About the Author: Dr. Jim Taylor

Children become the messages they receive the most.

The real fear of failure is about the fear of experiencing painful emotions.

To achieve total success, ski racers must be willing to accept total failure.

Failure teaches racers humility and appreciation for the opportunities that they’re given.

Too much praise of any sort can be unhealthy.

Expectations tell your children what’s important to you and establish a standard toward which they can strive.

Parents who want their children to achieve success may find this goal conflicts with the desire for their children to be happy.

Hard work may not be enjoyable, but what feels even worse is failing to achieve your goals because you didn't work hard enough.

What you do this fall will have a big impact on how you ski this winter.

Facts and informed opinion may carry weight intellectually, but anecdotal observations weigh far more emotionally.

Watching video can keep you mentally sharp and allow you to develop your ski racing skills when you’re not on snow.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that training really does matter.

Most people think of frustration as a bad emotion, but it is actually more complex than that.

Summer is a great time to develop yourself mentally.

Here's a swift kick in the pants for when you’re just not feeling your conditioning mojo.

A run of slalom and a set of squats or hang cleans are physical performances that share many attributes.

Take an essential, yet often neglected, piece of the ski racing success puzzle and make it a priority this summer.

Research shows that imagery, when combined with actual training, improves performance more than training alone.