Press Room

On paper they were very much alike. Both athletes could run a 40-yard sprint in remarkable time and both put in virtually the same amount of physical effort to prepare. But there was a difference when they raced each other. One ran as if there was no competition between the two and always came out on top as a result, while the other seemed to compete as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Why do some people seem to always rise to the occasion, while others suffer from self-doubt and a lack of confidence? "In order to excel in sports, corporate America or major life endeavors, you must achieve mental toughness," says Jason Selk director of sport psychology for the St. Louis Cardinals and author of 10 - MINUTE TOUGHNESS: The Mental-Training Program for Winning Before the Game Begins (McGraw-Hill; November 2008) with a foreword by former NFL pro bowl kicker Jeff Wilkins.

10-Minute Toughness is the mental training plan that has helped athletes like Olympic Gold Medalist Peter Vidmar and the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals mentally prepare for success. "From a mental standpoint there are a lot of individuals who do not know what to do to improve consistency, motivation or work through hardship," says Selk. "The brain is just like any other muscle, to develop strength you must work on it. 10-Minute Toughness is the weight room for the mind."

Selk's three-phase plan has given some of the world's finest athletes, coaches and business leaders an invaluable edge over their opponents. "10-MINUTE TOUGHNESS is the first book of its kind that teaches individuals exactly what to do to be mentally prepared and it does so in a very user-friendly manner," explains Selk. "It is designed to help competitors identify what it takes to be successful and then improve focus and concentration using at most just ten minutes of practice per day."

10 - MINUTE TOUGHNESS features a 5-tool mental workout along with an aggressive goal-setting plan and a relentless solution-focused approach to achieving greatness. Additionally, Selk's companion website, MySportsWorld.com, will compliment the book with updated mental training information and personalized content. Individuals will also learn how to:

• Increase self-confidence and develop a positive attitude
• Create an established metric system to enhance their work ethic
• Utilize daily goals to increase accountability and decrease excuse making

10 - MINUTE TOUGHNESS is for anyone looking to break through to the next level of performance on the playing field or in the corporate arena.

About the Author
Jason Selk, M.Ed., LPC, NCC is the director of sports psychology for the St. Louis Cardinals. He used the 10-Minute Toughness Mental Training program to help motivate the St. Louis Cardinals to victory in the 2006 World Series. He has provided unbeatable mental coaching for numerous All-Star professional baseball players, Pro Bowl football players, Hall of Fame coaches and Olympic gold medalists as well as corporate teams from Fortune 500 companies that include AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Charles Schwab to name a few. Selk is also the director and owner of Enhanced Performance, Inc. a sport psychology and business consulting firm that can be found at http://www.mysportsworld.com/. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

10 - MINUTE TOUGHNESS: The Mental-Training Program for Winning Before the Game Begins by Jason Selk; McGraw-Hill; November 2008; Cloth; $19.95; ISBN 10: 0-07-160063-9; ISBN 13: 978-0-07-160063-7