It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life

Foreword by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson From a top mental conditioning coach—"the world’s best brain trainer” (Sports Illustrated)—who has transformed the lives and careers of elite athletes, business leaders, and military personnel, battle-tested strategies that will give you tools to manage and overcome negativity and achieve any goal. He knows how to win. More, he knows the many ways-subtle, brutal, often self-inflicted-we lose. As the most trusted mental coach in the world of sports, Trevor Moawad has worked with many of the most dominant athletes and the savviest coaches. From Nick Saban and Kirby Smart to Russell Wilson, they all look to Moawad for help finding or keeping or regaining their competitive edge. (As do countless business leaders and members of special forces.) Now, at last, Moawad shares his unique leadership philosophy with the general public. He lays out lessons he's derived from his greatest career successes as well as personal setbacks, the game-changing wisdom he's earned as the go-to whisperer for elite performers on fields of play and among men and women headed to the battlefield. Moawad's motivational approach is elegant but refreshingly simple: He replaces hardwired negativity, the kind of defeatist mindset that's nearly everybody's default, with what he calls "neutral thinking." His own special innovation, it's a nonjudgmental, nonreactive way of coolly assessing problems and analyzing crises, a performance psychology tool that offers luminous clarity and supreme calm in the critical moments before taking decisive action. Not only can this framework of neutral thinking raise your performance level—it can help you overcome negativity and transform your overall life. And it all starts, Moawad says, with letting go. Past failures, past losses—let them go. "The past isn't predictive. If you can absorb and embrace that belief, everything changes. You'll instantly feel more calm. And the athlete-or employee or parent or spouse-who's more calm is also more aware, and more times than not ... will win." This powerful guide to elite performance delivers a playbook of battle-tested strategies to help you win: Neutral Thinking: Learn the author’s special innovation, a nonjudgmental, nonreactive way to coolly assess problems and find luminous clarity in critical moments. Mental Conditioning: Discover the techniques used by the world’s most dominant athletes, savviest coaches like Nick Saban, and elite special forces to gain a competitive edge. A Proven Framework for Success: Move past a defeatist mindset by understanding why "the past isn't predictive" and how letting go of past failures can unlock your potential. Actionable Strategies: Replace hardwired negativity with a simple, elegant approach that can not only raise your performance level but transform your overall life.