Mike Margolies, is a sports psychology consultant and Certified Mental Trainer® whose company,The Mental Game, has been helping athletes achieve their goals for over three decades. The same core principles (e.g. Motivation, Confidence, Relaxation, Visualization) that make stars of committed athletes, apply to developing true business acumen and overall success for anyone. He also is author of The Athlete Within You: A Mental Approach to Sports and Business.

After studying with some of the best sports psychologists who help people perform at the best level, Mike developed a strategy for becoming successful and competent in all aspects of one’s life. Mental skills preparation work is one of the most important aspects of achieving goals.

He finds imagery is very helpful to both athletes and anyone wanting to achieve specific goals. Studies show that using imagery and practicing something is more useful than practice alone in developing a skill. Mike also shares ideas for overcoming negative self-talk, which sometimes can comprise up to 80% of the 60-80,000 thoughts we have per day. One of his exercises is to journal to uncover negative thinking. Once someone develops an awareness of negative thoughts, he or she can turn their thoughts into a more positive mindset.

Staying motivated is another challenge. Mike recommends “amping things up” by looking at how we are internally motivated. Autonomy, mastery and purpose are three sides of a triangle he uses to demonstrate common internal motivators. When you understand your purpose, it’s hard not to accomplish your goals.

For more information, please visit www.themental-game.com.