Book excerpt: A composed athlete remains put together, regardless of circumstances and it is reflected in their body language, attitude, and overall presence. Composure starts with attitude, how a person carries themselves. It means having a certain style in and outside the game. It is not about what you do; it’s how you do it. The Adaptive Mindset System is composed of the ultimate elements you must dominate to develop maximum composure. This book is packed with practical exercises that will have an immediate impact on your emotional well-being and ultimately your performance. Table of contents Section 1 ~ Taking ownership of your composure Losing your cool Why should you focus on developing composure? Body language is vital in athletics Developing composure with motor control Keeping a positive attitude at all times Staying lucid under pressure Modeling composure Section 2 ~ The dark side of the automatic mental mode When imagination creates reality Avoidance: response of the automatic mental mode Handling fear and overcoming anxiety Understanding anger Exploring what lurks behind anger Identify thought patterns that fuel your anger Strategies to handle anger Practice activation of the adaptive mental mode Section 3 ~ Shedding the old labels Operators focus on their identity, not their goals Understanding the identity and emotion connection Upgrading your identity through belief recalibration Setting yourself free – How your past experience can elevate your anxiety Creating an alter ego Section 4 ~ Building a strong foundation of confidence Taking ownership of your confidence Building confidence Anchoring a confidence state Creating a mental pre-performance routine Section 5 ~ Losing self-consciousness with preparation Mastering your skills Developing heightened focus I am not feeling like it Modifying your state of consciousness with hypnosis Changing your emotional state to boost energy Finding fluidity for effective gesture via muscular relaxation Preparing through visualization Committing to mental toughness About the authors Stephanie Cunha is a biochemist and entrepreneur in the mental strength training industry. She obtained in 2008 her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry at the prestigious University of Lyon 1 in France. Passionate by the function of the body’s molecules on the brain and emotions, she developed practical tools for athletes to optimize their mindset, which will become later on the Adaptive Mindset System TM. Lisa Lucchesi is a leader at Nike in all things related to testing, with a motto of “you make it, she breaks it.” Prior to her work at Nike, she was a product developer for 15 years in the medical device industry, taking products from concept, scale-up, and tech transfer, all the way through commercialization. Her pet projects included wound dressings for severe bleeding for the military that received the second-fastest FDA approval and were awarded status among the top 10 greatest Army inventions of 2004. Her passion and expertise is in developing fast, effective, and relevant strategies for iterative improvements in products, sports, and life.