🧠 Turn your perfect rep up to 11!
Your brain is wild. It can’t fully tell the difference between something you actually do and something you vividly imagine doing. When done right, it literally strengthens the same neural pathways as a physical rep.
The best athletes in the world use mental rehearsal all the time. But they usually do it:
Before practice or competition (to prime performance), or
Outside their sport (to build confidence or reinforce mechanics)
That’s all good. But there’s one of the best moments to do imagery that hardly anyone talks about:
📍 Right after a great rep.
Here's what most athletes do after a great moment:
You nail a perfect start.
You sink a flawless three.
You crush a clean PR lift.
What happens next? Probably some version of:
👊 Fist pumps
🗣️ “Let’s gooo!”
🤝 High fives from teammates
All of that is great—it reinforces success emotionally. But what if you could also reinforce it neurologically?
Enter: the “rep multiplier”
After that perfect rep, your mind is primed. You just did it. You felt it. You’re buzzing from it. That’s the exact moment to:
Take 15 seconds
Close your eyes
Replay the moment in your mind 10 times
Imagine the sight, sound, feel, smell—whatever sensory info makes it real to you. Keep it crisp and accurate.
🧠 Why this works: Your brain is like, “Oh, cool, another perfect rep!” The rep gets grooved deeper. The neural pathway becomes more efficient. That one amazing rep becomes 11 reps—without more wear and tear on your body.
Depending on your sport, this may or may not be possible during competition. If it is, like between events in track or even between plays in football, use it! Otherwise, you can do it during practice between drills.
Pro tips for rep multiplication:
Do it immediately. While the sensations are still fresh.
Keep it positive. Only replay what worked. You're not fixing anything here—you’re reinforcing success.
Keep it vivid. The more detailed the image, the more powerful the effect.
Use It to Level Up Faster
Every athlete has moments where everything just clicks. Most let those moments pass by with a fist pump and move on. Not you.
💡 You’re going to stack mental reps on top of physical ones and get better, faster.
Watch for those perfect moments. Use them. Own them. Multiply them.
Your next breakthrough might not take more hours—just more intentional reps.
Let’s go.
🎯 Goal Setting Guide: Build Your Blueprint for Success
I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about my goal-setting process—from athletes, business professionals, and ambitious folks looking to level up.
I’ve touched on pieces of it in past blog posts, and I teach it regularly in seminars. But I wanted to pull everything together in one place. So I created a Goal Setting Guide that walks you through the entire process step-by-step.
Whether you're training for a personal best, growing a business, or just trying to bring more intention to your life, this guide will help you set goals that actually work.
👉 Want it? Just head over to my Contact Page and ask! I’ll send you the password to the Downloads Page, where you can grab the guide and start building your blueprint for success.
Easy peasy. Let’s get to work.
Imagery: The Mental Skill That Gives You The Edge
Want to level up your performance without moving a muscle?
That’s what imagery is all about. It’s not just “visualization”—imagery is using all your senses to mentally create or recreate a performance. Yeah, your eyes are powerful, but so are your ears, your muscles, your skin, your nose, and even your taste buds. When you imagine at full power, it’s like playing the game in your mind—without the sweat or soreness.
Why Bother With Imagery?
Because it works—and the best athletes know it.
Over 90% of U.S. and Canadian Olympic athletes use imagery to train their minds (Murphy et al., 1990; Orlick & Partington, 1988).
Top performers use imagery way more often than average ones (Cumming & Hall, 2002).
On average, Olympic-level athletes practice imagery about 4 times a week, for 10 to 15 minutes per session.
Doing both physical training and imagery is more effective than just practicing physically (Hird et al., 1991).
Your brain literally can’t tell the difference between a real experience and a deeply imagined one. That’s why it works.
My Imagery Breakthrough (aka, How I Became a Shooter)
Back in high school, I was not a great shooter—about 60% from the free throw line and too nervous to even shoot threes. Then I went to this super weird basketball camp the summer before junior year.
On day one, they handed us two posters:
A close-up of the rim
A multiple-exposure photo of a ball swooshing through the hoop
We were told to “shoot” 20 free throws at each poster—without a ball. Just stare at the poster, close your eyes, and go through your shooting motion. Perfect form. Perfect swish. Over and over.
I kept doing it every night that fall. By the next season?
90% from the line.
Nothing else had changed—except my mind. I had done thousands of perfect reps in my head.
Why Imagery is a Cheat Code for Athletes
You can do it anywhere—on the bus, lying in bed, during class (sorry teachers).
It never gets tired—your brain doesn’t need rest days.
You always get it right—you can rehearse perfect form every time.
It works when you’re injured—keep training your mind while your body recovers.
How to Start Imagery Today
Here’s a quick routine to try:
Pick a specific skill you want to improve (free throws, a penalty kick, a clean landing, etc.)
Close your eyes and imagine it in high-def. Feel your body. Hear the crowd or the silence. Smell the gym. Go through it like it's real.
Make it perfect. Every time.
Do it for 5–10 minutes, a few times a week.
That’s it. Simple, but powerful.
Bottom Line
If you’re not using imagery yet, you’re leaving free performance gains on the table. It’s a secret weapon—used by the elite, available to everyone. Train your mind like you train your body, and you'll unlock a new level.
In the next few blog posts I’ll be going over some specifics of how to improve your imagery skills, and how and when to use them.
What’s Next?
In the next few blog posts, I’ll break down:
How to get better at imagery (even if you think you “can’t visualize”)
When to use it for maximum impact (before games, during injury recovery, right after a mistake, and more)
How to build your own mental highlight reel so you can rep your best self anytime, anywhere
Stay tuned—your mental game is about to get a serious upgrade. 🔥
Habits: The Foundation of Greatness
You’ve probably heard of setting goals—maybe you’ve even set a few: Win state, break 50 in the 400, make varsity. That’s awesome. But here’s the real talk: your goals mean nothing without the habits to back them up.
In an earlier post, I broke down the three levels of goals: Outcome, Performance, and Process. But there’s a fourth level—and it’s actually the foundation of all the others: Habits.
I’ve got to give credit where it’s due—most of what I’m about to share comes straight from James Clear’s absolute banger of a book, Atomic Habits. If you want to level up your life and performance, go grab that book. Seriously. Game-changer.
So, What Is a Habit?
A habit is something you do on autopilot—no thinking, just doing. And it follows a predictable loop:
Cue – Something triggers your brain.
Craving – You want to change your state.
Response – You take an action to satisfy the craving.
Reward – You feel good (or at least, better), reinforcing the behavior.
Sounds kind of simple, right? That’s the point. Simple doesn’t mean easy.
A Good Habit in Action:
Cue: You wake up feeling stiff.
Craving: You want to shake off that stiffness.
Response: You roll out a mat and stretch for 10 minutes.
Reward: You feel loose, limber, and ready to take on the day.
Now here’s the kicker: stretching hurts—at first. And your brain hates pain. So while the reward is real, your brain is also battling the negative reinforcement of discomfort.
But what if you built that stretch into your identity? “I’m the kind of athlete who takes care of my body.” Now that’s power.
A Not-So-Great Habit:
Cue: You’re driving home from practice, and you’re starving.
Craving: You want food. Fast.
Response: You hit the McDonald’s drive-thru and go big.
Reward: Your brain lights up from the salt, fat, and carbs. Hunger = gone.
That habit feels amazing in the moment. But over time? Low energy, weight gain, and slower recovery. The real cost shows up way down the road—and that’s exactly why bad habits are hard to break.
Habits = Your Secret Weapon
Want to perform better? Recover faster? Stay more consistent? Stack habits that support your goals. Things like:
Getting 8+ hours of sleep
Doing 5 minutes of mobility work every night
Eating real food instead of junk
Drinking water before practice instead of soda
When these behaviors become automatic, they don’t drain your willpower. They just happen. Like brushing your teeth—but for performance.
Build Better Habits Like This:
Clear lays out a simple framework for habit hacking:
To build a habit:
Make it obvious (leave your gear out, set a reminder)
Make it attractive (pair it with something fun)
Make it easy (start with 2 minutes)
Make it satisfying (track it, celebrate wins)
To break a bad habit:
Make it invisible (hide the junk food)
Make it unattractive (connect it with consequences)
Make it difficult (add friction)
Make it unsatisfying (remove rewards)
Final Word
Want to be elite? Build the habits of elite athletes. Not someday—now. One rep, one stretch, one healthy meal at a time. Do that consistently, and your goals won’t just be dreams—they’ll be checkpoints.
And seriously, grab Atomic Habits and sign up for James Clear’s newsletter. It’s quick, actionable, and always on point.
Go build something great.
If you want some help establishing the habits of a champion or getting rid of the ones that are holding you back, please reach out using the contact form.
Unlocking Potential: Goal Setting with Sentinel & Stevensville Track Teams
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to work with 185 athletes from the Sentinel and Stevensville High School track teams on the power of goal setting. Seeing so many dedicated young athletes eager to push their limits and grow was truly inspiring.
We broke down a framework for effective goal setting, focusing on creating clear, measurable, and achievable objectives that keep motivation high and performance sharp. Whether it was fine-tuning race times, building endurance, or mastering technique, these athletes left with a game plan for success.
A huge thank you to the coaches for welcoming me onto the track and trusting me to contribute to their team’s development. Your leadership and commitment to these athletes’ success go beyond competition—it’s about building a mindset for life.
To the athletes: Keep pushing, keep believing, and keep working your process. The goals you set today shape the victories of tomorrow.
If you're a coach, athlete, or business leader looking to elevate performance through mental training, I’d love to bring this seminar to your team. Reach out to book a session and start setting goals that lead to real results.
Let’s get to work!
Goals Seminar With Sentinel Track & Field
I’m thrilled to be delivering a seminar on effective goal setting to the 149 athletes and 14 coaches of the Sentinel High School Track & Field team today. I look forward to watching these kids unlock their full potential.
This is the first of three seminars that I’ll be doing with Sentinel T&F. I consider these seminars a form of community outreach and a way to give back to this wonderful city. If you’d like me to run a seminar with your team, reach out to me using the contact link in the header. I don’t discriminate based on school affiliation, but for today: “GO SPARTANS!”
Welcome Sentinel Track and Field
I’ve taken on another track and field team this spring. I look forward to working with new coach and former U of M standout pentathlete Erika McLeod and the entire Missoula Sentinel High School team to elevate everyone to their highest and best.
Welcome Stevensville Track and Field
I’d like to welcome coach Chris Jones and the Stevensville High School Track and Field team to the Mindworks family. I look forward to working with you throughout the season to unlock your full potential.
Congratulations to Bruins Bantam Hockey
Congratulations to the Missoula Bruins. Their Bantam A team won the state tournament this past weekend. Possibly more impressively, the Bantam B team came from the second-to-last seed to finish as runner up in their tournament. I’m very proud of all of the players and coaches.
3 Goal Types
Don’t put success in someone else’s control.
3 Types of SMART Goals
SMART goals can be broken down into three types:
Result - Relies on your performance as well as the performance of competitors. E.g. team placement at a meet or individual placement in events.
Performance - Independent of competitors. E.g. personal bests in the weight room or on the track or results of some kind of skills test.
Process - Activities or attitudes separate from but related to performance. E.g. have fun, support team mates, be vocal.
Focusing on process and performance rather than outcome might be the most important concept in all of sport psychology. If competitors base success on results rather than performance or process, then their confidence will be unstable. A cyclist can get a lift if one of their competitors is under the weather or a sprinter can crash if someone outleans them by a nose. Don’t let someone else affect your perception of success.
SMART Goals
A journey without a destination is just wandering.
If you don’t know where to steer the ship, then you’re not going to get anywhere. Goals provide the headings. They can change over time, but it is important to always be trying to get somewhere.
I’m going to do a quick goals primer.
SMART Goals
Specific - “Get better,” isn’t a goal, it’s a wish. “Increase leg strength,” is.
Measurable - Put a number on it. By how much do you want to increase leg strength and by what measure. If the goal is mental, like motivation or self-belief, then put a rating scale on it. Just make sure you can track your goals with numbers.
Achievable - I’m 54 years old with no cartilage in my knees. I’m not going to squat 500lb in this lifetime. I can still set a goal around leg strength but it has to be something believable.
Relevant - Many of us have many different things we want to accomplish. The more you dissipate your attention and energy, though, the less you’ll get done. Make sure your goals align with your primary objective.
Time-bound - Give your goal a deadline. If you put something vaguely in the future then it will remain there forever.
Mental Skills Training
In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” This has come to be called the “first victory.” Mental skills training (MST) is learning how to win that first victory.
The Art of War was written in the 6th century BC and is still studied by strategists in war and sport.
Bill Bellichick says that the only sign that he had hanging in the Patriots locker room was a quote from The Art of War, “Every battle is won before it is fought.”
What are you doing to win your first victory?