PDF Summary:How Champions Think, by Bob Rotella

How do exceptional people achieve exceptional things? What's the secret to their extraordinary success? We often think it's luck, talent, or skill, but sports psychologist Bob Rotella argues that people achieve excellence because of their mindset. In How Champions Think, Rotella explains that champions share similar ways of thinking that set them apart: They nurture a positive self-image, break down ambitious dreams into realistic goals, and learn to grow from setbacks. By adopting the mental habits of a champion, you can unlock your full potential and achieve excellence in whatever you pursue.

In this guide, we’ll discuss ways to develop a positive self-image, train and master your skills, and perform under pressure. We’ll also explore methods for overcoming and learning from setbacks and challenges. Along the way, we’ll present other experts’ tips for high performance and provide additional actionable advice to help you apply Rotella’s principles to your goals.

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Part 2: Work Diligently to Achieve Your Ambitious Dreams

A positive mindset sets a good foundation for achieving excellence in any field, but it’s not enough by itself. Excellence requires hard work—you must master your skills by engaging in quality practice and staying committed to your goals, and then perform at your best by letting your subconscious mind take over.

(Shortform note: Other experts agree that there’s no shortcut to exceptional success—you must prepare yourself to put in the necessary hard work. In The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone gives advice on how to do so: Assume every endeavor you undertake will require 10 times more time, effort, and resources than you expect. This way, you’ll be ready to deal with unexpected challenges. If it turns out to be easier than you expected, you’ll still be happy with the result.)

Engage in Quality Practice

You can’t achieve your ambitious dreams through wishful thinking alone. To turn your dreams into reality, you must put in quality practice to develop your skills.

(Shortform note: What’s the difference between quality practice and ineffective practice? In Decoding Greatness, Ron Friedman says self-reflection is the most important element of good practice. This means tracking your goals, the techniques you use to reach them, and how well you’re performing. By regularly reflecting on your practice, you can determine which strategies work best for you, which helps you concentrate your efforts in the most productive and valuable way. One easy way to practice self-reflection is by starting a journal, Friedman says.)

Rotella describes several methods for practicing your skills:

1) Create a training plan. Rotella suggests you break down your ultimate dream into realistic goals that you can pursue daily. You’ll then not only have a practical roadmap to follow, but also a way to measure and take satisfaction in your progress. Your plan will differ depending on your aspirations, but it should lay out actions you’ll take to improve and progress to your ultimate goal. For example, if you want to run a marathon, your process might involve finding a coach, following a training program, and setting frequent goals, such as how many miles you’ll run each day.

(Shortform note: In High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard provides a simple process for creating a practical plan to achieve your ambitious dream: First, write down your goal in a clear and specific manner. Next, break down your goal into five big steps you’ll need to take to accomplish it. Then, for each of the five steps, create a list of tasks you have to complete to accomplish that step. Finally, Burchard recommends you enter those tasks into your calendar and assign deadlines for each of them. This helps you stay disciplined and motivated to complete the tasks you set for yourself.)

2) Practice smarter. Although developing a training plan is vital for success, Rotella writes that it’s not enough in the long-term—you must not only practice your skills diligently, but also strategically. Don’t sink energy and time into inefficient study or practice. Instead, evaluate your practice approach: Consider how you can challenge yourself and strengthen your skills in a way that best translates to the real-world scenarios you’ll face. For example, if you’re preparing for a test, you could quiz yourself with flashcards or ask your teacher for extra worksheets instead of spending hours memorizing facts.

(Shortform note: In Peak, Anders Ericsson provides deeper insight into what constitutes smart practice. He explains that simple repetition will only make you competent in your skill and that, to take your performance to the next level, you must engage in what he calls “purposeful practice.” To practice purposefully, you need four things: clear and specific goals, complete focus, feedback, and challenge. For example, if you want to improve your dancing skills, you could set a goal of doing a challenging section of a dance routine five times in a row without making a mistake, eliminate any distractions, and get feedback from a coach or partner.)

3) Watch the competition. By assessing your competitors and the standards of your field, you can get ideas of how to practice and prepare more effectively. Rotella suggests you compare yourself to people similar to you in skill level and be mindful of what they’re doing. For instance, if they’re practicing four hours a day and you only practice one hour, you should find a way to practice more effectively or put in more hours.

(Shortform note: Instead of comparing yourself to someone with a similar skill level, Simon Sinek recommends in The Infinite Game that you find a “worthy rival”—someone who has some skills or qualities that are better than yours. This should be someone you respect and feel inspired by as opposed to someone you only want to beat. By viewing your competitors this way, you can examine their strengths and improve your weaknesses, instead of dismissing them and missing out on valuable insights.)

Boost Your Commitment

Once you have a training plan to follow, you must adopt a relentless commitment to your goal that drives you to invest more time and effort into honing your skills than others do. Commitment means you work steadily toward your goals and are willing to make sacrifices for them.

(Shortform note: In The 12 Week Year, Brian P. Moran says you need four things to exercise strong commitment: First, identify a strong “why” to motivate you (such as the dream of becoming an entrepreneur). Next, recognize the best and most effective path you could take to produce the outcome you want. Then, be prepared for the sacrifices you’ll have to make to follow through on your commitments. Finally, push through negative feelings and focus on your promises.)

According to Rotella, there are a number of ways to boost your commitment to your goals.

1) Reflect on what you enjoy about your craft. It’s easier to be committed to your skill when you’re passionate about it. But, according to Rotella, many people struggle with how to stay passionate. This can happen for a number of reasons—they may encounter a lot of rejection or feel like they’re not improving, for instance. To renew your passion, Rotella suggests you regularly remind yourself about what you enjoy about the work or activity you do.

(Shortform note: If plateaus or rejections are hurting your motivation, one way to rekindle your passion is by reimagining your good memories—for instance, when your team won a match or when you completed your novel manuscript. Imagine that memory being vividly projected on an IMAX screen five to 10 times. This will get you excited and motivate you to pursue that feeling once again.)

2) Create good habits. Replacing bad habits with good habits can help you stay committed to your goals. Habits are unthinking behaviors that don’t require willpower. Rotella explains that all habits begin with a cue—something that triggers you to do a certain action. To replace a bad habit, you must recognize the cue and consciously respond differently to it. For instance, finishing dinner might be a cue for you to plop onto your couch for the rest of the night. If you want to work on your novel instead, you must create a new response to the cue. Instead of going straight to the couch after dinner, you might force yourself to go straight to your writing desk.

(Shortform note: While starting a good habit might be simple, sticking with it tends to be much harder. In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor suggests you’ll achieve greater success with your habits if you make them easier to start. For example, if you want to write after dinner instead of lounging on the couch, you could lay out your writing materials on your desk after you get home and pile objects on your couch so there’s no room to sit on it. This minimizes the effort it takes for you to start writing while increasing the effort it takes to relax on the couch.)

Let Your Subconscious Mind Take Over

When it’s time to put your skills to the test, you may feel pressure and nerves you didn’t feel when you were training. To prevent your emotions and thoughts from interfering with your performance, you must quiet your conscious mind, trust in your training, and let your subconscious mind take over. Rotella explains that your conscious mind hijacks your brain with unhelpful thoughts such as doubts or worries that break up your natural flow. When your subconscious mind is in control, you can focus on your task, stay in the present moment, and maintain your composure after victories and mistakes.

(Shortform note: By putting your subconscious mind in control, you might achieve what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls flow—a mental state of deep focus and enjoyment he discusses in Flow. In this state, you’re so focused on your task that everything else fades away, allowing you to forget about the pressure and your nerves and perform at your best. Csikszentmihalyi doesn’t define this as a state of subconsciousness but rather as a state of ordered consciousness, as opposed to a disordered consciousness in which you’re controlled by your doubts and worries, and which aligns with Rotella’s observations about the conscious mind.)

To activate your subconscious, detach yourself emotionally from the outcome of the event and focus on the present moment. Rotella suggests you approach the situation as if you were doing something you don’t care about. For example, if you’re performing at a piano recital, imagine that you’re only singing karaoke with your friends. When you remove the stakes, you can focus on applying your skills rather than worrying about how well you’re doing. You should only judge how well you did later, Rotella writes, as immediate judgment will only interfere with your current performance.

(Shortform note: In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle writes that many people struggle to focus on the present because they resist the present reality, especially if they’re facing obstacles or challenges. For instance, if you’re playing a competitive sport and your team is down by many points, you might resist the reality of your situation by thinking, “I can’t believe we’re doing so terribly right now.” This way of thinking causes frustration and anger, which will only make things worse. Instead, Tolle suggests you focus on accepting the present as it is, without resistance or judgments of good or bad. Instead, try to think, “We’re down a few points, so we’ll need to play more aggressively.”)

Rotella advises that another way to tap into your subconscious is by smiling. Whether you’re facing down a business presentation, a sports match, or a college exam, smiling relaxes your brain and allows your subconscious mind to take over so that you fully trust your abilities and allow the quality of your training to shine through. In contrast, frowning engages your conscious mind, which makes you doubt yourself and your abilities.

(Shortform note: Smiling can improve your performance because your body language affects what emotions you feel. When you smile, you trigger your brain to release chemicals that make you happier. These chemicals also relax your nervous system and reduce stress. To get the most benefit from smiling, experts suggest trying to smile as genuinely as possible.)

Part 3: Grow From Challenges and Setbacks

Just as important as maintaining a positive attitude, training your skills, and trusting in your subconscious mind is learning how to overcome setbacks and challenges. Rotella writes that to be exceptional, you must learn not only how to bounce back after failure but also how to glean lessons from it. You can do this by learning to value the process over the outcome, letting go of your mistakes, and finding the right people to support you.

Value the Process, Not the Outcome

To ward off disappointment and persevere in spite of failures, you must see the process of pursuing your goals as more important than the outcome, Rotella writes. Exceptional people pursue their goals fully recognizing the possibility that they may not attain them. They find joy in the process of striving for their goals, rather than in the promise of external rewards or recognition. This mindset ensures that you give it your all and persist even when you face obstacles that might prevent you from getting the outcomes you desire.

You can be more process-oriented by creating two lists of goals: One for training and one for performance. Both lists should be process-focused. So, for example, if you’re a violinist, your training goals might be practicing sight reading for an hour every day and your performance goals might be focusing on the present moment during your concert. Having these goals in place gives you something to focus on other than the outcome of your performance, be that a competition, a musical performance, a speech, and so on.

(Shortform note: Many experts agree with Rotella’s advice to focus on your process, which is within your control, instead of on an outcome, which is affected by variables beyond your control, such as luck or opportunities. In Atomic Habits, James Clear writes that you can do this by making small improvements to your behaviors rather than aiming for a broad goal. For example, if you want to improve your grades, don’t aim for a certain GPA, but instead, find ways to learn more effectively and improve your study habits (this would correspond to Rotella’s advice for training goals). When you do this, you’ll not only better approach your overall goal, but you’ll also feel a sense of achievement along the way.)

Focus on Successes, Not Failures

Rotella writes that to overcome challenges, you should also focus on your successes and let go of your mistakes. This doesn’t mean you should ignore your mistakes completely. Instead, you should learn from them and then let them go. Wallowing in your mistakes doesn’t improve your performance but only weighs you down and depletes your confidence.

(Shortform note: If you have trouble letting go of your mistakes, even after gleaning a lesson or two from them, consider using the 10/10/10 test: Ask yourself how you’d feel about the mistake 10 weeks, 10 months, and 10 years from now. By changing your perspective, something that might feel catastrophic in the moment may seem far more insignificant, which can help you move on from your mistakes.)

Rotella advises athletes in particular to spend no more than 10 to 20 minutes reflecting on a mistake. When you think about your mistakes, consider how well you followed your training and whether you let your conscious mind get in the way of your performance instead of trusting in your subconscious. Once you’ve reflected on these points and figured out how to do better next time, move on.

(Shortform note: Sometimes, it might not be helpful to dwell on your mistakes immediately after they happen. If you find this to be the case, consider scheduling a time to worry about your mistakes later. Choose a time, place, and duration and then write down the mistakes you want to reflect on at that time. Postponing your reflection for a later time allows you to focus on the present moment. You might also find that your mistakes no longer bother you as much as they once did.)

Find Support in Others

Another way you can grow from challenges and setbacks is by finding people who can give you advice and support you with your goals, Rotella writes. However, you must also be selective about whom you listen to and learn to distinguish helpful feedback from unhelpful feedback. If you take everyone’s advice, you'll end up experimenting with different and often contradictory approaches that will only leave you confused, distracted, and frustrated.

To determine who to listen to, Rotella suggests you first find the right people to support you. They should be optimistic and encouraging, yet willing to give you honest and constructive feedback. They should also share your vision and values. He then advises that when you find people you trust, you should treat them with respect and listen to their advice.

(Shortform note: In Who Will Cry When You Die, Robin Sharma suggests assembling a support group of three to four people. He adds that these people shouldn’t just be there to offer you advice and feedback that you can trust, but you should also have something to offer them. Consider arranging weekly meetings where you can support one another with your challenges.)

Even when you trust someone’s opinions, though, you still shouldn’t take their advice without thought, Rotella writes. He suggests you listen to them, but know your strengths and stick with the techniques that suit you best. Their advice may be sound and their techniques may work for others, but they may not match your natural strengths.

Listening to the opinions of people you trust ensures you get constructive feedback that helps you improve rather than unhelpful feedback that damages your self-confidence. Thus, Rotella advises that once you’ve identified people you trust who can give you feedback, you tune out feedback from everyone else. This includes other experts who want to offer you tips, as well as negative and unhelpful people who may try to discourage you. Rotella advises you to ignore these people and not let them affect your confidence or performance.

How to Recognize Helpful Feedback

Many experts agree on the importance of learning how to receive feedback well, and they provide additional tips to consider alongside Rotella’s.

In Think Big, Grace Lordan writes that one way to distinguish helpful from unhelpful feedback is to decide, before you seek feedback, what kind of feedback you won’t accept. For example, if you’re a musician, you may decide not to take advice about changing the genre of your music. By deciding this ahead of time, you can ensure you stay true to your identity. This can also help you identify advice that goes against your natural strengths.

While Rotella advises you to only listen to the advice of those you trust and ignore the rest, other experts propose a more nuanced approach. In Ultralearning, Scott Young suggests you accept feedback differently depending not on the person who’s giving it, but the type of feedback they’re giving: outcome, informational, or corrective. Young suggests you only seek corrective feedback—which identifies your weaknesses and suggests ways to improve—from reliable authorities. But you can accept outcome feedback (which evaluates your results) and informational feedback (which points out your mistakes) from a wider range of sources.