Patrick Mahomes, KC Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes was asked- “How do you perform at maximum capability while knowing that just one small mistake — like, say, fumbling for a turnover in the biggest game of the season — will be seen by hundreds of millions and locked on film forever?”
Some would say that a paycheck of $45 million a year helps but money doesn’t buy MVP status.
Here’s his secret: Mahomes picked up from his Texas Tech intro psych class what psychologist George Miller claimed over 50 years ago: short-term memory capacity is about +/- 7 items.
Fast forward to Mahomes’ mental skills coach Paddy Steinfort observation: “I was struck by how vulnerable he was. He would do whatever it took to get the clearest mind possible going into the game and whatever it took to make himself better.”
Mahomes attributes his extraordinary focus to two elements:
His consistent mind-clearing daily practice of meditation and
his ability to let in only the top 3-4 things he needs to know at a given time.
Though the mind is capable of holding up to nine items, under stress in a complex environment, the number can reduce to two or three items. Mahomes does not focus on the crowd, the noise, how big the game is, what coverage the cornerbacks are playing. He calls the play, takes the snap, throws, finds completions downfield, maybe runs the ball …. 4-5 max.
If you haven’t yet trained for the mental game of getting to the top of your world, why not start with 5-minutes of quiet twice a day? Let unwanted thoughts float through your mind and evaporate out. Gradually increase the time until about 20 minutes. When your 20 minutes is up, gently let the top 1-3 items that would make the most difference in your life at that moment float to the top.
The uncanny focus you will bring to these items will bring MVP status to whatever you are doing.
