I had the Mind + Body Camp for the Firecrackers - Arizona Softball Organization here in the Phoenix area and this is how it impacted just one team!

 First off, you might be thinking… “What is the Mind + Body Camp?!” ‍

The Mind + Body Camp is a way for your team to work on their physical softball (sports) skills (examples: hitting, defense, conditioning) while learning new mental skills, then putting it all together through challenges and competition!

This camp is for girls and teams that...struggle with their confidence, get down on themselves easily, do really well at practice and fall apart in the game, or have a hard time balancing school and softball (sports) at times.

 At this camp the girls learn ALL of this...

How to visualize and see themselves succeeding
How to practice and execute positive self talk
How to break through their mental blocks and fears
How to practice gratitude (this one is great for parents when they come home grateful)
How to...

It sometimes, okay… kind of all the time, feels like we have to be hard on ourselves as athletes.

It’s this balance between being proud or feeling accomplished and pushing harder or never enough.

Most times, again, like all the time, we feel like we aren’t enough. 

Athletes are constantly thinking about… 

How do I improve

Why am I not further along?

Will I ever be good enough?

Can I really do this?

I need to push harder

There’ so much I need to get better at

And this is good! This is what makes us better. It’s the competitor in us!

But… we forget to pump ourselves up. We forget to give ourselves credit. 

It’s CRUCIAL as an athlete to take time to be proud of ourselves too. 

So, here’s what you as the athlete or your daughter needs to do TODAY!

1. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes.
2. Braindump and write down ALL of your accomplishments, things you’ve overcome, things you’re proud...

Hey {{first_name}}!

Last weekend, I was able to watch a ton of college softball. This was always my favorite weekend playing because it was the first weekend and we always played in Arizona at the ASU tournament. I’ll never forget my first game ever as a division 1 softball player. I got the start as a freshman catcher against Oklahoma (nothin’ like your first at bat against Keilani Ricketts)!

Besides the fact that this first weekend in February always takes me back to the glory days (well, with lots of ups and downs) I had so many thoughts and huge takeaways for muh girls!!

Here it goes!

1Your investment and focus is EVERYTHING!
I watched these big time teams, Northwestern, Tennessee, ASU, Arizona, Utah, etc. and what I noticed was that every single girl that was on that field (pitcher, infield, outfield, the bench) were FREAKIN’ dialed in!

What does that mean?
They moved around each pitch B R I N G I N G the energy!
They communicated with PASSION!
They were...

Ughhhh... the dreadful car ride home after a tough day at the ballpark, the fields, the court, wherever the battle took place that day.

How it plays out...

Mom/Dad: Why did you swing at that pitch over your head?!

Daughter: I don't know! I just did (starts to cry because can't stop thinking about how she's such a failure). ‍

As the daughter in this, a lot of times, I... 
didn't feel grateful 
was disrespectful 
felt ashamed 
gave attitude

So, I am just gonna lay it all out there. Straight up!

Parents! I love you and I know you love your kids, but... 

STOP telling your daughter what she did wrong. She most likely already knows what she did wrong.

START asking your daughter how she is doing or if she is okay. 

REPLACE 
"Why did you do this?" or "You should of done that!"
WITH 
"What did you learn today?" or "What did you do well today?" or "What can you do to improve?" and "How are you going to do that?"

I know... you want to help and control it...

I have spoken and mentored many teams and athletes now. The #1 thing they crave and want is...

CONFIDENCE! ‍‍‍

on the field 
on the court 
in school 
in front of friends or even boys 
when we compete

If you want confidence, just like most things...

YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT!

I have some EASY things you can do to get this confidence! 
The challenging part is being committed and consistent!

We are going to create a mental game routine for you!

Step 1: Visualization and meditation ‍ 
Seeing yourself succeeding and accomplishing your goals will GROW your confidence. 
Go use my freebie download at paigetonz.com to practice visualization!

Step 2: Gratitude practice  
Writing down and thinking about what you're grateful for give you a kick start, prospective, and more purpose! 
Example: Grateful for my mentor, for my family, for my faith, for constant opportunities, for my failures teaching me and helping me grow, for my health.

Step 3:...

Are you ready,?! Is your daughter ready?! ‍

Do we ever feel 100% ready!? No, not really - BUT, it's okay, I'VE GOT YOU and YOUR DAUGHTER!

But... are you/your daughter ready to feel... 
CONFIDENT and PREPARED for tryouts and season? ‍

Instead of... 
nervous 
worried about this season's results 
not good enough 
fear of failure 
afraid to let people down

No matter what you/your daughter did or didn't do to prepare - there is still hope!

I can help you/your daughter... 
get your mindset and attitude in check 
build up your confidence 
create a plan of ACTION to feel amazing going into tryouts and upcoming season

I can help you (mom + dad)... 
help your daughter create all the positivity 
know what to say to her when she's feeling nervous or in her own head

Here's the secret recipe! 
visualization 
self talk 
a plan of action

Not sure how to do these things on your own? No stress!

I am doing a FREE Live Pre-Season Mindset...

Unfortunately, this comes up way too often. BUT! It's a part of sports - part of the game and competition.

If you haven't had a tough (meanie) coach yet, you're lucky, but you'll probably have this come up at some point. Even if it's an employer someday, a boss someday, maybe a teacher, or whatever!

But most of us have had those coaches that... 
yell at you 
belittle you 
are so sarcastic it hurts 
make you feel worthless 
deplete your self confidence 
the list could go on and on...

Bad news: You can't change them.

Good news: You can change you!

You're probably like, what?! Heck no! Coach blankity blank sucks, not me!

I know, I feel your pain! Been there, done that!

Here's the thing though... 
You want these things below right?! 
to feel happy 
to have confidence 
to play like a bad-@$& 
to have fun 
to not go home crying

That's what I thought! So, listen up!

It's time to take control of you instead of worrying how the coach is,...

Stop it!

I know. Easier said than done.

I'm not going to lie to you. I was focused on the results for A LONG TIME. I still catch myself focusing in on the results instead of what I should be focusing on.

I wanted the... 
highest batting average
record for the most RBI's 
best fielding percentage 
awards! 
GLORY! 
recognition!

But, that mentality only got me so far.. I did okay, maybe just slightly above average. It never felt like enough. I knew deep down I had more in me.

I WANTED TO BE GREAT!

When I worried about the results... 
‍I was tense 
‍I had horrible thinking when it wasn't perfect 
‍my attitude sucked when the results didn't match up to my expectations 
‍I was a crap teammate because I was being selfish

Here's the trick.

Focusing on the things you CAN control. 
I know.... rocket science, right?! You've heard this one before, but hear me out.

SERIOUSLY! - this is no joke!

When things took off in my softball career...

So many things to achieve, accomplish, succeed at.

But, you're over her being Negative Nancy!

It's okay, first of all. 
It happens to me too. Heck, it happens to a LOT of other girls, athletes, grown ups, CEO's and way more.

Are you ready to make a change? 
Are you ready to actually achieve your 2020 goals? 
Are you ready to be the best you can be?

It starts with your mind.

In 2020 you have to make your mind a priority.

Start here

You're at practice and you just can't get that one thing right AGAIN!

It's embarrassing. 
It's frustrating. 
It's just flat out dumb.

Time to make your mind priority.

Here's what you do next... 
1. Take a deep breath (ask for a water break or something) 
2. Ask yourself, "What did I do well?" 
3. Ask yourself, "What did I not do well? 
4. Ask yourself, "How can I learn, grown, and get better? 
5. Take another deep breath. Seriously. 
6. Take ACTION. You've got this!

This is what I call the overcoming...

Here's the deal...

Imagine this...

You are minutes or hours away from a big game, a huge final, or walking into a camp your mom or dad signed you up for (and don't know anyone there)...

BUT... you haven't put the work in that you know you should of.

You're feeling...
unprepared 
not confident 
worried 
doubtful

It's not too late to boost your confidence though! You can still go into this thing with the right mindset. ‍

Your mind is POWERFUL!

Here's what you need to do before you start.

Step 1: Breathe. I mean big deep breaths! 
Step 2: Get Present. Let go of what you did or didn't do and get focused on right now! 
Step 3: Self Talk. Start telling yourself empowering words. 
Step 4: Breathe AGAIN. Big inhale. Big exhale. You've got this!

If you do this, you are raising your chances to be more successful going into it with your MIND right!

And remember this!

DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN!

The most important thing is you learn from how you felt and you create a...