17 Dec 2025 · 2 min
Lanny Basham, a mental toughness teacher, explains the difference between trying to win and trusting you will win. Elite performers focus on execution and process, not the outcome. A golfer was so locked into his routine he didn't realize he'd won until his wife hugged him after a million-dollar putt.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic plus one. Lanny Basham is one of my all time favorite mental toughness teachers. He wrote With Winning in Mind, which is one of the all time best books on mental toughness and peak performance. Check out the notes linked in this +1. He also wrote Parenting Champions, which I love. And his son wrote Attainment, which is also fantastic. Now the other day Lanny joined us for a heroic chat with Masters. It was awesome. I took a couple of pages of notes and we'll have fun exploring a few of my favorite ideas. And that chat is linked in this +1 as well. Check it out. Here's one idea Lanny tells us that sub elite performers try to win the best. Most dominant performers trust they will win. They aren't focused on winning per se, they're focused on executing and that's a big distinction. Reminds me of one of Lanny's golfers who was so focused on executing his process that he didn't even know he had won a big tournament until his wife ran up on the green and hugged him after he made a million dollar putt. Did I win? Yeah, you won. Of course, Wooden didn't focus on winning either. For him, it was all about striving to do your absolute best, controlling your effort and your attitude. Gandhi was getting at the same thing when he said that full effort is full victory and that's today's plus one. Don't try to win. Trust that over the long run you will win. In fact, know that you are winning every time you close the gap. And live with Arte. Show up, do your best, give us all you've got today.
