If you’re a Cleveland Cavalier basketball fan like me, you’re having a blast this year. The team is remarkable to watch. In addition to the action on the court, I’ve been listening to the player and coach interviews which have revealed some incredible performance philosophy. Sports interviews have never captured my imagination until this year, especially the postgame tidbits from LeBron.

I distinctly remember an interview with LeBron after an incredible game in Milwaukee in which he scored 16 points in about a three minute stretch of the third quarter (he had 55 points in the game). Watching that quarter was unbelievable because he looked possessed. He hit three pointer after three pointer and the distance from the arc increased as the quarter progressed. He made it look so easy as some of the long distance shots were of the “fade away” variety.

In the postgame interview, he was asked, “what’s with you suddenly hitting all these fade away three pointers?”

His response really came as a surprise lesson in performance philosophy. LeBron replied, “there’s nothing sudden about” (I don’t remember his exact words, but that’s pretty close).

King James went on to explain that he’d been practicing making these fade away three pointers for quite a while. Then, he started trying them out in game situations. After a while, they started to go in with regularity and when they did, he started to believe that they would go in even more. Because he kept practicing the shot and making the attempts in game situations, he developed confidence in the shot.

Again, I’m paraphrasing when I remember that he said, “once I have confidence that it’s going in, look out!”

This little two minute interview seems so utterly simple. But it reveals wisdom about performing at a level that high achievers understand and then apply.

So, here are the steps that you can use for improving your piano practice, your golf swing, your comfort with a foreign language or any skill that you wish to perform at a high level:

1. Picture what you want to do in detail
2. See yourself accomplishing the goal in your mind’s eye
3. Practice the technique correctly
4. Use your skills in a performance situation
5. Focus on the successful results to build belief in your ability
6. Repeat this process until you build confidence and ease

It’s no accident that the Cavs had the best record in basketball this year. As I write this, they are also 8-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It feels like the whole team embraces the philosophy outlined in this blog.

Go Cavs!