Stephen and Britain discuss the book's core concepts about high performance, overcoming fear, and the mental state required to achieve success, whether in sports, business, or personal life. We talk through some personal insights and experiences with the book, emphasizing task-oriented versus ego-oriented mindsets. Also some of the questions we want to ask Dr. Manning, including what it’s been like working with the Milwaukee Bucks and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Highlights: 00:00 The Fearless Mind & Dr. Manning 01:23 The Role of Fear and Anxiety 02:50 Sports as a Lens for High Performance 05:51 Exploring Confidence and Competitiveness 07:14 Task-Oriented vs. Ego-Oriented Mindsets
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If you like this podcast and the books we discuss it would mean a lot if you left a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts ;)
Stephen and Britain discuss the book's core concepts about high performance, overcoming fear, and the mental state required to achieve success, whether in sports, business, or personal life. We talk through some personal insights and experiences with the book, emphasizing task-oriented versus ego-oriented mindsets. Also some of the questions we want to ask Dr. Manning, including what it’s been like working with the Milwaukee Bucks and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Highlights: 00:00 The Fearless Mind & Dr. Manning 01:23 The Role of Fear and Anxiety 02:50 Sports as a Lens for High Performance 05:51 Exploring Confidence and Competitiveness 07:14 Task-Oriented vs. Ego-Oriented Mindsets
***
If you like this podcast and the books we discuss it would mean a lot if you left a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts ;)
We're excited to announce the next book that we're going to be reviewing on the podcast, and this is kind of our first book together as co hosts that we're going to be reviewing. The book is called the fearless mind by Dr. Craig Manning. We're really excited about this book because this book is all about being a high performer. And the concept of being a high performer is talked about a lot in today's world. A lot of times in a sports con. Text or a business setting, but even in an individual life, if you're a parent, for example, you want to be a high performing parent, or if you're a teacher, you want to be a high performing teacher or whatever your role in life is. I think innately as humans, we want to perform at our best, and this is kind of what this book is all about. So, so Brett You reading this book, what's kind of the core concept that stood out to you?
Britain:
Yeah. Well, like you said, I think everybody wants to be just successful and a high performer. There's, that's no secret. I think that's almost why there's been a resurgent of just a focus on self help books and things like that in society today. I like that this book explores how fear and like fear of failure, fear of the unknown gets in the way of. Success and gets in the way of taking that next step that most of us need to be successful and and not just fear, but Worry and stress and anxiety. And so this book gives a good understanding of how to balance those feelings. Um, sometimes how to utilize those feelings and then most of the time, how to uproot those feelings because they're not beneficial, they don't drive you to success. And, uh, so it gives a lot of specific approaches to not letting the fear of failure or the anxiety of the future. Um, cause a hindrance in your performance.
Stephen:
I love the name Fearless Mind, too, because for me, you, you hear that fearless mind, like what, what would your life be like if you didn't have any fear? Obviously, some fears, some fears good, right? You need fear to stay alive, I guess. But in today's world, in today's, you know, modern society, We don't have the same fears that our ancient ancestors had. And so the fear that holds us back is more this mental, you know, like you talked about anxiety. It's more of a mental state, but if you had a completely fearless mind. Just imagine what the possibilities would be. It's, it's pretty incredible. And the thing I like about this book and, and kind of the reason we chose this book as our, our first book to review together as co host is because it does have a bit of a sports focus. It's not all of it, but it's a bit of a sports focus. And I feel strongly that sports. Is kind of like the best, physical manifestation of, of performance, right? It's at least the most visible where you can watch a sporting performance and you can say or not say that person is performing at a very high level versus, you know, in a business setting, it might be hard to,, be on like a sales call and be like, wow, he's performing at such a high level. And so. I just love kind of the concept of, of looking at it through a sports lens, but even though it's looking at it through a sports lens, it's applicable in business. It's applicable in our personal life. And so that's why I just love this book. I personally read this book four or five years ago and it's had a huge impact on me personally. We're really excited to talk to Dr. Craig Manning. His background is unique because he grew up in Australia and played tennis at the collegiate level and also actually played tennis at the pro level as well. And then came to the United States and then actually became a division one, head coach in tennis, won multiple conference titles, took a team that wasn't, performing great. And then all of a sudden. You know, I think they won three or four conference titles, which is pretty incredible. And since that time transition to being kind of a full time sports psychologist, working with both sports, but then also on the business side as well, currently right now, he's actually very actively involved working with the Bucks organization and the NBA. And one of the things. Britt and I want to talk to him about and ask him about is, about working with some of the athletes on the Bucks and in particular Giannis, uh, who we, Britt and I both admire greatly as just an incredible human and incredible performer. And just kind of want to ask him, you know, Janice, an MVP of, of the NBA and literally one of a few players in the world as far as performance level. So we're excited to talk to him about that. But Brita wanted to ask you what, you know, what was maybe a core concept or idea that stood out to you in the book that you want to ask Dr. Manning about?
Britain:
Well, like you said, I think it will be fun to, uh, at least for me to approach it kind of from a sports view, like you said, sports is so public and I feel like we all watch someone like Giannis. And, and just have a little bit of wonder and, you know, obviously so physically gifted, right? His, his nickname is literally the Greek freak. So, um, but there's something more. I mean, there's a lot of people that are physically gifted. So, so what is it about them that made some makes them so good? And, one thing I want to talk to him about is he talks a lot about how confidence is such a key indicator in success. And he talks about this quiet confidence, Controlling what you can control and how confidence there's a humility to it. And it's knowing what you're good at, what you can do and not worrying about what's outside of your control. And I'm wondering how that coexists with competitiveness, because you read about some of the greatest of all time, right? The MJ, Tom Brady, Kobe, and. And they were so competitive. You, they were extremely confident in themselves, but they also just wanted to look across the line at the person they're competing against and they just wanted to beat them. And I'm wondering, you know, that's the other person's performance is sometimes out of your control. And so how does that coexist with that confidence, you know, that competitive idea in sports or life or anything, how does that coexist with the confidence idea? Um, Cause you know, explorers talking about winning and losing and if that should be your goal or if your performance should be your goal anyway, so I I'm excited. I could do a five hour podcast with him. I would love to ask him questions. Um, but how about you? You read this four years ago and obviously you weren't playing a sport at the time, but what, what stood out to you in this?
Stephen:
The key thing I took away from this book and one that I want to get better at is this whole idea where he talks about, being a task oriented individual versus an ego oriented individual. Orientation and actually, I'm just going to briefly read from the book where he describes what an ego oriented person, like how they think in terms of when they're in a competition or doing a task. I think listeners will resonate with this, so ego oriented individuals. Usually set expectations that are not within their direct control. Anxiety goes up dramatically. Feelings of helplessness, helplessness are heightened, increasing their sense of insecurity about themselves and about their environment. This results in attitudes of, I have to beat this guy today. If we don't win today, I will not be happy. If I don't get straight A's like my sister, my parents won't think much of me. And I hope I don't mess up in front of everyone. Ego oriented individuals are not as interested in the challenge of the game as in how they are going to look. So that's the ego oriented person versus a task oriented person, which he defines. So task oriented individuals are focused on. Performing the task and thereby don't take things personally. They're less likely to feel threatened by anyone or anything. They play the game of life with fearlessness, winning and losing are not direct reflections on who they are as human beings. Anxiety is never really an issue, of their performances. So that I want to, I just want to get deep into. Those two different mindsets, the, the task oriented individual that's just focused on the task at hand and performing that well, versus the ego oriented individual, where it feels like the weight of the world is on you, this is like a do or die moment. So for me, when I read this book four or five years ago, That was kind of the core concept that stood out to me because at the time I was in a, like a sales job role and sometimes in sales, there's just a ton of pressure with making a sale. And the making a sale is not always a hundred percent within your direct control. Right? You can't, you can't force someone to buy a product. And I realized I had a lot of this on the, on the ego oriented side, where it The weight of the world felt like it was against me on every sales call that I had to the point where it was affecting my performance. And when, when I read that concept of task oriented, where it's more like, Oh, I'm just focused on the task at hand. I'm not worried about how this. Is affecting my future or how this is, you know, going to play out years down the road, the weight of the world being on me and it, it made a huge shift for me personally, and just how I approach again, that's in a setting like a sales job where I took a lot of pressure and that's, I think the whole idea of fearless mind, I took a lot of the fear and the anxiety. Out of my day to day actions. It's an interesting, it's almost like, um, A juxtaposition, right? Because when you think of high performance, you think of someone who wins, who gets the result, right? Who gets the result, who makes it happen. But it's like the mindset, the mindset can't be all about that. It's got, it's gotta be.
Britain:
it's like John Wooden, right? The most, John Wooden's the prime example. He's, he's like the mystery. Everyone talks about John Wooden and his incredible philosophy. I mean, he wrote some books on it and, um, yeah. The winningest coach in NCAA history, I think one or one of, and yet he always talked about, uh, how winning wasn't just the end goal. And so, uh, a lot of times I think it is a by product, but I don't know if it's the focus. I don't know. I'm excited to talk to him about it.
Stephen:
We're really excited to interview Dr. Manning and, you will see that episode release here on the podcast shortly. So until then, everyone have a great day and we'll talk to you soon.
