So much to love about @garrisonrippa game winning field goal last night for Jacksonville State! He had never attempted a field goal or extra point in college. It was Jacksonville State’s first bowl win ever in their first year as an FBS program. BUT… What stood out the most to me was his pre-kick routine: - Breathwork to control his emotions and lock in on the present-moment. Many athletes take their breath for granted, but the best of the best utilize the power of it. - Feeding his mind powerful thoughts with his self-talk. He kept telling himself over and over “you were built for moments like this.” If players don’t take control of their self-talk in moments like this a lot of times they’ll start to think about what they DON’T WANT TO HAPPEN such as “don’t miss it!”, rather than what they DO WANT TO HAPPEN such as “I’m nailing this!” I don’t know what his final thought was right before the kick but I’m sure it was super powerful and positive. As Derek Jeter says, “The last thing you think is the first thing you do.” Quote from Rippa after the game: “There's a picture of me on ESPN with my head against the wall just like I was just breathing,” Rippa said. “I was just trying to tell myself, you know you prepared for this. All the hours outside of practice, all the hours in practice, been doing a lot. My teammates, they put me in a position to win, and I made it happen. I prepared for this.” All athletes (and non-athletes!) can learn and gain inspiration from what Garrison did last night. Nice work man! 👊