Most of us know that we can perform athletically at higher levels. We know we can be better. We notice that we seem to be stuck in patterns of similar mistakes. Many of us are on an endless search for changes in technique and technology, searching for the missing key ingredients to success. If we’re paying close attention to how we train and compete, we notice that we sabotage and limit ourselves. We may also suspect that we unconsciously sabotage ourselves because we find ourselves doing things that we know are counterproductive, but can’t seem to get out of our own way. We also can’t usually figure out why we undercut our ability.

The most significant challenges we usually face are the mental ones and not the physical ones. The key problem that many of us have is that we don’t know how to stop sabotaging ourselves. Even if we recognize how we are sabotaging ourselves, we may not be able to stop. Intellectual knowledge is helpful, but it isn’t sufficient to make deep and powerful changes. We’ve tried everything we know and it isn’t enough. We need something deeper and more powerful.

There’s a deeper way of knowing and a deeper self-knowledge that we find when we develop a meditation practice. We find our center where we are in touch with our deep wisdom and passion. When we live, train, and compete from our center, we find more clarity about our strengths and weaknesses. We learn that the barriers that appear to be holding us back are actually invitations to develop, change, improve, and tap into the deep strength that we find inside in order to follow through on what will help us more forward as athletes and people.

This book of daily meditations for athletes has 366 meditations, one for each day of the calendar year. Each month has a different theme. Each meditation has some thoughts for your reflection and has a unique affirmation at the end, which you use for your meditation. You mindfully read the reflection and then meditate on the affirmation. You'll learn straightforward and powerful methods for meditating on the right things in the right ways.

The Second Edition is simpler to use and more powerful to practice. It has an updated Introduction, including an assessment to help athletes figure out what parts of their mental game need work. A number of the meditations have been updated for clarity and simplicity. The affirmation are simpler, which makes meditation easier. There is new a chapter on confidence and a new chapter on being a powerful athlete. The meditation techniques in the Introduction and the Meditation Scripts chapter are updated. The sanctuary meditation technique is more integrated throughout the book. The language in the book is more conversational.

The essence of a strong mental approach to high performance is the ability to manage our thinking, emotions, and physical states in order to perform at our highest levels. We learn to manage our thinking, emotions, and physical states by practicing the right kinds of meditation. All athletes want to perform "in the zone" more than they do currently. Performing in the zone is a meditative state. To learn to perform in the zone more often, athletes can learn to meditate on the right things in the right ways. Now you can develop your mental game in as little as 15 minutes per day.