The Champions Mindset - Jim Afremow

Jim believes that champions can be made. An much of the making of a champion is mental. How do you believe you can be a champion? Simple - if you can spot greatness in others, then you have the qualities of greatness in you too. The qualities need to be worked at which needs a lot of mental discipline and strength. And yes, mental strength can be built through training. 

As with anything else that we want to gt better at, start with assessing yourself on the four key areas that a champion needs to look at - Psychological, Physical, Technical and Tactical. Physical is easy - there are parameters that are set and one can keep pushing them. Technical is stuff coaches will teach as improvements in skill. Tactical is something one can learn by discussions with coaches and peers and by experience.

Jim gives a lot of broad ideas on how to build the champions mindset.  

1) Know Process - Know the right process on training - skill, nutrition, fitness. Follow process, training programs, nutrition plan, sleep, relax, feel, quality time, ask for help, update life goals. Focus on basics when things go wrong.

2) Win the day - Follow process diligently everyday. What can you achieve today. Manage your priorities well. Include fun in daily activities.

3) Work - To be a champion there are no short cuts. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. No coach or team thinks in terms of happy or comfort - keep competing, executing and trying to improve. Does not matter if you have the best or the worst record. 

4) Work on the Mental Aspect - Beliefs - Shift beliefs and expectations to what you can achieve, not what you cannot. Visualise - Imagine what will your life look like as a champ. Put in the extra work. Affirmations and Self Talk - Use phrases like -Personal best.

5) Develop People skills - be present, listen, do not mind read, discuss problems when they begin, criticise behavior and not the person.

6) Focus on team work  - Its always about the team, bring the best you can to the work.

7) Lead with vision, enthusiasm, feedback, confidence, care about others, respect, lead on and off the field, hold everyone accountable, adapt, do the right thing

The Mental Skills Tool Kit - Start with these Tools

1) Goal setting - define what you want to achieve in clear, specific terms, write them down and  display them so you can see it everyday and work towards it
2) Mental imagery - practice visualisation, see images of you playing well, achieving, that feeling of winning, feel, enjoy
3) Self talk - watch your self-talk, your thoughts and words, flip all negative thoughts into positive thoughts, not a single negative word
4) Confidence - show confidence through proper preparation and demonstrated performance, until then fake it to make it
5) Focus - it is selective attention, eliminate distractions, think long term when it comes to success (the entire career and not one game) and short term when it comes to failure (forget failures soon after learning the lesson), lose yourself in the process of what you are doing
5) Breath control - Deep breathing, keep practicing this to stay present and mentally aware
7) Mental toughness - increase it by doing hard things every day, push every day a little more
8) Anxiety management - anxiety is about grey areas, address grey areas - the what ifs, channel thoughts and anxiety positively, prepare, breathe, be present
9) Enjoyment - be here and now, enjoy the process and have fun
10) Body language - smile, dress up
11) Intensity - be balanced in your intensity, throttle up, throttle down, 
12) Personal affirmations - have key phrases that are positive, the subconscious recognises the present so affirm in the present, I am the best, I got this

The Winning Mindset  

1) Play to win, not to not lose.Look to thrive and not just survive.
2) Be unapologetic about wanting to win.
3) Playing to win allows you to play within yourself (when you play not to lose, you either over do or  under do). 
5) There is a fear of winning and also a fear of failure. Look them in the eye. Get comfortable with both. Don't fear either. Focus on what you want to happen, not what you're afraid of.
6) Its okay to fail as long as you don't give up. 
7) Be in relaxed awareness state. Breathe. Tension is what you think you should be, relaxed is who you are.
8) Stay loose. Let the play come to you. Flow, don't force.
9) Focus on process - the present moment. On action.
10) Keep it simple.
11) Be quick but don't hurry.
12) Play ugly but stay in.
13) Know your job and do it.
14) Ask good questions in tough situations - what do I want to happen? What would help me now?
15) Have no excuses.Deal with whatever comes to you.
16) Adapt  - look at the what ifs, plan contingencies, be flexible.
17) When everyone else is nervous, I am excited. Train it and trust it.
18) During competitions forget mistakes. Use the blade of grass technique - pick up a blade of grass and look at it as if it was the mistake you made and blow it away in the wind - gone. Move on.
19) When you fail, get right back up, keep pushing it

Wisdom of  champion

It's not about winning only. It's about being the best you can be.

1) Seek mastery. Be your toughest rival.
2) Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you're capable of becoming - John Wooden
3) Manage your limitations
4) Get help
5) What does not kill me makes me stronger
6) Practice is everything. Keep learning, training, 
7) Chase your weaknesses, build your strengths. 'I make my weaknesses my strengths and my strengths stronger' - Lisa Fernandes
8) Move the chains
9) In crunch moments tell yourself - this is who I am and this is what I do everyday
10) Accept yourself unconditionally
11) Control the controllables
12) Look at the big picture, instead of one competition
13) Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
14) He who grasps, loses - Lao Tzu, Relentlessly pursue perfection
15) How to become my best
16) Intense discomfort is often the price tag for greatness 
17) Do what you are coached to
18) Commitment is either in or out
19) Sustained obsession
20) Do what others won't do
21) A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning
22) Set out to do your absolute best
23) A real victor arrives at the finish line with no regrets

Zen stories

Empty cup - only if you empty your cup can you can absorb, learn new things (keep learning)
Monk and the mirror - I am the source, the problem and the solution (look within for answers)
Carrying the burden - Once it is done, move on (stay present, don't build stories)
Drop of water - Don't waste even a drop of water, be aware (use all resources well)
Maybe good, maybe bad - Have no judgment, because things change (don't judge to see clearly)
Cliffhanger - If you are present, you can enjoy even the most difficult times (there's a opportunity in the toughest times)
Gifts - You need not react to everything, you can choose not to (react only when needed)
Working hard - when you have one eye on the goal you have only one eye on the path (full focus on process)
Great waves - become the wave, and you will be at full potential (Immerse yourself fully)
Frog and centipede - until the frog pits doubt in the centipedes mind it does great with its hundred legs (don't doubt, overthink)
Taming the mind - do things when the going is tough (conquer the mind so its the same in all situations) 
Masterpiece - King seeks peace in paintings, peace in the eye of the storm (find peace in turmoil)
Painted lion - Fellow paints a lion and then gets scared of it (don't get scared by your own creations)
Breathing - it will pass
Chop wood and carry water - Do the same things before and after, only your awareness changes
Go with the flow - man in rapids surrenders to the flow and survives (don't fight, surrender)
Destiny - one believes in destiny but one also has agency like the two sided coin (create your own destiny by believing in it)
Chasing two rabbits - Cannot catch two rabbits at once, do it one at a time (one thing at a time)
The inn - palace, ask what it really means and is (its not the labels, its the function)
Statue of gold - can hide gold under clay

Golden reflections from Champions

1) Be focused on what it takes to win a competitive edge over my opposition. Barely left the room so not to get distracted - eat, train, sleep. No excuses. Cannot arrive less than your best and lacking confidence. Confidence comes with training
2) Don't give up after a weak moment. Come back stronger.
3) Effective practice is conscious presence, focused effort, with our entire being. Be in the now during 4) practice. Imagine a teacher standing on my shoulder and telling me 'Be here now'.
5) To win, uncover your authentic best self
6) How hard are you willing to work on competition day. Race day is a special day.
7) All team members must commit to the goals of the team. If you wanna win you gotta buy in. Commit 100% to the philosophy of team. Commit to my role in the team. Trust my coach and team mates.
8) Focus on each tiny step. Full focus on the process. Preparation is the key. Hey, I am ready.
9) Dream big.
10) That's what I want. Then go and get it. Commit to it. Tell others. Live the gold life.
11) Teaming is asking for help.
12) Focus on yourself. Not others. Take chances.

Game Plan - Before The Game

Goal setting (what to accomplish, clear and specific numbers, process)
Mental imagery (see yourself performing well, clear visual of process, of outcome)
Self talk (keep it simple, positive, remove all negative)
Confidence (can do attitude)
Focus (on target)
Breath control (breathe easy and deep)
Mental toughness (do the hard, stay within)
Anxiety (visualise your butterflies in formation)
Enjoy (have fun)
Body language (strong)
Intensity (energy level just right)
Affirmations (power phrases)

Principles
Go with what you got (don't doubt or underestimate yourself)
Most important thing is how you prepare for battle (you already are prepared)
Develop good routines to get a head start on opponent - reduce pre-competiton nervousness (music, visualisation, breathing)
Don't abandon the routine when most needed (stick to process)
Pep talks - keep it simple, clear, powerful/evoke previous success/ what you need to focus on to play your best/nothing to lose, everything to gain/enjoy each moment/ All night long, till the end give your best

Common Mental errors

- over emphasising the outcome
- trying too much 
- tracking the negative

...

There are a lot of ideas in the book in a rather disorganised manner. Overall it seems to say - have a big vision, know your strengths and weaknesses, assess yourself all round, find help, get proper routines and work diligently, work towards the big vision, no substitute for hard work, have clear plans for game days, go for win, keep your mind on what you can do, if you fall get up and get going, use mental skills to be at your best mental state, follow process. Jim gets support from a lot of Zen stories, has a bunch of champions talk about their experiences (which was quite useful). Lots of information but just not organised in a manner - it is rather repetitive not delving deep. I have attempted to organise it the way I would like it because it does have some interesting parts to it. Maybe later I will write these down in a manner that makes sense to me as insights. The good parts are that it gave me some framework on mental preparation (too many again), some insights on preparing for the big games (don't change process, it's not another game, take chances), the level of comfort or happiness one needs in champion teams (none). 

Acts of Love - Grandmother and Grandson

I was walking Akela this morning when I saw this grandmother walking with a very young grandson, maybe five or six years old. She was walking slowly and I could see that the grandson was company for her.

Then she stopped walking because she was perhaps tired. The grandson looked puzzled. He didn't know what to do. 

She crossed over and sat by the side of the road. The grandson stood by her wondering what to do. A tender moment. A shared moment. A moment of love. 

An act of love. 

I sent some energy her way and hoped they both went wherever they had to go and had a good time while at that.

Hyderabad by Walk - Aghapura, Gyan Bagh Palace

Deccan Archives announced the Aghapura walk promising hidden palaces and such. It sounded exciting and though I had a meeting at 11 at Gachibowli, I thought I'd chance it. So I showed up at 830 at Dargah Shah Khamosh, near Nampally, which is as beautiful a dargah as you can hope to see. A decent crowd had gathered and I parked, reparked, reparked according to the wishes of various dargah people who kept showing up until Safwan found me a good place, a little distance away from the hassles of the dargah keepers.

Gyan Bagh Palace

Another view

Finally, we were off after a quick intro by Sibgat to Shah Khamosh Dargah and the Sufi traditions of Hyderabad. We moved to the graves of two Hyderabadi poets Makhdoom Moinuddin (Phir Chhidi Raat...) and Amjad Hyderabadi both lying within 100 metres of the dargah. Makhdoom was the founder of the Progressive Writers Union of Hyderabad, an active member of the Communist Party in Hyderabad and active in the rebellion against the Nizam's regime while Amjad Hyderabadi had lost his family in the 1908 floods and survived by climbing the banyan tree in Osmania General Hospital and hanging on for life along with a 100 or more people. Sibgat used (normally uses) the most appropriate words while speaking about the two poets and their divergent philosophies that I wonder why he doesn't write more.

Hazrat Shah Khamosh Dargah - the green enclosure to the left is late poet Amjad Hyderabadi's

Late Poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin's Grave (near the dargah)

Naubat Khana where they beat kettle drums

We passed the gate where they beat the nagara or naubat or kettle drums to announce the time of the day and other important occasions and spilled on to the main road and walked towards Darusalam and much to my delight, onward to Gyan Bagh, a 170 plus year old palace owned by the Dhanraj Girs, once known as the Rockefellers of India, the second richest family in the South (as per some basic research I did). 

Driveway to Gyan Bagh Palace

Extended parts of the palace

In its time Gyan Bagh was one of the most expensive mansions around. Originally from Kandar in Afghanistan, the family appears to have moved to Ujjain, then Pune and during the Peshwa rule, to the Deccan under the last Qutb Shah ruler. The family has opulent palaces in Bombay, Pune and Hyderabad, owned mills and properties, hospitals and ginning factories in Sholapur and Bombay. I remember the Dhanraj Girs as models, actors, great looking people, Tarun Dhanraj Gir I remember who played Darcy's role in the Indian tele series version of 'Pride and Prejudice' - Trishna - and was the heartthrob of many young girls. He acted in other series such as 'Aarohan' and then produced and directed films like 'Bolo Hau' which is as Hyderabadi as it gets. 

Another view

The main entrance

Royal insignia

I asked Wahaj what Gyan Bagh palace was about and he told me it belonged to Rani Indira Devi Dhanraj Gir. In my cursory research I came across a couple of blogs and some info online about the palace - built over 30000 sft, with limestone and marble, 19 suites, built in three phases. It appears to be named after the first Raja Gyan Gir Bahadur, then passed on to Raja Narsingh Girji Bahadur and then to Raja Dhanraj Gir Bahadur (1893-1988). Indira Devi (1930-2026), first of four siblings, was born to Raja Dhanraj Gir and Rani Premila Devi. Interestingly for me, Raja Dharaj Gir apparently introduced many western ideas and hold your breath, also introduced the game of cricket to Hyderabad. He was in the court of the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali.

Entrance to an ancient tomb

Akhirat Manzil - Final Destination

Rani Indira Devi was a poet, painter, socialite and philanthropist and here's one piece of information that knocked me down - she was nominated for the 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature for her poetry. She married Srikishan Seth, nephew of Kishen Pershad, erstwhile noble and twice Prime  Minister under the Nizams (after whom there was once a A division cricket tournament played in Hyderabad). She left him very early on in the marriage and later divorced him in 1970. Wikipedia says she married again in 1971 - poet Seshendra Sharma. Rani Indira also entertained local poets such as Aziz Qaisi, Makdoom Mohiuddin, Jwalamukhi and so on and Gyan Bagh appears to have been a place of much literary and cultural activity in those days.

   

Another gateway

The address of the palace is Joshiwada Colony, Goshamahal. The gate looks quite ordinary and we walked into the drive way. There is a lot of growth on either side, and a rather amicable security guard busy chopping onions accosted us. Newly constructed walls indicated that some parts have been sectioned off. To the left one could see a bunch of old unused vehicles in a garage. We were joined by Smt Anuradha Reddy who spoke about the family and their history in her inimitable manner while the security guard called someone who came and finally allowed us in. As we walked closer to the palace we could see that it was being renovated and painted etc. The facade looked imposing and I could see there was more to the palace at the back. Apparently the Telugu film 'Muthyala Muggu' was shot here.

Another one

Exiting Shah Khamosh Dargah

I took a couple of pictures of the palace and headed out as I had a meeting. But it was very interesting to see this palace, this piece of history right in the middle of Hyderabad, in parts I never set foot on in the last fifty years. Glad I could, thanks to Deccan Archives. which is contributing considerably to expand my knowledge and history of my dear city.     

On my way back I took pictures of the many interesting gateways to Sufi tombs and dargahs, of Makdoom Mohiuddin's tomb and Amjad Hyderabadi's tomb and headed off. One called 'Akhirat Manzil' which Wahaj said literally means 'The Final Destination'. Nothing subtle about that.  

It's amazing so much history lies here in this narrow, neglected part of the city. Hopefully will explore these streets some more soon.

Lovely Gifts - Thanks Vinod Bhai.

Vinod has this wonderful habit of looking out for books that might interest me in his weekly expeditions to the second hand book market at Abids. Last Sunday he picked up 'The Art of Captaincy' by Mike Brearley and 'The Great Tamasha' by James Astill. Looking forward to reading them both.

I remember gifting my copy of 'The Art of Captaincy' to young Akshath Reddy when we made him captain of the Hyderabad Ranji team when he was a mere 21 years old circa 2012 when I was Chief Selector of HCA. Now I'll keep this copy with myself. 

And I gifted myself a little Hot Wheels truck. 

Hyderabad by Walk - Gems of Charminar Walk by Mukthyar, Part 5, Sardar Mahal

 From there we walked to Sardar Mahal, an erstwhile palace constructed by the 6th Nizam Mahboob Ali Khan to his wife Sardar Begum but she did not like it and never stayed there. 

Sardar Mahal from the outside

From inside - the restored part

Needs work 

This too - quaint

The GHMC people took over and stayed there until recently and now it is being converted into a heritage hotel. We stepped in and walked around, quite impressive. 

Mukhtyar and Arup at Kaapi Karam

On the way out we stopped at Kapi Karam a new restaurant that has come up right there, ate some breakfast and headed off. Nice walk Mukhtyar.

Hyderabad by Walk - Gems of Charminar Walk by Mukhtyar,Part 4 - Jama Masjid

 From the Makkah Masjid we headed to Jama Masjid which is older - built in the 1597-1598 period. its is mostly now covered with sheds so one cannot appreciate the architecture though we can see glimpses of it.

 This was built just after the Charminar was built and under the rule of Mohammad Quli Qutbh Shah.

Hyderabad by Walk - Gems of Charminar Walk with Mukhtyar, Part 3, Makkah Masjid

From Nimrah we strolled across to Makkah Masjid and this was a first for me. As we enter we found to the left a hall made of marble which house the tombs of all the Nizams barring the 1st and the 7th. The sixth Nizam's tomb (Mahboob Ali Khan) had a covering as he was considered a saint. 

Makkah Masjid

Many people were relaxing there, some were deep in sleep. 

Makkah Masjid

Mukhtyar explained that it was called the Makkah masjid because the Qutb Shahi ruler who started it, Muhammad Qutb Shah, had soil brought from Makkah, baked bricks out of it and laid the foundation with those bricks (which are also there in the central arch). 

The tombs

The Nizams Tombs - all but the 1st and the 7th

It is the largest mosque in Hyderabad and can house 10000. The main walls are made of single pieces of granite and it is said that it took years to quarry it. 8000 workers were employed and it took almost 80 years to complete - finally Aurangzeb had to complete it in 1694 after he defeated the Qutb Shahis. 

Inside the massive Makkah Masjid

Sundial and my co walkers

Dramatic

Charminar from Makkah Masjid

The caretaker took us in and showed us the inscriptions in gold. There is a sun dial of those times which is not functional anymore for whatever reason.