Shelby Acker

Mental Performance Coach. Retired SMSU Mustang. Enthusiast of everything that happens between the ears.

[Shelby Acker @shelby_acker]

@ashlynmsuth15 @NIACCTrojanSB @CoachM_Egger @morgan__frost Congrats, Ash!! You’re going to thrive in college ball!

[Dr. Julie Gurner @drgurner]

I believe this in my core.

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

Days after a quarterfinals loss in the 2010 French Open, Novak Djokovic told his coach, Marián Vajda, that he had decided to quit playing tennis.

He was No. 3 in the world, a grand slam winner, and a favorite to win Wimbledon.

After Djokovic said he was quitting, Vajda asked,

“Why did you start playing this sport?”

Vajda immediately sensed what the problem was:

Djokovic was focusing too much on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations. As a result, Djokovic said, “I was mentally at one very messed up place.”

As Djokovic thought about Vajda’s question, he thought about how many of his earliest childhood memories include his “most beloved toy”—a mini tennis racket and a soft foam ball.

He started playing tennis, answering Vajda’s question, “because I just really loved holding that racket in my hand.”

“Do you still love holding a racket in your hand?” Vajda asked.

Djokovic thought about it for a few seconds, got excited, and said:

“I do. I still love holding a racket in my hand. Whether it’s a grand slam final on center court or just playing around on a public court, I like playing for the sake of playing.”

Vajda nodded, “Well that’s your source. That's what you need to tap into. Put aside rankings and what you want to achieve and what you think others are expecting of you.”

Vajda then suggested that Djokovic take a few weeks off.

Djokovic agreed that he would.

But when he woke up the next morning, Djokovic was dying to hit tennis balls. He went to the courts to play for the sake of playing. “And I never looked back ever since that moment.”

The following season, Djokovic enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in sports history. He won 43 straight matches. He won three Grand Slams, including his first Wimbledon title. And he finished the year as the number one player in the world.

“I started to play freely,” he says of that season. “I became the kid that I was when I started playing.”

Takeaway 1:

There's a word for being like the kid who does something for the sake of doing it:

Autotelic.

From the Greek "auto" (self) & "telos" (end)—an Autotelic is "someone or something that has a purpose in, and not apart from, itself."

As opposed to someone who focuses on rankings, records, titles, and external expectations—for an Autotelic...

”The work is the win,” as Ryan Holiday once told me.

Since you control the effort more than the outcome,

“Ultimately, you have to love doing it,” Ryan said. “You have to get to a place where doing the work is the win and everything else is extra.”

Takeaway 2:

When reading about Autotelics—people who describe their work as play, who simply seem to love what they do—a common mistake is to think that it’s all bliss all the time.

One of my favorite Autotelics is the legendary skateboarder Rodney Mullen, who is in his 50s and still skateboards every day.

“There are days,” Rodney said, “where you don’t want to go out. Or it hurts. Or you’re sore. Or you just suck—you're not making progress, and you feel defeated...But that's the nature of love—it's got hate in there, it's got pain in there. And that’s what draws you in, that's the magnetism.”

At one point during the recent Wimbledon final, Djokovic angrily smashed and shattered his racket. And after losing the match, he admitted that it will take him a while to get over the loss.

That’s the nature of love—it’s got hate in there, it’s got pain in there.

- - -

“I see people with talent, with all those things, but the one thing they don't have is just that love for doing it for the sake of it.” — Rodney Mullen

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Rachel JOY Rohe 💍 @RachelBaribeau]

Colleges/schools: I have been screaming this from the rooftops for years now, but we are at a place where you can no longer say we’ve got it under control when it comes to mental health advocacy/resources. We need ALL HANDS ON DECK!! 😞

[Alex Auerbach @AlexAuerbachPhD]

Mental toughness isn’t an innate characteristic.

It’s a collection of behaviors.

That means it’s a skill you can train. Here’s what goes into mental toughness, and how you can get more of it for yourself:

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

"It takes more than skills to be great. I am not the most skilled, but the thing that makes me a step further than people is the obsession and discipline I have for the game."@Giannis_An34
Greatness is not exclusive or elusive, but the discipline and dedication to achieve it is.

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

"Competitive sports are played mainly on a 5 1/2 inch surface - the space between your ears." -Bobby Jones

Elite athletes spend more time talking to themselves (creating a positive mindset) than listening to themselves (negative thoughts).

[Wisconsin Football @BadgerFootball]

That's6⃣ for @AckerJackson 💪

[Tom House 〽️ @tomhouse]

“They told me I have 8 pitches to get warm. I can do that. Because you are what your brain tells you you are.”

This is a masterclass.
✅ Verbalizes the plan
✅ Positive self-talk
✅ Knows why it works

You own the routine.
The ritual owns you.

[Dr. Julie Gurner @drgurner]

Every day, we set up mental reinforcement loops by our actions.
An ex:
- Repeated Hesitancy -> breeds insecurity
- Taking Action -> builds confidence

You are reinforcing messages to yourself every hour, every day...about who you are.
Make your loops a flywheel.

[Zach Brandon @MVP_Mindset]

The quickest way to have your mind work against you is to fail to train it.

Train your mind by choice, not chance.

#MVPMind

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

Commitment recognizes commitment. Those who are committed recognize the commitment of others..and see the lack of commitment in others as well.

[Brittany Gomez-Olson @Bgomezolson]

There are so many different roles on a softball team. & it’s not always “starter”. It’s someone’s hype man. Someone’s cool calm & collected. Someone’s small difference maker that hardly ever plays. But THOSE PEOPLE are the ones that make a huge difference. It takes everyone.

[Middleton High School Softball @MHSCardsSB]

🚨 CARDS WIN 🚨

FINAL: MID 4, VER 3

The Cards down the Cats and claim THE REGIONAL FINAL for the first time in 8️⃣ years. Redders and Cochrane chip in ✌🏼 hits apiece; Zimmerman adds a pair of RBIs to seal the deal.

The Cards face Monona Grove on Tues (5/31).

#GoCards | #WeFly

[Dr. Julie Gurner @drgurner]

Patience for the long-term.
Impatience...daily.

Keep your head focused on the end goal, while relentlessly pushing every day. Hungry. Impatient.

If you can do these two things, you will win at almost anything.

[SMSU Softball @SMSUSoftball]

One of the best to wear the uniform. Thank you, Bailey Johnson!🤎💛🐴

[sam fischer @samfischer52]

dear softball parents who bring their kids to lessons:

please put your phone down and watch your kids. every time they hit a good ball they look up to see if you’re watching and it’s so easy to see the disappointment they feel when they notice you didn’t see it

[Larissa Anderson @CoachLarissaA]

“If you do the same amount of work as the person in front of you…they’ll stay in front of you.” #OwnIt

[Kellen Lee @MentallyPerform]

I have seen the phrase “bet on yourself” thrown around quite a bit lately. Betting implies leaving future outcomes to chance.

I suggest the phrase “invest in yourself”. Investing implies making intentional decisions in the present for growth in the future.

[Rachel JOY Rohe 💍 @RachelBaribeau]

👑👑👑 #ImChangingtheNarrative @CTNkingandqueen