Paddy Upton Pressure has an odd way of shrinking our view. When an important result looms — in sport, in business, or even in a conversation that matters — focus narrows. The spotlight often swings inward: on me, my performance, my result. And as attention collapses around the self, options fade, the body tightens, and […]
Paddy Upton Most athletes and professionals spend years refining the visible parts of their craft — the technique, the structure, the repetition. Hours are invested in getting stronger, faster, more efficient. But when pressure arrives, it’s the mind that determines how much of that skill is actually available. I’ve seen countless moments where talent, preparation, […]
Paddy Upton When I asked Shane Watson what advice he’d give his younger self, his answer wasn’t about technique, training, or even cricket.He said, “Educate yourself on mental skills as young as you can.” It’s the kind of reflection that usually comes later in a career—after the highs, the dips, and the pressure have all […]
Paddy Upton One pattern I see when athletes dip in form is an immediate turn to the technical. We slow video, search for flaws, tweak actions. Yet in many cases, the real issue sits elsewhere. It’s the attachment to the dip—carrying the last bad outing into the next one—that quietly extends the slump. In conversation, […]
Paddy Upton George Clooney once said you learn everything from failure and nothing from success. It’s a bold claim, and like many bold claims, it sounds convincing in the moment. But it misses something crucial. My experience is that both success and failure are silent. They don’t speak, they don’t automatically reveal lessons. The real […]
Paddy Upton I’ve just returned from another stint with the Indian men’s hockey team. It culminated in winning the Asia Cup and booking a direct ticket to next year’s Hockey World Cup. Beyond the trophy, it was another reminder about some of what separates teams that perform consistently from those who stumble when it matters […]
By Paddy Upton Fear of failure is one of the most misunderstood concepts in performance. We talk about it often, but I don’t think most people truly fear failure itself. What we fear are the repercussions of failure, the ripples that follow—the judgement, the opinions, the shame of being seen to fall short. In sport, […]
By Paddy Upton In high-performance environments—whether it’s sport, business, or any field where the stakes are high—we talk a lot about preparation. It’s one of the biggest levers for confidence. If you’re heading into an exam, you study the whole book. If you’re preparing for a big client pitch, you rehearse every angle. In sport, […]
By Paddy Upton Think of confidence like a balloon. For many people, that balloon is inflated by praise, compliments, recognition, and even social media likes. It feels good—until something goes wrong. The moment criticism, failure, or a negative comment arrives, the air rushes out just as fast as it went in. That’s shaky confidence. And […]
By Paddy Upton Many people think courage means being fearless.But it’s often quite the opposite. In high-performance environments—whether it’s sport, business, or big-wave surfing—it’s not the absence of fear that matters. It’s what you do when it shows up. I remember sitting on a boat in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands as a big swell headed our […]
By Paddy Upton When MS Dhoni struck that six to seal the 2011 World Cup for India, it became one of the most replayed moments in cricket history. You may have seen the clip, maybe a number of times—the ball disappearing over long-on, the crowd erupting, teammates pouring onto the field. What you don’t see […]
By Paddy Upton There’s a story behind almost every moment of sporting magic that rarely gets told. We see the outcome — the celebration, the history being made. And we forget what came before it. Gukesh D became the youngest World Chess Champion in history at just 18. In the final game, the computer analysis […]
By Paddy Upton There’s a kind of failure that lives in private — behind closed doors, with only a few people watching. And then there’s the kind that unfolds in front of millions.Where your mistake is the final moment. The headline. The memory people carry.And where your silence afterwards gets filled with everyone else’s opinions. […]
Paddy Upton In high-pressure moments — whether in sport, business, or life — it’s not just about what we feel. It’s about when, where, and how we show it. Some people express emotion outwardly. Others keep it contained. Neither is right or wrong — they’re simply different. What really counts is our ability to manage […]
By Paddy Upton There’s a lot that sport can learn from business. Strategy. Technology. Systems thinking. And there’s plenty that business can learn from sport — especially when it comes to the human side of performance. One of the areas where sport consistently gets it right — and many businesses continue to fall short — […]
