fake it until you fulfill the physical and mental

Closing pitcher Dennis Eckersley didn't always have his good stuff. On those days, he performed a little mental trick. "You fake it," Eckersley said. "You do. You can't let on that you're not throwing well. There's a body language. I really believe it. You've still got to act like you're the man. You can't fake a good fastball. I'm not saying that. But you have to give the impression that your stuff is on time."

Maintain the warrior mentality. Stand tall even if you feel you are coming apart on the inside, and carry yourself in a confident way. All performers can act themselves into a way of thinking just as they can think themselves into a way of acting. Mental attitude is always important. As a player, Dave Winfield, a member of the 3,000-hits club, knew that what he thought affected how he felt and how he felt affected how he performed. "Sometimes you have to say to yourself that you're going to have fun and feel good before you go out there," Winfield said. "Normally, you have fun after you do well, but I wanted to have fun before I did well. And that helped."

To perform consistently you must prepare consistently. Act the way you want to become until you become the way you act.

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Source: Mind Gym by Gary Mack

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