Friday, June 21, 2013

Book #8 - Mind Gym


Happy Friday!!  It's been awhile since I linked up for Book Club Friday, but I am excited to review Mind Gym by Gary Mack for you today.


I enjoyed this book even though it took me a very long time to get through it.  One of the reasons for that is because the chapters are broken down in a way that doesn't make it absolutely necessary to read them in chronological order.  This is the kind of book you can truly scan the table of contents, pick an interesting topic, and read all about it.  I like that because it makes it very handy to refer to in the future.  The book is broken down into four major sections.  

Welcome to the Inner Game focuses on mind games we play with ourselves, being mentally tough, and being responsible for your attitude since it is one of the few things you actually can control.

Living the Dream covers maintaining focus in general -  putting yourself in the right places and situations, working hard even if progress doesn't happen quickly, and possessing desire, dedication, determination, and discipline (the four D's).

Mind-Set for Success teaches that attitude is everything.  These chapters emphasize being in the now, using fear as an ally, and the power of believing in yourself.

In the Zone emphasized inner excellence along with preparing and performing in a manner that leaves you with nothing to regret when it is all said and done.  This section also shared various paradoxes of performance.

This book was the perfect read as I begin to ramp up for my marathon training.  Athletics (and particularly running) is mostly mental.  Of course, there are some physical aspects to it, but much of it is all in your head.  The overarching premise of Mind Gym was to exercise your thoughts as they relate to your physical activity.  The author wanted to give you a means of building your very own mind gym.  The ideas were very well presented with each chapter ending in a question or action item for the reader.  I would definitely encourage any athlete to check it out!

Andrea :)

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