“You have nothing to lose Roger…it’s ok to lose!” A permission from self to liberate…a permission from within to set free… One of the greatest sporting competitors the world has ever seen talking about the mental effort required to beat his old friend and foe, Rafa Nadal… “It was a mental match…it’s all mental. You have to believe and keep coming at Rafa…and if he’s too good then so be it…” A man famed for his effortless aesthetic admitting the importance of effort…his self-talk, his front-foot determination, his will to believe in himself on every point…his desire to keep executing the same actions with the same high intensity… And this is what the psychological literature tells us…that there are two broad positive states we can strive to compete in… -effortless -effortful (See the work of Ruiz, Bortoli, & Robazza - Multi-action states) Effortless - a rare flow-like state with control, confidence, and energy the experience… Effortful - a state where focus is purposefully directed towards actions…with problems, unexpected challenges, demanding tasks, and tough to meet physical activities emerging… Even for the greatest, the performance mindset is never straightforward. Even for the greatest, the effort is exhausting. Even for the greatest, the game is rarely conquered

Called a recently sacked Manager today, one of many. Make no mistake, it empties them, and reminded me again of the toll it can take, giving everything and taking huge personal abuse too. And he said "I loved doing my badges but nothing prepares you until you stand there" My word

Come and work with us... Lecturer in Counselling Psychology at @wlv_uni @wlv_psychology @BPSOfficial @mindfulistic @Counselling_UK @UKCouncilPsych @AcademicChatter @WMEmployers @JobsinPsychol @PsychResearchNet