🧭 Reviewing the Mental Management System

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Here’s Where We Are Headed Today:

• Lanny Bassham on Mindset Reinforcement

• The Mental Management System Explained

• Favorite Posts I Found This Week

• Free Mental Fitness Links 👇

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The Mental Management System

One of the most common questions I get asked is:

“What is the best book to read on mindset and sports psychology?”

My answer? There are plenty of great books out there, but if I had to pick just one, it’s With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham.

This book isn’t just about theory - it’s about actionable strategies that anyone can use to take control of their mindset and perform at their best. It’s a short, easy read packed with insights on how to master your mental game. Whether you’re an athlete, a performer, or just someone looking to develop a winning mindset, this book delivers.

In the book, Lanny shares his personal story and the lessons he learned while building the Mental Management System for Olympic performers and himself after he felt he “choked” in the Olympics. It’s a framework that combines mental discipline, self-image building, and focus. What makes this book special is how practical it is. Today, I want to share some of my favorite takeaways. These aren’t just good ideas; they’re strategies you can implement immediately.

Here are four key insights from With Winning in Mind that can help anyone improve their performance:

1. What your performance is based on

2. The nine principles of the mental management system

3. The three phases of a task

4. Five steps for goal-setting and changing your self-image

He says, “Remember success is not an accident. Success follows a set course, and these principles are the boundaries of its path.”

1) What your performance is based on

Your performance is made up of three mental components: your conscious mind, your subconscious mind, and your self-image.

• Conscious Mind - This is what you think about. It’s your thoughts and mental pictures. Your conscious mind controls all of your senses.

• Subconscious Mind- This is the source of your skill and your power to perform. The conscious trains the subconscious. He says, “Once players have developed skill and can perform these motions subconsciously it allows them to start learning advanced skills in order to take their game to the next level.”

• Self-Image - This is your habits and attitudes. Your performance and your self-image are always equal. This is how you view yourself, and everything you do imprints and leaves an imprint on your self-image.

  

2) Nine Principles of Mental Management

1. Your conscious mind can only concentrate on one thing at a time - It means your focus is your greatest asset - there is no multitasking. To perform at your best, direct all your conscious attention to the task at hand.

2. What you say is not important. What you cause yourself or others to picture is crucial - It means accept the power of visualization and what you picture. Don’t picture something that you don’t want to happen, especially failure because it increases the probability of that happening.

3. The subconscious mind is the source of all mental power - It means your subconscious controls your habits, emotions, and automatic responses. By training it with repetition and reinforcement, you unlock its full potential.

4. The self-image moves you to do what ever the Conscious mind is picturing - It means your actions are a reflection of how you see yourself. If you consciously picture success, your self-image will guide you toward achieving it.

5. Self-image and performance are always equal. To change your performance, you musts first change your Self-Image - It means you will never outperform the limits of how you see yourself. Improving your self-image is the first step to unlocking better results.

6. You can replace the Self-Image you have with the Self-Image you want, thereby permanently changing performance - It means you have the power to redefine who you are through intentional practice and repetition. You can create change by changing your attitudes and your habits.

7. The Principle of Reinforcement - The more we think about, talk about and write about something happening, we improve the probability of that thing happening - It means your focus determines your outcomes. Reinforcing positive thoughts and actions through repetition strengthens their likelihood of becoming reality, while reinforcing negative thoughts and behaviors makes failure more probable.

8. The self-image cannot tell the difference between what actually happens and what is vividly imagined - It means your brain processes vivid imagination as if it were real. Use this to your advantage by mentally rehearsing success in great detail.

9. We appreciate things in different proportion to the price we pay for them - It means the effort and sacrifice we put into something increase its value to us. Investing time and energy makes success more meaningful and rewarding.

3) The Three Phases of a Task

• The Anticipation Phase: This is the time leading up to the task. It’s where preparation and mental rehearsal happen. What you visualize and tell yourself during this phase sets the tone for success.

• The Action Phase: This is where you execute. The key here is focus - your conscious mind must stay locked on the task at hand.

• The Reinforcement Phase: After the task, what you say and think about your performance matters. Positive reinforcement helps you solidify success and learn from setbacks. This goes back to principle seven.

4) Five Steps for Goal-Setting and Changing Your Self-Image (with Example)

1. Define the goal

2. Set a time limit to achieve the goal

3. List the personal pay value of reaching this goal

4. Outline the plan to achieve this goal

5. Write the direct affirmation in the present tense

Lanny suggests writing the goals on note cards and spreading them around the house so you see them consistently. Then reading it aloud each time you see the card. Read it for 21 days, assess your progress, and then repeat or change the goal.

Sample goal setting for losing weight:

1. Goal: To weigh 180 pounds.

2. Time limit: In 3 months (March 15, 2025).

3. Pay value: I will look better at 180 pounds. I will feel better because it will improve my knee and back pain.

4. Outline the plan: Exercise for at least 30 minutes each day (walking included). Pre-prepare my meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make a healthy smoothie or protein shake for when I start to feel hungry and need to eat something quickly. Eat more protein in my diet and less unhealthy foods. Use the direct affirmations every day for 21 days.

5. Direct affirmation: "3/15/25 and I weigh 180 pounds. I feel and look great at 180 pounds. My knee and back pain have decreased because I have lost weight. I weigh 180 pounds. I exercise for at least 30 minutes each day. I pre-prepare my meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make a healthy smoothie or protein shake each day. I eat more protein in my diet and less unhealthy foods. I use the direct affirmations every day for 21 days. I weigh 180 pounds.

5) My favorite takeaways

1. Work on your self-image - Your performance will never exceed how you see yourself. By intentionally changing your self-image through affirmations, visualization, and positive habits, you can unlock new levels of success.

2. The Principle of Reinforcement - What you focus on grows. It reminds me of Tony Gwynn’s approach to reviewing failures. He would only look at his strikeouts on tape once because he wanted to avoid negative reinforcement and ensure that positivity shaped his self-image

3. Look at Your Habits and How You’re Changing Yourself - The small, consistent things you do daily shape who you become. Using tools like affirmations, performance journals, and mindful language can help you align your habits with your goals and ensure you’re reinforcing the right behaviors.

Feel free to give me any feedback because we don’t normally do book reviews. And read the book if you get a chance!

Favorite Posts I Found This Week

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