It can be easy to feel stuck in the cycle of eat-work-sleep-repeat, but where does that leave room for you-time, introspection, or professional development? On this episode of REAL TIME, we had the privilege of learning from someone who’s made a career of helping some of the most successful people in their disciplines achieve their highest potential.
Working with everyone from NBA greats Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to today’s educators, and championship coaches, George Mumford has cultivated a balanced approach to peak performance. He has managed to incorporate all the fundamentals that propel you to, and keep you functioning at, your best. As a sought-after sports psychologist, performance coach and mindfulness expert, Mumford walks us through some of the outcomes of a more mindful approach to how we go through life each day – in both a professional and personal context.
While it can sometimes feel like ‘high-performance’ and ‘mindfulness’ are at odds with one another, Mumford tells us how the practices to approach both can be related and how to strive for success sustainably.
Here are some main takeaways from this episode:
1. Identify if you’re in a fixed or growth mindset.
The concept of having a fixed or growth mindset isn’t new, but knowing how to transition if you find yourself stuck in a fixed mindset can be easier said than done. Mumford shares his own journey through adversity and how he used “yes” as a steppingstone to unlock more opportunities for his future. “The bad news is we lock ourselves up. The good news is because we lock ourselves up, we can let ourselves out. We can unlock ourselves,” he says.
2. Make goals that are clear, and flexible.
Mumford believes making clear goals is key. But once you have set your goals, you need to use experience and judgement to be flexible and keep yourself in the game. Clear goals can help you get into what he calls the “flow”, and that’s where magic can happen. “We know that you have to have clear goals and get immediate feedback or feedback loops. In that loop, you got to keep adjusting, adapting so that you stay on task,” he says.
3. Face adversity with bravery.
Adversity is inevitable. There will always be things that don’t go according to plan, and Mumford suggests the best way to manage is to always accept what’s happening. Instead of wasting time questioning why, take the approach of ‘OK, what now?’. “You got to embrace, ‘Yes, this is happening, I don’t like it, but if I can say yes to it and generate hope, I can learn the lesson, I can relate to it in a way where it’s going to take me forward, and it’s going to transform not only me but the whole situation, people that are engaged in it and whatnot,” he says. Taking this approach, he suggests, will not only help you but your entire team face challenges more effectively.
Throughout the episode, Mumford also offers strategies to productively move through stress, work with your clients to do the same, and lead by example in critical moments. With performance always at the heart of his approach, you may be surprised if you think this sounds like “just another mindfulness podcast”.
“If you can see it in me, that’s because it’s in you.”
– George Mumford
Expand your knowledge with REAL TIME
Listen to REAL TIME with George Mumford, and a suite of other expert guests, wherever you stream your podcasts, or at CREA.ca/podcast.
