Number eleven is "Whatever it takes." He notes, "Do whatever is necessary to make that move happen. You are determined. You know that you have the will and the skill."
This is the career per game summary of a three-time NBA champion. After three mostly forgettable seasons with the Celtics, he went on to the Spurs. He led the league in three-point percentage in 2002-2003 and pioneered the "three and D" role. He was an eight-time NBA all-defensive team. Bruce Bowen did "whatever it takes" to become a contributor on a champion.
Bowen knows his "ABCs."
- Active hands
- Balance
- Contest shots
- Diversion and denial
- Effort
- Footwork
Bowen reinvented himself during his career. From a journeyman, he became a champion as he develop a niche as a top NBA defender.
Bowen got in the head of some of the best offensive players in the NBA. He played an aggressive, physical (some said dirty at time) defense that established his reputation as a top NBA defender.
For podcast fans, Dr. Amber Lattner interviews Bowen. How does our brain work and how can we use it to achieve high performance?
"Mentally tough individuals...have a firm sense of awareness..." We can train ourselves to free up our conscious self (awareness) where previous skills have relocated to the subconscious.
Basics of awareness:
- physical awareness (great professionals are aware of their status - energy)
- mental awareness (thoughts affect emotion that affects our physical self, positive thoughts stimulate positive emotion that favors positive performance)...negative thoughts produce increased muscle tension, faster heart rate, and narrower visual field
- emotional awareness (influential people control their emotion and use them as feedback)...men tend to have a smaller spectrum of emotions than women
- situational awareness (decision appropriateness demands understanding choices in time and space)
Dr. Lattner emphasizes the importance of "calling the audible". Do whatever it takes.
Mindset Note: B.O.W. = BEING OPTIMISTIC WINS!