Shane Watson talks about his new book that reveals his secrets to a strong mind

Australians through the ages and across sports have always been described as tough So it comes as a surprise to hear former Australian allrounder Shane Watson talk of having to work in order to build a tough mindset It is precisely this experience that fills up the pages of Watsonrsquos latest book The Winnerrsquos Mindset HarperCollins IndiaWe sat down with the cricketer who is in India for a commentary stint with the ongoing IPL edition to talk about his journey and the need to publish a book to help out other professionals in needDr Jacques Dallaire and Shane WatsonEdited excerpts from the interviewYou approach the reader by sharing your weaknesses struggles and mistakes What led to that revelationShane Watson The book began from a chance meeting with IndyCar champion Will Powers during an awards show This was one of those sliding doors moments of my life Over the evening I opened up to him about my own fears These were things I had not spoken to anyone not even my wifePowers connected me with Dr Jacques Dallaire From that first phone call I knew right away that this was the right person to help me out Dallaire knew nothing about cricket but he understood individuals driven by performance Since it was my flaws that led me to the discovery of this knowledge it only felt right that I share it from the same perspectiveHow long did it take from working on yourself with the programme and deciding to transform the experience into a bookSW It took me six to eight weeks to bring it all together It was a simple process and I started to write down every experience in my performance journal If you observe the structure of the book is very similar to that of the workshop Dallaire has built this over 40 years of working with high performance individuals I brought into it the experience and observations from my own career that added in as relatable examplesThe examples of the late great Shane Warnersquos selfconfidence notwithstanding results or Sir Vivian Richards using chewing gum to focus in a game is insightfulBut doesnrsquot every highperformance individual find their own solutionSW The best in every field have these mental skills They build them by working incredibly hard over time It is tied into their understanding of what works for them Now everyone does not go through the same experiences that enabled these legends to develop such mental skillsWatson shares that Shane Warne would not let the result affect his selfbelief while right Vivian Richards used chewing gum as a meditative process to centre himselfOn the other hand while many of them did discover a method they did not know why it worked When you do not know why you can sometimes lose focus of a working solution when things get rough The book helps to crystallise a path not an easy one but one that worksWhat was the key shift you noticed after you started implementing the methodSW I learned how to redirect my negative thoughts and free myself These thoughts can often come in the way of accessing skills that you have already built over years The split second between hesitation and action can often define the result I know from my own experience that it is a significant power to have control over your thoughts It can give you control over your happiness in lifeWith mental skills forming a key part of performance why is this information not more accessibleSW I believe that mental skills are a critical life skill especially if you have not learned it at a younger age The challenge is to retrain your mind repeatedly It is not a onetime fix Even now my default mode is to worry But since I have built these skills I can catch myself I am nearly 43 years old now and I have been working on these methods for over nine yearsWas that a driving force for this book mdash to educate the next generation on these skillsSW The main driver for the book was that this was the information I wish I had as a teenager not just from a performance perspective but also for someone who struggles to find a way to deal with stressAre you planning a followup to this bookSW The next iteration is aimed at younger audiences This is why I hope to build it into an online course that outlines the methods to combat pressure and anxiety of results We are working towards an interactive format that should be ready by the end of MayDo you sometimes regret knowing what you know now a little lateSW I have no regrets I felt fortunate to have this information while I was playing Now my mission is to get it out to as many people as I canAway from the book what are your early thoughts on this IPL seasonSW It has been a fantastic start The matches have already been actionpackedI recently saw Mayank Yadavrsquos performance and it was quite incredible It has been a pleasure to be able to work on different levels in the tournament through these yearsElementary Watson1 Donrsquot let outside influences get in the way of your instinctive decisionmaking2 Confidence is integral to performance So build it around the right qualities3 The only factors to focus on are the things you can control Prepare for external factors but do not worry about them4 Goals are important but fixating upon them can prove detrimental5 You have only a limited amount of mental energy Find ways to conserve it like reading a book learning music and limiting your social media usageAvailable at all bookstores and estoresCost Rs 499