Exploring The Mindside With Dr. Bhrett Mccabe

We are not a patient society. We are plagued with entitled individuals who think that they deserve a position, role, roster spot, job opportunity, etc., without ever earning it. Those individuals feel like they should be handed the greatest of roles and responsibilities, yet they have no idea what the hell they are doing. They are embarrassed to start at the bottom, put in the work and time, and climb the ladder to get where they want to be. In both sports and life, we have too many people in this world who would rather complain about their circumstances and try to change them based on discontent instead of taking those circumstances and making them better. In this episode, I want to stress the importance of DOING YOUR JOB. It doesn't mean that you have to accept your circumstances, but it does mean that you need to do your job to the best of your ability, allowing your performance and your execution to change your circumstances. Not your complaining and moaning.

Recently, I was invited to sit on a panel with one of my great clients, Billy Horschel. Sitting on that panel, along with Billy and his swing coach Todd Anderson, allowed me to gain tremendous perspective. It reminded me of the way Billy feels about his team and the trust he has with every single member because of the experience, trust, and expertise they bring to the table. He listens to everyone in his circle, and he is incredibly loyal. Billy talked about how he was an active seeker of information and was constantly learning. He wanted to continuously add to his mental bookshelf so that he always had a way of improving as a person and player. In this episode, I want to take a deeper dive about how you can build your mental bookshelf and how it takes no talent to do so. It has nothing to do with talent; it has everything to do with a desire to learn, grow, and develop.

The many stresses and burdens the world has placed on us have taken their toll on so many people, and I want to make sure you are taking a moment to check in on your mental health. Believe it or not, our mental health is all we have. It takes care of you. It's not so much the major stresses that I am worried about. Whether it's a death in the family, the birth of a child, losing a job, etc. It's the minor ones; the ones you typically overlook or brush aside throughout the day but end up wearing on you as they build up. They are things like traffic, running late for an appointment, having too many items on a to-do list, etc. They slowly drain your energy. For the most part, the ways in which we cope with these stresses aren't great either. In this episode, I discuss different strategies you can utilize to overcome the stresses you are experiencing and some ways to neutralize them before they ever come about.

 In today's world, communication is ever-changing and becoming increasingly difficult. I have spoken with a number of people, both in and out of the sports world, who tell me that they're overly cautious, if not somewhat scared, when communicating what they feel, and what they think. Why? Because they are afraid to cross a certain line. Honestly, it is a line that they don't even know that exists. They're afraid to share what they believe out of fear that someone will misinterpret their intentions or underlying belief systems. The question I want to answer in this episode is - how have we gotten to this point in our lives?

So many things are bombarding us for attention on a daily basis. There is so much noise in our lives and clutter in our heads. It's almost like we are standing in Times Square in NYC trying to focus on one small billboard. Surrounding us on all sides are loud noises, cars honking, bright lights, people shouting, etc. It becomes extremely difficult to focus our attention on that small billboard. In this episode, I want to focus on how and where to filter and direct our attention, energies, and effort so that we can stay focused on the things that matter and remove all the clutter and noise.

This week, I brought in a familiar voice to The Secrets to Winning. That person is none other than my Alabama Football colleague and fellow consultant, Ben Newman. Ben recently wrote a book titled, Uncommon Leadership where he takes you inside the minds and hearts of eleven exceptional individuals: athletes, coaches, CEOs, entrepreneurs, and others whose unrelentingly high performance has made them not only the best in their fields but also unquestioned leaders in sports, business, and life. In this episode, Ben and I break down the concept of uncommon leadership, honing in on the core qualities that drive these trailblazers to push for the best in themselves and others, every single day.

He was expected to die. Now he is teaching others how to truly live. In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live. His epic story of survival has never felt more relevant, as we experience the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath. John‘s story, perspective and inspiration have inspired millions of people and 2,000 clients over more than 12 years - and continue to today through virtual keynotes, workshops and experiences. John is also a two-time national bestselling author of ON FIRE and IN AWE.

With Simone Biles' withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics due to mental health issues, the subject of the pressure, stress, and expectations placed upon high-profile athletes has been at the forefront of the conversation. There have been many athletes who came out in support of Biles, including tennis star Naomi Osaka and the most decorated Olympian of all time Michael Phelps, each of whom has dealt with mental health struggles. Mental health is a major issue in athletics for a lot of reasons: the amount of pressure placed on athletes to perform, the stress to constantly meet expectations, the sacrifice it takes to compete at the highest level, and the lack of coping away from the sport, just to name a few. In this episode, I hope to bring to light the many difficulties and challenges that these athletes struggle with.

One of the most consistent things I ask my clients is, "What disappoints you most about your performance? And, when those disappointments inevitably happen, what does it say about you?" At any given moment during the course of a competition, we have to be willing to put ourselves out there. We have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable because the closer we get to what we want, the riskier it is. There is a chance we could put in so much effort and be left with nothing to show for it. To add to it, the more success you tend to have, the harder it becomes. I know that's hard to understand, but in this episode, I want to take a deep dive into how you can overcome those disappointments in your performance so you can be ready to dominate the next one.

Today's podcast is about how to deal with struggle and all the stress we have in today's world. Look, people are experiencing more anxiety in today's world than we have ever seen. This was the case even before the COVID situation. We live in a world with constant uncertainty, threat, and challenge. There is not a day that goes by that we don't have something that is dominating our attention, taking over our responses, and making life really difficult.  I am going to dive into the main factors that drive this anxiety and also give you some ways to help manage it so you can go about your life without being consumed by anxiety.

Recently, ESPN and the SEC Network released a documentary titled Hold the Rope, telling the story of my legendary baseball coach at LSU, Skip Bertman, and his quest to turn the LSU baseball program into a perennial power. "Hold the Rope" was a phrase/motto that we and all LSU baseball teams used on a regular basis that encapsulated the trust and unity that Coach Bertman instilled in the teams he coached. In this episode, I want to take a deep dive into what it meant to "Hold the Rope" every day. We didn't always have the most talent, but what we did have was trust in our teammates, coaching staff, and the system, which was ultimately enough to win 5 national championships in the span of 10 years.

People that come to me aren't doing so because everything is awesome. The people I see are frustrated, and they feel like they are stuck in what I call "Suckville" - that dreaded space between our reality and our potential or where we "think" we should be. Suckville can be a tough place to get out of. You're constantly frustrated with your current reality vs. where you think you should be. You feel like you are taking way too long to reach your goals, and you want success RIGHT NOW. I want to help you get out!

This episode has a bit of a different twist to it, but it is one that means a lot to me because of the content matter. It is going to be difficult to talk about so if you are someone who has ever had thoughts of harming or hurting yourself or if you suffer from depression, I want you to know that viewer discretion is advised. Today's guest is Mark Hilinski. Mark is the father of former Washington State quarterback Tyler Hiliniski who tragically took his own life in 2018. Tyler did not show any signs of depression or anything that would lead you to believe he had thoughts of committing suicide. He seemed like he had everything going for him - star quarterback for a Power 5 school and team favorite. Then, one day, he didn't show up for an afternoon offseason training session. What ensued would lead Tyler's parents Mark and Kym to receive the worst phone call of their lives and one no parent should have to receive. In Tyler's honor, the Hilinski's created Hiliniski's Hope, which was founded in order to help coll

Take stock of your life: Based on your last 30 days of work, would your company rehire you? Would your coach re-recruit you? Would your spouse remarry you? The easy answer is, “Absolutely!” But it's probably not the honest answer. Your life might read like a success story, and your family and friends might even think you have it all figured out, but you have a secret: You've stopped caring about much of anything. You feel out of place in your own life. You'd rather binge-watch Netflix than think about what's next. You're living on autopilot. You have two choices: Experience a slow self-destruction, or commit to a course correction. The good news is, it's never too late to find your drive again. I sat down with popular speaker and success coach Antonio Neves to talk about hard-won lessons and to remind you that you do have a say—that you can reboot your life and find fulfillment right where you are. You don't have to quit your job or move to Bali to follow your passion. You do, however, need to shift your pers

Recently, several destructive tornadoes ripped through our city causing massive damage. Thankfully, my family and I are fine. However, some families experienced massive damage to their homes or lost them completely. In the aftermath of the storm, one thing stood out to me - the will of the human spirit. In our lives, there will always be tough circumstances & adversity that we face. However, you can endure them and find a way through them. I want to share some things you can do to tap into the will of your human spirit to help clear the debris from your path and create a path forward.

Are expectations good? Many times we hear competitors talk about saying that they expected to win or they expected to do well. Why should you expect to have a good outcome? Because you had a good week of practice, you have more talent than your opponent, or your desire to succeed is unmatched? If that is your thinking, then you are falling into a trap of expectations. When you expect to win or expect to play well, what you are really doing is taking evidence of the past and merging it with a hope for the future, creating a story in your mind that you simply cannot live up to. As a result of not living up to those expectations, you get frustrated earlier, become more judgmental, and lose your grit and resiliency.

People don't change their behavior because they want to. They change because they have to. For you to change the performance trajectory of your life, it requires you to do things differently. There is no greater way to start than changing how you think. In order to understand how you think and how it influences your outcome, you must make these four promises to yourself. These four promises will keep you going when things, inevitably, get hard.

There are so many things that occupy our minds on a regular basis. Some of it is positive, but a lot of it is negative and distracting or what I like to call clutter. When you are competing and focused on a goal, there is going to be clutter and distractions that bombard you on a regular basis. There are going to be things that compete for your attention and rob you of energy and potential for growth. In this podcast, I discuss three huge sources of mental clutter and what you can do to get rid of it and focus on the things that are going to lead to your success.

In my time as a psychologist and in my own personal journey, I've learned that moments of high achievement are often the earmarks by which we define our life. Oftentimes, we see the struggles, trials, and tribulations in our lives as problems that are difficult and frustrating.  In reality, the hard is the normal. As a competitor who wants to take the next steps to be able to win, I want you to be prepared for the difficult, not the easy. The difficult is in front of you for a reason. It is to help you understand who you are and to understand the way you do things. When you can adapt and adjust to what you're going through - the difficult times - that's when the success that lies within you will be shown to the world.

In my time working with some of the highest achieving athletes and coaches in their sport, I've noticed that they share some similar characteristics. They aren't all exactly the same, but their process to achieve excellence is almost identical. See, the best of the best don't do anything magical, they just do what they do better than anyone else. They have an unrelenting attention to detail and an unwavering system or process to drive excellence. They get outside their comfort zones and break through any limiting barriers in their way.