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EVERYONE NEEDS TO ADOPT BRADEN PERLINI’S ATTITUDE

By Enio Sacilotto

I am always looking for learning and inspirational interviews of professional athletes and high achievers of any field that I can use as learning tools for my players and students.  Many of these interviews are the standard lines and cliché.  A few weeks ago, I heard a fantastic interview with Brendan Perlini of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL player).  All of us need to adopt some or all of Brendan’s attitudes.  The interview was full of learning moments.  Here are eight takeaways from the interview. 

1. Have a daily positive attitude – Bringing a positive attitude will bring positive energy to your group.  One person on a team affects five; in other words, one individual spreads positive energy, it will affect five, those five can affect another five.  Positive energy is contagious, and it will fly through your dressing room!  Good things will then happen to you and your team.  Be mindful that your attitude can work both ways.  If you bring a negative attitude, it will produce negative energy, and things will go wrong.

2. Work ethic and compete at practice every day – The way to get better as an individual is to work your hardest and compete against your teammates every day.  A high battle level will bring everyone out of their comfort zone.  Bringing it every day is hard and uncomfortable, but nothing comes easy.  Being comfortable being uncomfortable is key to improvement!

3. Enjoy playing your sport and have fun – Don’t get caught up in things you cannot control.  When you focus on the uncontrollable, you will increase pressure on yourself, and your performance will suffer.  Be like a young U8 player, or like you are on the playground, have fun and play!

4. The law of attraction – What you think about you bring about!  A straightforward and compelling concept.  If you think about positive things, such as being the best player you can be with the playing time, you will perform well.  If you focus on the playing time you don’t get, your performance will suffer.  If you believe in yourself, set goals, write them down and work to get better every day, you will attract the coaches and situations to help you achieve your goals.

5. Keep things in perspective – Making mistakes is okay; there are no life and death consequences in sports.  After any setback, the sun will shine the next day.  The critical point is to allow yourself to make mistakes and lose games; the key is to learn from them and figure out how to correct things next time.  Mistakes are the stepping stones to learning!

6. Stay in the present moment – We often hear about being in “the zone.” When an athlete is in the zone, their performance is at the highest level they can be; with no awareness of time, things happen quickly and perfectly.  The flow zone is the ideal performance state.  Being in the present moment is required to get into the zone, not thinking about the past or future.  Your thought is in the here and now, where your feet are at this moment.  The best way to learn to be in the present moment is to practice mindfulness meditation.

7. Expect ups and downs – Momentum changes fast during a season or even during a game.  You could lose four games and then win six games in a row.  Your opponents could be outplaying you, then some momentum change can happen, and you score three goals.  In life, as in sport, things will never always be perfect.  You will always have ups and downs, ebbs and flows.  Think, “glass half full,” stay positive, persevere, show your grit, and things will work out for the best.

8. Have an attitude of gratitude – When you appreciate the things and the people you have in life, you are playing for something greater than yourself.  When you are playing for something greater than yourself, you will be happier, have a more positive attitude, and focus on the positive things that happen to you.   When you have a setback, your attitude of gratitude will help you learn from the experience move on quicker and remarkable things will happen to you and your team!

Enio Sacilotto is President of International Hockey Camps and operates the Mental Edge High-Performance Training.  Enio has 39 years of coaching experience (professional hockey in Europe and the Victoria Royals (WHL)).  Currently, he coaches at the Burnaby Winter Club Hockey Academy and the Croatian National Men’s team.  If you have questions or are interested in his services, contact Enio at enio@coachenio.com or call 604 255 4747.  Website: www.coachenio.com.