Back in November, our team struggled to maintain consistent performance. One day we played exceptionally well, and the next, we were nowhere to be found. My assistant coach suggested that we need to improve our metal preparation before games. During my search for ways to achieve consistent performance, I discovered a fantastic book called Mental Toughness For Young Athletes. It’s suitable for our U13 team and even available in audio. For Christmas, I bought 15 hard copies for each of our players—a great gift, right? I asked everyone to read the book and be ready to discuss their top three takeaways before the end of January.

 Here are my personal top three takeways from this amazing book;

1. The Subconscious Mind

The power of the subconscious mind is truly extraordinary. Throughout this book, various techniques are discussed on how your subconscious can aid in achieving your full potential. One significant insight I gained from reading *Mental Toughness For Young Athletes* is the importance of setting goals in the present tense. When you set goals for the future, such as saying, "Tomorrow I want to...," you are signaling to your subconscious that the task will be accomplished tomorrow. However, when tomorrow arrives, your mind will still be programmed to defer the task to the next day.

Another striking point that resonated with me was the impact of your training environment. Training in a modern facility with advanced equipment can lead your subconscious to believe that you have already succeeded, prompting a sense of complacency as if you've reached your ultimate goal.

There are numerous other fascinating aspects related to the subconscious mind, but you'll need to read the book to uncover them all!

2. Embrace Failure

Failure is perhaps the most dreaded term in the world, and for good reason—who likes being told they've failed at something? There's something about the word that instantly puts people on the defensive and makes them feel distressed. The issue with failure is that we often use it to gauge our intelligence. Consequently, most people are too frightened to leave their comfort zones and attempt new endeavors. To continue learning and evolving as a person, you must consistently place yourself in situations where you feel uncertainty and struggle. If you believe this won't occasionally result in setbacks, it's time to reconsider how we develop as individuals.

3. 10,000 Hours of Deliberate Practice

We've all heard of the 10,000-hour rule. However, everyone has their own understanding of how it works! Some say it takes 10,000 hours to become truly proficient in your craft, while for others, it might require fewer than a thousand hours. Conversely, some may need more time. For simplicity, let's stick with the 10,000-hour benchmark. A common mistake people make is dividing their effort among multiple skills within those 10,000 hours, resulting in mediocrity across several areas instead of achieving mastery in one. This situation is similar to instructing your team to "work harder." Hard work can mean different things to different people, but relentless effort combined with a clear plan forms a powerful synergy. This approach is known as 10,000 hours of focused practice. Concentrating all your efforts on honing a single skill for 10,000 hours before moving on is what sets the top performers apart from the rest.