC)

Have a comment or an experience to share, please post it and tell us about it.

Each Blog Issue I will help you add another facet to your Mental Toolbox and guide you to develop your Mind Game. I look forward to hearing your results and feedback.
Kevin@thewinningmindset.com

© Copyright 2012 all rights reserved, Kevin Seaman

For more Winning Mind Set Strategic Wisdom To Live By…
Go to:  www.thewinningmindset.com or check the product page on kevinseaman.net

The Circle of 

Excellence

 1)    Visualize for a moment a time when you were in a state of total confidence. Picture it in your mind’s eye in total detail. See it as being close and in complete focus. Adjust or be aware of your physiology, how are you standing, what expression do you have on your face? What is your pattern of breathing? What other emotions are you experiencing when you picture yourself in this state? Be aware of as many sub-modalities in as much detail as possible.

2)    Now visualize a colored circle on the floor surrounding you. As you continue to focus on your state of confidence, step out of the circle, leaving your feeling of confidence in the circle. If you have difficulty feeling as though you have stepped out and away from your circle, try taking another step, or as many as necessary to accomplish this.

3)    Now picture in your mind’s eye vividly an objective or task you feel uncertain about that you have coming up in the future. Something that you are not looking forward to or something that has been difficult or awkward for you in the past.

4)    As you picture that event I want you to link something you see that starts or preludes the event. It could be your name being announced before a speech or an athletic event. It could be the voice of someone you have a meeting with. Take a moment and visualize this clearly.

5)    Now step back into the circle and think of this link, this prelude. Notice how this feels. What you have done is created an anchor to associate confidence from a previous state to the new event by using the link.
©2012 Kevin Seaman/kevinseaman.net

Kevin Seaman is available for private training, consultation, coaching and speaking engagements. To inquire or if you would like to book Kevin for an event, team training or individual training contact us at the e-mail address : kevin@thewinningmindset.com
© 2012 all rights reserved. May be shared in entirety. Material may be reproduced upon request with written permission. Just ask.

For more Winning Mind Set Strategic Wisdom To Live By…
Go to:  www.thewinningmindset.com or check the product page on kevinseaman.net

Setting Your Goals For 2014 And Beyond

What pushes you to achieve greatness? What creates the drive you need in order to accomplish the goals you hold in our heart? What is the motivation? The word motivation comes from the Latin phrase “to move forward.” So, what is it that motivates you, moves you forward? Take 2 minutes to read this and take the action in your life and you will never be the same.

The brilliant psychologist, Abraham Maslow, in his paper on A THEORY OF HUMAN MOTIVATION written in 1943 stated; “There are at least five sets of goals, which we may call basic needs. These are briefly physiological (hunger, health, appearance, sex, etc.), safety (security, domain, means for survival/income, etc.), love (partner, family, interests, etc.) esteem(self-esteem and the esteem of others, the need for getting and receiving respect, admiration, etc.), and self-actualization.”
Maslow went on to write, “In regard to the need for self-actualization- Even if all our (other) needs are satisfied, we may still often (if not always) expect that a new discontent and restlessness will soon develop, unless the individual is doing what he is fitted for. A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if they are to be ultimately happy. What man (a person) can be, he must be.
This need we may call self-actualization…This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more of what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming…In one individual it may take the form of the desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically.”

Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.
-Albert Einstein

Well, it appears that we all have a basic drive for this SELF-ACTUALIZATION. However, in order for us to succeed, our fundamental needs for these deep desires must be in alignment and congruent with our values, they must be value driven in order to be meaningfully successful.
Many times people set goals that have very little to do with what they truly value in life. This is very important to recognize. How many times have we seen people go to college for a specific field or career and then change due to the realization…they don’t like it.

How Will This Help Me? It is not necessarily how you accomplish your goals, but why you want to that is most important. Why? Because there is a unique cycle that occurs when you predicate goals that are in alignment with your values. As you work toward your value driven objective, you will feel totally natural in your pursuit and once this goal is achieved, your values are satisfied and supported by your accomplishment. Because of this your goals support your values and your values in turn support you in the direction of your goals. This optimizes your potential in our direction toward self-actualization. This absolute optimization increases our potential for success a hundred-fold, to become the very best we can, at what WE DO BEST!

If you are to become the best, you must create an organized strategy or method of approach in the form of meaningful short and long-term goals. Here are a few ideas that will help ensure you progress toward achieving where you want to be in the future.
1) What do you want?
2) Why do you want to do it?
3) How will you do it?
4) When will you complete it?

1) What Goals/Things we want to be, do, have. Business, career, financial, academic, spiritual, etc..
These should be divided into three priorities-
A Goals/Most Important
B Goals/Secondary
C Goals/Least Important

“A Goals” are the things that will have the most positive, dramatic affect on your life and your future, the most important thing for you to concentrate on in order to have the life you envision that you want.
List these “What” goals in the categories (A,B or C) then prioritize these goals in each of these categories by which is most important, which is next and so on.
Great! Now do the same for your “Why” Goals.
2) Why Goals/Why we want the things we want. Why we want our “What” Goals. Personal, family, relationship, health, fitness, happiness, etc..
Excellent! Finally do the same for your “How” Goals!
3) How Goals/How am I going to do this? Personal development, education, habit adjustment, who do I have to become?

Now that you have these three powerful categories prioritized set deadlines for each goal in each category. Set these When goals by taking the goals you have now and putting them into four areas. 
1) One year 2014 goals
2) Five years (within)
3) 10 Years (in at least)
4) Your Bucket List/What you want and will do before you die.
If you take a small chunk of your time to do this exercise, you will be SHOCKED at the results. You will achieve more in your life, faster than you ever imagined. The reality is most people spend more time planning their vacations, than they do their life.

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
-George Bernard Shaw

Have an awesome 2014!

Inspired and powered by The Winning Mind Set Book

©2014 all rights reserved Kevin Seaman/kevinseaman.net

Kevin Seaman is available for private training, consultation, coaching and speaking engagements. To inquire or if you would like to book Kevin for an event, team training or individual training contact us at the e-mail address : kevin@thewinningmindset.com
© 2014 all rights reserved. May be shared in entirety. Material may be reproduced upon request with written permission. Just ask.

For more Winning Mind Set Strategic Wisdom To Live By…
Go to:  www.thewinningmindset.com or check the product page on kevinseaman.net

Goals For Fighters
By Kevin Seaman

Ready, Aim…Fire!
I order for a GOAL to be strongly established in your sub-conscious, it must first be written down.

If you’re merely thinking about your goal, it’s not really a goal at all…only a DREAM.

I write my goals in a small hardbound journal. Use what you feel is best for you.

1) What do you want? Write it down clearly and in complete detail. This is the “What” pertaining to your goals.
Example: I will compete in five events in 2012, being in the best shape of my life and performing to the best of my ability. I will develop my MMA skills by continuous, regimented daily training in the following areas: Stand up- footwork, individual striking w/ all tools, combination skills in Muay Thai. Transition/ground- positioning/angling, clinch, takedowns, submission, escapes/counters, G&P. Attribute qualities- timing,
power, strength, flexibility, focus cardio and muscular stamina, dietary discipline, and mental training. (This is just an example. You can apply this to any goal, competitive or not!)

2) Make an “Action Plan” of everything you need to do to over the next few days, weeks, months get you closer to your goal. This is the “How”.

3) Organize your list in terms of activities pertaining to time and priority. What’s first, what’s most important? Next you need to set your deadlines and several sub-deadlines. This is the “When”

4) Why is this important to you? What would it mean to you? In order to be successful we must create a meaning for what we do. How would accomplishing these goals affect your life and your future? It is usually who we become while accomplishing our goals that is most important. This is the “Why”.

5) Take action toward your goal and begin immediately to do something to move you in the direction of your goal. What are you committed to do to take your first step forward?

Direct 100% total commitment toward the accomplishment of your goal. Flexibility is absolutely crucial; if what you’re doing isn’t working, change your approach, if that doesn’t work, change your approach again until you succeed.

“It is my opinion that developing a mindset of having clear, distinct, written GOALS and working toward these goals, daily and incrementally is
the single most significant thing that will determine your ultimate success and absolute happiness in your life!”
-Brian Tracy

Tapping Into Your Sub-Conscious
Any person who wants to be successful in anything, regardless of what it is, he or she will fail far more times than they will succeed. Riding a bike, we all fell down far more times than we succeeded in staying up at first. Learning to walk, did you ever see a baby walk on his first try?
Conversely, did you ever see a baby get so frustrated and angry because he didn’t walk perfectly that he quit? So frustrated that he gave up and never tried again because he hadn’t gotten it yet? Of course not! But have you ever seen non-babies do that? Not you personally, but maybe people you know? Many people value success, but they also want to avoid feelings of failure (or feeling like a failure). The problem comes when a person’s fear or avoidance of failing prevents him from taking action and trying, or going through the necessary repetition of trial and error that it takes to master something. Remember, we all move toward pleasure and away from pain. Some of us are driven more by moving toward pleasure, some more by away from pain.

Many times people set goals that have very little to do with what they truly value in life, or they set goals that do not take into account what they want to avoid. Then they wonder why they aren’t following through, and label themselves as lazy or undisciplined, that’s rarely the case.
Usually, the problem is that people’s goals have nothing to do with their value system or how they like to be reinforced.

There is a unique cycle that occurs when we predicate goals that are in alignment with our values. As we work toward our value driven objective we feel totally natural in our pursuit and once this goal is achieved, our values are satisfied and supported by our accomplishment. Therefore our goals support our values and our values in turn support us in the direction of our goals. At this point you may say,”

That’s great, Kevin”… but

How can I use this?
Here’s how! Get some leverage. Think of the goal or objective you wish to achieve, but have had difficulty completing. Make a clear picture of this goal in your head. Now, think of how great you would feel, when this goal was completed. Think of all the benefits you would gain and the feeling of total satisfaction knowing that you have accomplished this. Visualize yourself with a huge smile on your face, as you finish. Got that picture clear and complete in your mind’s eye. GOOD!

Now, think of the negative emotions associated with not completing this same task. Think of the frustration you’ve experienced now and before as this goal once again slips away from your grasp. Think of how you will feel in the future as you embrace the loss of satisfaction and negative drain these emotions have, as you face the reality that you failed only because you have given up! Run these two mental videos over and over in your head. These visions are the carrot and the stick. Now, write “The Carrot and the Stick” on a small note pad and put the note somewhere conspicuous, somewhere you will see it daily for at least one week. When you see it run your mental video. In a short time you will begin to change your association to this goal and connect your emotional content via your values and the principle of pain and pleasure. I’ve had amazing results with this, and if you believe it, and try it, so will you.

You’ll never get where you want to be by focusing on what you fear. Instead focus on where you want to be. Have a great new year and the best of success in your near future!

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot… and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan

Each Blog Issue I will help you add another facet to your Mental Toolbox and guide you to develop your Mind Game. I look forward to hearing your results and feedback.
Kevin@thewinningmindset.com

© Copyright 2012 all rights reserved, Kevin Seaman

Sifu Kevin Seaman has been involved in martial arts and martial athletics as a practitioner, competitor and trainer for nearly 40 years. He currently holds instructor rank certification in seven martial arts systems (2 in JKD), is a certified boxing coach and performance specialist, and has trained thousands of athletes.

Check out his book at www.thewinningmindset.com/book.html and more Winning Mind Set performance principles in the Vault at www.thewinningmindset.com

Look for his new book, The Mind Game Of MMA available now!

The Value Within

One of the things I love about Jiu Jitsu is, it is results oriented, you basically get what you earn. There is a very direct and very profound truth that you learn as you develop in Jiu Jitsu, “you get immediate feedback.” If you don’t have the defenses, you know it when you roll. If you don’t roll, you don’t have the experience. If you don’t have the experience, you need to work more and approach it SMARTER. You become humble, or you LEAVE. You tap or you become unconscious. You respect your training partner, or you “Get Worked.” The very practice of Jiu Jitsu is a practice of perseverance, persistence, humility and problem solving.

 In these times we are living in it is very common for people to expect a feeling of certainty in regard what they feel “They Deserve”.  Many young people seem to feel they should have what everyone has, without putting in the time, work, dedication, sweat and sacrifice. I believe this feeling of entitlement places a low value on what they actually DO have. This world of immediate gratification and instant results is at the service of this generation, they want it all, and they want it NOW!

One of the products of this behavior is, many times people DO get things without putting in the work, and because of this, we have developed a generation of mediocrity. In fact, it appears that mediocrity is the NEW standard. People can do just enough to get by in their jobs, in school and in LIFE and still somewhat prosper. In schools, you can be mediocre as an athlete and still be on the team, and you won’t sit on the bench. You can be mediocre in class and still progress. You can enter a contest, and everyone gets a prize. There is usually a “Safety Net”, so if we don’t do what we are supposed to, we are given guidance and second chances, warnings and special conditions. And if we aren’t given these provisions, if we FAIL because of our behavior, we are shocked. We have developed a generation of people that don’t like to be disappointed. In fact, one of the things most often said to me by my clients and their parents are, “What if they don’t succeed?” They don’t want to be disappointed. I’m going to give you a “SHOCKER” folks. Disappointment is the foundation of excellence. Disappointment is critical and necessary for success! Without disappointment, there is no perseverance, no persistence, no reaching for the next level, no excellence! Anybody who has been highly successful, whether it is in business, sports, career, scholastically or in any area that is of any real importance has failed many times. I have personally FAILED to the point of tears. To the point that I wanted to GIVE UP! To the degree that I was so frustrated, that I had to succeed in order to redeem my dignity and self esteem. That is HOW I SUCCEEDED!

Much of this attitude of self-entitlement is unrealistic, but what is even more dangerous, it is against some very basic LAWS of human survival. One of the first laws we are taught is the “Law Of Reciprocity”. This is a very fundamental, and logic based natural principle of life.  What you reap, so you must sow. You get back what you put in. You become what you think about most of the time. And it comes from our very existence, if we didn’t hunt or forage, we starved. If we didn’t fight our enemies, we perished.  If we didn’t find safe shelter, we would die. Pretty simple concept, wouldn’t you agree? Yet, for some reason, parents decided that they wanted to provide MORE for their children, give them a life that they, perhaps didn’t have. The HUGE problem with this ideal is, there is little work put in, so there is little value placed on the efforts these people give to their children. They want more! They have become a generation of loving things and using people. Rather than loving people and using things! In their eyes, The Law Of Reciprocity has become the Law Of I Deserve This Because Of Who I am.  What many hold as valuable has become predicated without VALUES.

We as individuals, as teachers, as parents have the ability to guide others to see the importance of the VALUE of developing ourselves, and our values.  One thing I learned a long time ago is, it’s never crowded at the top. If you put in the time to become a little better each day, a little more skilled, a little stronger, you will be above the status quo, you will be unique and you will be rewarded congruently with your ACTION. If you do nothing, you deserve relatively the same. NOTHING. Be the anomaly, become the model, set the NEW standard. Develop yourself, make your list and begin NOW!

Overcoming Negative Habit Patterns
By Kevin Seaman 

Probably the most challenging issue for everyone, whether  just trying to lose those few pounds and Buff Up a little and stay there or you’re an aspiring  potential Olympian, is maintaining your personal training schedule as a SOLID HABIT. You’ve been there before. You start doing something, an activity, and then you have a setback, something that throws you off your path. In reflection, you may say, “I used to do that without even thinking twice, why did I stop?”  This is WHY…you have fallen victim to a Pattern Interruption!

First we make our habits,
Then our habits make us.
-JOHN DRYDEN

Just as a Habit can be positive or negative, so can a Pattern Interruption. A habit is actually just a pattern that has been developed through repetition. Have you ever heard the term “repetition is the mother of skill?” As a patterned habit is reinforced, it becomes ingrained deeper and deeper into our subconscious. It is the continued repetition of any action or thought that makes that specific action or thought increasingly natural. This is why habits are hard for some people to recognize and difficult for them to alter. There’s a saying, “good habits are hard to develop and easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to develop and hard to live with.” Yet, doing things in a habitual manner is essential toward our personal development. The more habitual our daily routines and activities become the less thought and energy we need to use to achieve them. In fact, studies show that nearly 90% of everything we do on a daily basis is by HABIT. There for, the more energy, focus and brainpower we can devote to new projects, skills and achievements.
 
Sometimes we get into bad habits that initially don’t seem to be overly negative. Rather, they appear to be just a slight shift in what we had been doing, not noticeable, really. Perhaps it is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day, that can over time land us in hot water! 

Utilizing the twin Winning Mind Set principles of Pattern Interruption and Success Visualization can help you wipe out those debilitating habits and pattern you back on the road to SUCCESS.

“Good habits are hard to develop and easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to develop and hard to live with.” 

How Can You Use This?

Habit Awareness Exercise
Take a moment to think about various positive or desired habit patterns you use to make your life easier or better. List them on a sheet of paper.

Great! Now take a moment to think about various negative or undesirable habit patterns you no longer want in your life. This can sometimes be very challenging because it is hard for us to identify our negative habits. Some of you will find it helpful to have a coach or other support system (friend, spouse, etc.) that can point out some of the negative habit patterns you have developed.  Many of these types of habits are so ingrained that we often don’t even realize we are doing them. Now, as you think of them, list them on a sheet of paper as well. This is your Master List! Now, take just one (just maybe the one you like the very least) and write it out on a post-it note. OK, place it in a very prominent place, say…your car’s dashboard or your bathroom mirror. This is a place that you look at a few times each day. Consistency is an important key, after all, that’s how you got this habit in the first place!

Now pick that habit that you like the very least and use a pattern interrupt to change the negative habit to one more desired. Your pattern interrupt for this exercise is to visualize the worst possible outcome you can muster from this continued negative habit, and see it clearly in your mind’s eye! If your exercise consistency is the issue or if you overeat or always have more than your share of dessert, you may see your personal image as HUGE! Visualize your pants splitting and your belly hanging over them. Got that image? Is it painful? If so, continue. If not, get even more extreme in your visualization. Get really gross. GET GRAPHIC! Now see yourself working out hard and eating fresh healthy foods, morphing into the hard body athlete you want to be as you do these activities. A little extreme you might say? A little too unrealistic? Your mind thinks in pictures, the more extreme, the more pronounced the image and the greater the impression. Remember to be extreme! This Pattern Interrupt will begin to change your association to that negative habit pattern. Once you have changed your association, you will begin to see results.

Be sure to continue the pattern interrupt until you become conscious of when you are about to perform the negative habit and no longer need the pattern interrupt to aid you. If you find yourself falling back into your negative habit, run the program again. Sometimes just running the program in your head visually over and over will be very effective. In this case you see yourself performing the unproductive habit and then run the interruption program in your head numerous times. We’ve had great results with this technique. It’s simple, it’s free and it’s very effective! Let me know how you do!

We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
-ARISTOTLE

Each Blog Issue I will help you add another facet to your Mental Toolbox and guide you to develop your Mind Game. I look forward to hearing your results and feedback.
Kevin@thewinningmindset.com

© Copyright 2018 all rights reserved, Kevin Seaman

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