Gold Medal Mind

“What separates the top few from the many in a sport?  Mentality.  The importance of the mental side of athletics was once brilliantly summed up by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘Your mind is what makes everything else work.'”

Dr. Jim Afremow is a mental game coach, licensed professional counselor, and the author of The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train and Thrive. He is the founder of Good to Gold Medal, PLLC, a leading coaching and consulting practice right here in Phoenix, Arizona.  His book (it’s also available as an audio book) is really worth checking out.Champions Mind

Dogged determination requires keeping your feet moving forward through inconveniences, discomfort, and insecurities to reach your goals.”

Here’s an excerpt from his book:

“Mental toughness is built by doing something that is hard over and over again, especially when you don’t feel like doing it. Our society has conditioned us to believe that there should be no discomfort, to stop when we are uncomfortable. But the discomfort we feel when we’re doing a challenging workout is an important part of the strengthening process. Push through your down days when you’re not feeling your best (unless, of course, you are injured or ill).”

I’d encourage you to learn more about  Dr. Afremow’s book here.

Dr AfrenowFor over 15 years, Dr. Afremow has assisted numerous high school, collegiate, recreational, and professional athletes. Major sports represented include MLB, NBA, WNBA, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, NHL, and NFL. In addition, he has mentally trained several U.S. and international Olympic competitors. He served as the staff mental coach for two international Olympic teams, the Greek Olympic softball team and India’s Olympic field hockey team. From 2004 to 2013, he served as a senior staff member with Counseling Services and Sports Medicine at Arizona State University.