Darrin Donnelly
Nov 30, 2017
Pretty much everything I write about on this site and in my books is focused on building mental toughness. That’s because the older I get and the more studies I read, the more convinced I am that your success and happiness in life is ultimately determined by how mentally tough you are.
The value of mental toughness can best be summed up by legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight, who once said: “Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one.”
That’s how important it is to be mentally tough.
But what exactly is “mental toughness”?
Here’s how I would explain the concept of mental toughness:
EVERYTHING follows your mindset. And mental toughness is the ability to make your mindset work FOR you instead of against you.
Most people have no idea how much their own mindset is working against them.
This data from Pat Williams, the senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, shows us just how important it is to win the battle within our minds…
[continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Nov 16, 2017
John Harbaugh is one of the top active coaches in the NFL. As head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, he has the second-most playoff victories since 2008, he’s led his team to three AFC Championship appearances, and his team won Super Bowl XLVII.
Jim Harbaugh is one of the top active coaches in college football. He has been named both the college football Coach of the Year (in 2010) and the NFL Coach of the Year (in 2011). Currently the head coach at Michigan, his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a Top-10 finish in each of his first two seasons.
Together, John and Jim Harbaugh were the first pair of brothers to serve as head coaches in the NFL. In an incredible feat that will likely never again be repeated, the two brothers faced each other in Super Bowl XLVII.
The Harbaugh brothers’ success in coaching was undoubtedly passed down from their father, Jack Harbaugh. [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Nov 9, 2017
The more I study the lives and inner beliefs of the world’s most successful people, the more I notice a common theme: they dream BIG dreams. Their goals and dreams are what most people would call unrealistic, impractical, or crazy.
But these high achievers don’t care what other people say.
They dream big, crazy dreams and they ignore anyone who tells them those dreams are too big or too unrealistic.
John Calipari is one of those achievers and he stresses the importance of dreaming big and ignoring the naysayers… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Nov 2, 2017
Urban Meyer believes that the difference between winning and losing isn’t as complicated as people might think.
On any given Saturday, any number of variables will factor into a game’s outcome, but Coach Meyer believes there is one variable that is more important than all the rest. There is one variable that accounts for the single biggest difference between winning and losing… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Oct 26, 2017
Nick Saban has won five national championships (one at LSU and four at Alabama), which makes him the most successful active coach in college football. His “secret” to success is something he calls, The Process (something that was discussed extensively in the bestselling book, Think Like a Warrior).
Strikingly similar to the philosophy embraced by history’s greatest college basketball coach, John Wooden, The Process is a relentless focus on only the things that you can control. It means not being distracted by the scoreboard and not being intimidated by an opponent’s perceived strengths. Instead, Saban teaches his teams that they are responsible for what they create, not the other team.
Whether things are going good or bad at any given moment, Saban tells his teams to focus on the process of becoming champions and nothing else.
Practically speaking, here’s how Saban’s powerful philosophy applies to all areas of life… [continue reading…]
Darrin Donnelly
Oct 19, 2017
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden had an insatiable desire to learn and he took the study of success very seriously. He spent several years coming up with what he felt was a proper definition of success.
Based on his experiences as an athlete, coach, and teacher, Wooden defined success this way: “Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
After he was satisfied with his definition of success, Wooden then spent many more years coming up with his system for achieving success. He would eventually refer to his success system as the Pyramid of Success, which consisted of seventeen meticulously-researched building blocks.
In 1997, Wooden boiled down his success philosophy to a simple list of eight rules. Of course, being the humble leader John Wooden was, he referred to this list not as ironclad rules for success, but instead what he called, “eight suggestions for succeeding.”
Here they are… [continue reading…]
