Darnell McDonald, mental skills coordinator for the World Series-winning Chicago Cubs, says that being present helps all of us -- athletes, moms, managers -- be our best selves.
“You learn when you get to professional baseball that everyone is good. The separator is the seventh game of the World Series, the team that is able to execute under pressure, take off the autopilot button,” he says. “Everything we do, we do better in the present moment.”And you can always find that moment, he says. "Any conscious breath you take is a meditation."
And while meditative focus -- being able to shake off the last error and move forward with the next play, hitting the pitch that's thrown, not the one you're expecting, keeping your eye on the ball -- may have helped the Cubs in the World Series, it's not just about winning, he says.
"Practice being happy."
Watch an interview with McDonald here
