You know that feeling when you watch someone like celebrity? There’s something about them—a calm energy, a fire, the way they bounce back like nothing can break them. And we think maybe they are just built differently, that they’re born with it.
But the truth is, they have trained for it. Just like they have trained their body, they have trained their mind too. Mental strength is not some gift you either have or you don’t have. It’s like a muscle—you can build it with consistent training.
That’s what we are going to discuss in this blog: 2 powerful mindset shifts that elite athletes use so you can start building a mind that’s unshakable.
Mental Shift 1: The Hard Way
Do you remember the chubby version of Virat Kohli? Back in the early 2010s, he was still a promising player, but he wasn’t the lean, sharp, unstoppable athlete we see today.
In interviews, he has spoken about how sluggish he used to feel. He said his body just didn’t respond the way he wanted it to. So he made a decision to give up sugar, gluten, and even his favorite foods like butter chicken and desserts.
Now, to us it might seem simple—he’s rich, he has chefs and nutritionists. What’s the big deal?
But what we forget is Virat Kohli has the same human brain as the rest of us. A human brain is always wired to avoid pain and seek comfort. His system also craves sugar when he’s stressed. He also loves food when he’s tired.
But why does he choose differently? Because he knows everything has a price. He knows that if he eats sugar and fat now, he will pay the price with sluggishness in his game.
But he wants to be a great athlete. So he decided: if he lets go of that craving now, he will gain speed, stamina, and clarity. He might not feel pleasure and comfort now, but he will achieve what he really wants.
This is called delayed gratification. It means experiencing short-term struggle for the long-term win. This is one of the core mindset shifts every elite athlete has, and it’s something you can train too.
Let’s say you want to get fit, and tonight you’re craving something sweet. Instead of giving in and eating it, delay it for 30 minutes. Walk around, drink water. It’ll be tough for the first few times, but when you practice delayed gratification consistently, your brain learns: I’m not a slave to this craving. I can choose what serves me.
Do this often enough, and your brain will begin to trust you. That’s the beginning of a strong mind. You’re not just resisting temptation for the sake of it—you are choosing the hard thing because it builds the life you want.
Mental Shift 2: Be Your Own Coach, Not a Critic
It’s January 2024. Badminton Asia Team Championships. It’s a semi-finals game. 19-year-old Anmul Kab walks into the court. It’s her international debut. The stadium is loud, and we can feel the pressure.
The opponent is far more experienced than Anmul. In the first few minutes of the game, she stumbled and missed a couple of easy shots. But then, slowly, she finds her rhythm and wins the game.
Later, someone asked her how she handled that pressure. She simply said, “I kept telling myself, focus on the next point.”
See, this is the real difference between an elite athlete’s mind and normal minds. Since childhood, we’ve been conditioned to criticize ourselves whenever we screw up. So even as an adult, when we make one mistake, our brain will habitually say, “Why do I always screw up?”
When you criticize yourself, you trigger your amygdala—the emotional part of the brain that responds to threats. It floods you with cortisol, and you get stressed.
But elite performers think differently. They catch that inner voice and switch it from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What’s the next move?”or “What can I do to make it better?”
They coach themselves. They talk to themselves like a coach. This activates their prefrontal cortex—the problem-solving part of their brain. So you stay logical. You stay in the game.You can try doing this every time you catch your inner voice criticizing you. Don’t ask, “Why am I like this?” Ask, “What can I learn from it? What will I do differently tomorrow?”
That small mental shift will rewire your brain. Because when you stop being your biggest critic and start being your best coach, you become unstoppable.
Your mind becomes your friend. It won’t spiral when things go wrong. It will reset, reframe, and respond. You’ll become mentally lighter, sharper, and more in control.
That’s how you build a strong, unshakable mind like an elite athlete.