Last week I got so excited about the Browns and Buckeyes that I shifted my blog schedule to make room for that discussion on Regular Season, Playoff, and Championship modes of living. If you missed it, check it out here.

But let's get back to the brass tax. It's still January of the New Year and I imagine folks are still grappling with their resolutions for the year. I wrote about the likelihood of derailment a couple blogs ago, and for those of you out there (myself included) that are still struggling a bit, maybe it's time to take that pause with purpose and to complete a more comprehensive assessment.

What is this comprehensive assessment you ask?

Well it's the annual review!

And though we would have preferred to do the annual review at the end of the year, life gets in the way, holidays sneak up on us, and the next thing you know the ball has dropped and we haven't spent any time reflecting on where we've been and where we want to go.

Today, that changes.

So break out your...

It's a special time of year in the world of American football. The NFL playoffs are underway and the collegiate football national championship is this evening.

As a Brown's fan, obviously I am thrilled about their strong regular season, playoff birth, and unbelievable playoff win last night. And as a former football player and sport psychologist at Ohio State (and 2002 member of the national championship team), I am pumped, though not completely surprised, by their opportunity to compete for a national championship.

Which got me thinking...

A couple years ago I would have just been happy if the Browns had a record above .500. The goal at that time was to have, and survive, a decent regular season. That was enough to bring satisfaction.

Fast forward a couple years, and now, based on some strong regular seasons, there is an expectation and desire for the Browns to do more. Rather than simply having a good season, the focus now is to make it to the playoffs.

The Buckeyes on the...

Well it's only January 4th and already our desired New Year progress got derailed!

I'm right there with you!

Consistent social media posting, a weekly blog, daily exercise, and a cleaner, healthier diet all got F'd up while bringing in the New Year.

Now don't get me wrong, I had a great time overindulging a bit with my buddies down in South Florida. However, sometimes overindulging leads to underproducing. And underproducing leads to, you guessed it, F-ing up your goals.

So what is one to do?

Call it a year?

"Welp, I guess 2021 isn't going to be a good one either?"

Hell, no! You gotta right the ship! You gotta get the train back on the tracks!

Listen, 2021 has 365 days to get better and maybe you're off to a slow start. But that doesn't mean the next 360 have to be a wash.

Below are four tips to right a ship, that you feel is already sinking.

1. Pause

When things are off to a rough start it's very easy to get back into old habits and negative mindsets. We can actually spiral...

Well it's the moment that many of us have been waiting for...the final week of 2020. For all of us that has been reciting phrases such as "This has been the worst year ever" or "2021 has to be better than what 2020 was" now is the chance to right the ship.

But how?

First, we need a little reality check:

Covid Is Still Here.

By now we would have thought that Covid was long gone, but instead it's still here. Now of course we are hopeful about the arriving vaccines and such, but the reality is that there is still a virus floating around that is impacting people. Regardless of whether you think it's a big deal or it's a hoax, “something” is still around and it's impacting your life.

Mitigation Will Linger.

Even as we get the virus under control, the mitigation strategies we've grown annoyingly accustomed to will also likely stick around. Proof of negative covid tests, mask wearing, socially distant gatherings, plastic barriers, and yes, ZOOM, will likely be the norm...

When I got trained as a counseling psychologist with a sub-specialty in sport psychology, I figured my career path would consist of mostly working with athletes to manage stress and enhance the mental aspect of athletic performance.

And you know what? I did that.

I worked at The Ohio State University in their Sports Medicine Department where I counseled athletes on exactly that. However, as I made reference before, I wanted to enact a little more personal freedom in my career and do my own thing. Though that was a large part of it, it wasn't the only part.

You see, as much as I enjoyed working with athletes (and still do), I became aware of the tremendous value that stress management and performance enhancement could have for others. Just because you don't put on a helmet on Saturdays doesn't mean that you don't experience stress and also doesn't mean that you can't benefit from sharpening your mind.

As such, I began this Mindurance journey of helping high performers, of all...

Mindurance helps high performers across industries minimize mental barriers and maximize life through online self-study, group programs, and personal coaching.

In other words, WE TRAIN MENTAL FITNESS.

But let’s break that down a little further.

We. Yes, WE help you develop mental fitness…together.  This isn’t a top down, Dr Steve has all the answers, type of deal. Nope. You are an expert in you. And I am an expert in the process of mental growth. Together, WE can make some magic happen. It really does take two to tango sometimes.

Train. Oh I’m sorry, were you hoping for a one-session miracle worker that takes you from disorganized couch potato to badass bikini model in one hour? Sorry pal. Mental fitness, much like learning guitar, a foreign language, or how to tie your shoes, requires training. Good news is Mindurance has a few different methods by which to train. You can train on your own. Train with a group. Or train one-on-one with me....

There I was, a stressed-out psychologist working in my dream job trying to process a breakup, maintain a growing client load, and reconcile whether I was actually doing what was best for me. 

The big problem was that I saw no end in sight. As I looked into the crystal ball, I saw my client load increasing dramatically. I saw weekdays getting longer, weekends getting interrupted, and my calendar getting filled…with work. And though small doses of these things enlivened me, the amount that was being required was taxing and would ultimately lead to one thing…burn out.

Talk about mental barriers! I was low in motivation and high in hopelessness.  My positive, happy-go-lucky self was dimming and my future seemed dire. 

Then, as if by chance, a few amazing things happened...

I took a trip to Thailand and Vietnam with high school friends, which helped me discover my love and need for travel.

I read Tim Ferris' Book, “The Four-Hour Work Week” which...

When you get a chance, type “Mental health” into Google.  Notice what results.  I’ll do the leg work…see below.

Now type, “mental illness” into Google.  Notice the results below. 

Notice the difference? Me neither…they’re the same. When you type Mental Health you get Mental Disorders listed in the search results.  When you type Mental Illness you also get mental disorders listed in the search results.  So whether you type mental health or mental illness you get the same results….disorders. Interesting right?  When did Mental Health become synonymous with mental illness? Shouldn’t they be separate constructs?

For instance, if you type “physical health” you don’t get a list of physical ailments or diseases.  If you type “financial health” you don’t get a listing of financial struggles like low credit, bankruptcy...