Managing Bipolar Symptoms Through...

From rock-bottom despair to lasting growth — here’s how a simple shift...

Brain Health across the...

AHP Dementia Webinar “thank you so much Karen, a brilliant and information session” “Really...
HomePsychologyMindset and Performance...

Mindset and Performance – Positive Psychology News


Josey Murray, MAPP’23,is a health, wellness, and lifestyle writer and editor based in New York City. Her writing focuses on how to live the good life and what sustainable wellness means for mind, body, and planet. She has written for Women’s Health, mindbodygreen, Well+Good, and more. She is the associate editor of MAPP Magazine. She holds a degree in English and Creative Writing from Wellesley College. Josey’s articles are here.

Mindset and performance. Well-being and success. There are a lot of misconceptions about
these topics, the relationship between them, and to whom the lessons about them apply. “You
have to struggle your way to success.” “Top athletes and performers are the exception and have
a unique ability to navigate high-pressure circumstances.” “Nerves are a bad thing.”
The experts in the latest issue of MAPP Magazine dispel these common beliefs and set the record straight. Knowing the relationship between mindset and performance enhances high achievement.

The latest, power-packed issue of MAPP Magazine features practitioners straddling the worlds of performance and positive psychology, but you don’t have to be a football player about to play
in the Super Bowl or a performing artist about to perform on the Grammy stage to gain insights
from this issue. These experts have taken what they have learned from working with
individuals in high-intensity, high-pressure environments (think championship-winning sports
teams, performing artists, and the military) and figured out what that means for the rest of us.

How do we find excellence and success in our lives? How can we nourish our well-being on the way? What does passion have to do with it?

You are bound to take away insights to enhance your performance and well-being. You might even challenge long-held beliefs that are getting in the way of both.

To have the latest MAPP Magazine articles sent to you by email, subscribe here.

Courtesy of Paddy Steinfort

Changing the Game

After coaching and advising some of the greatest performers and highest achievers in the world, Paddy Steinfort (MAPP ’15) was dubbed by USA Today “the game changer behind the game changers.”

In this interview, Paddy shares information about his work and the role of mindset in peak performance. He offers suggestions to cultivate mental fitness.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Strength and Conditioning for the Mind

How do we leverage character strengths in mental skills training?

Mental performance is known to be a core factor in the success of elite athletes, but few have considered the potential for character strengths to enhance mental skills training.

In this article, Justin Rindos (MAPP ’24) explores the role of character strengths in sports performance and the potential of integrating them into mental skills training.

Courtesy of Dan Lerner

Finding Well-Being on the Way to Success

Author, speaker, consultant, and professor of NYU’s most popular elective, The Pursuit of Happiness, Dan Lerner (MAPP ’12) helps everyone from college undergrads to opera singers succeed without sacrificing their well-being.

In this interview, Daniel challenges the idea that you have to struggle your way to excellence. He explores the key role of success in that equation.

Courtesy of Gloria Park

What Makes Us Great?

In this rich exchange, Gloria Park, PhD (MAPP ’06), a director of performance psychology, mental-performance coach, and long-time MAPP instructor and capstone reader, contends that challenges needn’t be feared and achievement may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

Gloria shares strategies for recognizing and leveraging the best within each of us.

For more on finding well-being,
visit and bookmark MAPP Magazine.
To get new editions in your email, subscribe here.

References

Lerner, Daniel (2017). U Thrive: How to succeed in college and life. Little Brown Spark.

Steinfort, Paddy (2017). Breakfast with Bails: What a dying coach taught me about life, learning & leadership. Allure Publishing.

Steinfort, Paddy. Toughness. Podcast.

Russell, Kyle (2024, February 22). The game changer behind the game changers.. USA Today.

Continue reading

Resistance Workouts for a Sharper Mind in Seniors!

Resistance training benefits brain structure in mild cognitive impairment. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) exists between...

Managing Bipolar Symptoms Through Learning New Skills

From rock-bottom despair to lasting growth — here’s how a simple shift toward learning made a big impact on my mental health. They say “never stop learning,” and I believe this, too — especially when it comes to living...

Gut bacteria may reduce the effectiveness of common medications

A new study, published today in Nature Chemistry by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University, shows how common gut bacteria can metabolize certain...