What separates those who merely participate from those who truly excel? The answer lies not in talent alone, but in a deliberate approach to performance that transforms potential into achievement. This framework offers you the proven path to excellence through three critical stages that will revolutionize how you prepare, perform, and progress. Are you ready to discover what you're truly capable of?
Awareness
Do you know what is expected and can you focus on and feel that you are prepared? Use the settle down breath to go deep into visualizing the skills, fitness and endurance to complete the process.
Acceptance
Can you embrace the challenge and express the passion and trust that you will need to utilize performance breathing to: focus on the sensations related to the proper form, tempo, intensity, and power; to battle and execute under extreme pressure in practice and competition; to recover, digest negative emotions, and heal from upsets; to get in the flow and win.
Action
Do you have the mental strength needed to find the truth of how hard you can work? To practice breath-holds, sessions of heat exposure and cold exposure to develop extreme fitness and endurance? To incorporate recovery techniques that optimize your physical and mental capacity? To seek feedback, debrief results, and recognize and reframe the need to adjust and/or change? To persist through discomfort, embrace the grind of consistent effort, and maintain focus during extended periods of challenge? To celebrate small victories while remaining hungry for improvement?
KR or Kalani Rivero, 24, above at Log Cabins. Raised within walking distance of the Banzai Pipeline, Kalani has earned his position in the lineup, meaning he gets priority on waves. What I admire most is his dedication as an athlete. He trains with Kahea Hart and works diligently on Foundation Training. He follows a comprehensive protocol of performance breathing techniques, which enables him to free-dive to impressive depths. Beyond his athletic abilities, Kalani is creative and a really fun person to be around. He has mastered the AAA Process of Awareness, Acceptance and Action.
He is fully aware of the cement-like bottom at Log Cabins, he has a deep understanding of the inherent challenges of big wave surfing, yet makes conquering these waves look effortless and risk-free.
Summary
The AAA Process creates a framework for performance excellence through three essential phases: Awareness establishes understanding of expectations using controlled breathing to visualize success; Acceptance transforms challenges into opportunities through performance breathing techniques; and Action builds mental fortitude through physical and mental challenges, embracing feedback, and developing sustained commitment for continual growth.
Excellence is not a destination but a continuous journey that begins with awareness of what's possible, flows through acceptance of what's necessary, and manifests through action that reveals what's within you.
"There is no way around hard work. Embrace it. You have to put in the hours because there's always something which you can improve."
— Roger Federer
That’s HiLevel!