What do sports have to do with your career? A lot more than you think! Do any of these feelings sound familiar?       
 

• I worry that I'm just not working at my highest potential.
• At my last board presentation, even though I had prepared, I was so nervous I almost blew the whole thing.
• My boss pushes all my buttons -- I'm not sure I can keep on working with him.
• I just don't have the confidence I need to do this job.

If you can relate to frustrating situations like these, you can find help in a very unlikely place -- the office of a performance psychologist. A sports/performance psychologist specializes in helping performers both on and off the playing field bust out of slumps and develop mental toughness. Talent, ability and a terrific education alone do not make you a peak performer, "you also have to have your head on straight" says sports psychologist Dr. Alan Goldberg.

Goldberg, director of the Competitive Advantage and author of Sports Slump Busting: 10 Steps to Mental Toughness and Peak Performance teaches his clients that they "need to have mental skills like being able to stay calm under press, focus on what's important and block out everything else, quickly rebound from mistakes or bad breaks, avoid being psyched out or intimidated, and image what you want to happen instead of what you're afraid will happen."

Here are Goldberg's 10 steps for going "from the pits to the peak," which he teaches to executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, sales people, doctors, performing artists, test-takers and more:

1. Rule out non-mental causes: Check your skills.
2. Establish self-control.
3. Develop a championship focus.
4. Deal with your fears.
5. Expect success.
6. Develop positive images.
7. Set slump-busting goals.
8. Build self-confidence.
9. Become mentally tough.
10. Ensure against future slumps.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sounds great, but if I could I would. That's the point -- Goldberg can show you how, either through his book or through one-to-one sessions, in person or by phone. Sports Slump Busting is humorous, down-to-earth and relevant to every aspect of your life. It's filled with strategies and exercises that have systematically helped thousands develop championship attitudes. Check out Goldberg's Web site or find a performance and sports psychologist through the performance psychologist wing of the American Psychological Association.

Once you're out of your own slump at work, you can teach what you know to your team -- the people you depend on to do a good job for you. After that, teach it to your kids so they can perform better in school or in sports. There's just no doubt about it: Busting slumps is key to peak performance everywhere.