The Identity Statement
The following LEAD (Love, Effort, Attitude, Discipline) blog uses the book, “10 Minute Toughness” by Dr. Jason Selk (Director of Mental Training for the St Louis Cardinals) to help coaches, athletes or anyone who desires to achieve peak performance develop their own identity statement.
How do you see yourself? Did you know that what people believe they are capable of accomplishing plays a huge role in how much they will actually accomplish. A person’s self image is determined by the things we continually say to ourselves. Remember, each of us decided how we view ourselves. Do you see yourself as a hero or a victim? Are you growth minded and believe that you can focus on the controllables (attitude and effort) and improve everyday or are you fixed minded and believe that behavior cannot change; that you wither have it or you don’t.
The identity statement is a statement you can use to increase ability and develop a positive self-image. The key is to create a self-image of who you want to be and how you want to live-and then continuously tell yourself that you have what it takes to be that person. Examples of Identity Statements that will help you improve your performance include:
A) I am the hardest worker on the team. I am dominant vs the competition.
B) I am the smartest student in the classroom. I know the material better than anyone.
C) I am fast and strong. I am the most powerful player in the league.
E) I have a great personality. I am a heck of a catch!
Coach Nelson serves as a high school football coach who is pursuing his doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology. He has worked for division 1 athletic departments, professional sport franchises, a Fortune 100 Company and has won numerous awards for his LEADership abilities.
His mission is to positively influence the world through Love, Effort, Attitude and Discipline (#LEAD). To learn more about the LEAD philosophy follow him on Twitter Levi Nelson or reach out via email at rln10@zips.uakron.edu He’d love to learn about or help you in your journey!
