Mr. and Mrs. CoolKid
I recently did an interview with a very kind SFV player named Marcus Redmon, AKA The_Cool_Kid93 The most recent winner of Red Bull Proving Ground. The_Cool_Kid93 is a local Chicago SFV player. I first came across him at my very first fighting game tournament Combo Breaker 2015 The reason I noticed his girlfriend is the interesting part. Redmond’s girlfriend (now wife) at the time, was yelling and screaming as Redmond played his match in pools. I was both confused and intrigued, a few friends and I stopped and observed this woman mentally assaulting Redmond’s opponent with smack talk.
It wasn’t until years later that I learned either of those people were. Mike Martin did an Interview with Redmond and this is when I recognized him and learned about the story of his wife.I loved the story he told about how supportive his wife is Redmond shares the story about his wife became fascinated and supportive of his passion. “The best feeling in the world to have some that support what you do” Redmon explains in our interview [link].
Choose Your Inner Circle
In my way, I can relate to this relate to having someone who supports my crazy goals. I have a great girlfriend who supports me in all the ups and downs that I’ve had and will have. There have been many times where I have wanted to quit, and she has kept me going on this journey. It’s crucial to surround yourself with people who are supportive, not destructive to your goals. It’s very easy to have blind loyalty to friends and family, but this loyalty can be a detriment to your success. I’m not suggesting to eliminate them completely from your life, but it’s important to keep your distance and find people who will support you.
I was all smiles as I thought about the idea of his wife is an extension of him. Redmon is a very calm cool and collected person, he doesn’t need to pop-off. That said, he can pop-off vicariously through her. Mrs. Redmon has become just as well-known, if not more than her husband. She is there are the tournaments supporting her husband verbally and mentally weakening her opponent.
You Gotta have Faith
Redmond briefly shares his relationship to tournaments and his faith Coolkid shares that playing his best is important to him so he prays that he plays his best before each match. I’m personally not religious but I do believe people can benefit from their prayers. At a fundamental level, you are visualizing your outcome and opening your mind/hearth to the possibility of that outcome happening (AKA faith). He talks about the value of preparing his mindset before each match, something we both feel is vital to success.
If There Is No Enemy Within, The Enemy Outside Can Do You No Harm
African Proverb
Proper mindset is crucial for performing at your peak in anything at life Redmon sets his mind to do his the best that he can, and not just focusing on winning. Redmond has found his own way of believing in himself, something that every champion has to do. In his own way, he is a practice not tilting. He is strengthening his mental fortitude I believe it helps him to maintain the “cool” demeanor he brings to the table.
We talk about some unhealthy habits players tend to have and different things that we can do to prevent becoming a stagnant and/or toxic player.
1. Complaining is not healthy
Many people don’t see the harm in complaining but it is a detriment to your progress.You become fixated on the problem rather than the solution. Rather than actively trying to figure out how to overcome your issue, you’re stuck complaining about your situation. This leads to you becoming blind to possible solutions to your issue. At this point, complaining has become a habit, as a result, you focus the problem rather than searching for solutions. Very little progress will be made by the person with this mindset
2. Separate or minimize being around toxic players.
There’s an entrepreneurial saying that goes, “You are the average of your five closest friends” and I think it’s a great reflective statement. It’s important to take stock of your inner circle. You begin to develop the habits and mindsets of the people you surround yourself with. Similar to number one, if you are around people who constantly complain, you’re going to find yourself complaining considerable more than you did before hanging with them. Again, this will stunt your ability to grow. Alternately, if you are around friends who are solutions based, you will find your progress skyrocketing as you will be lifting each other up, rather than dragging each other down.
3. Train your mind to believe in yourself
Mental fortitude is a meter the seldom goes managed by players. It’s just as, if not more important than any meter on the monitor. The mindset that you have can make or break you when you’re playing against someone of the same caliber. Evo 2017 Grand Finals is the perfect example of this. PG Punk didn’t lose because of a lack of skill, he lost because of a lack of mental fortitude. He didn’t train nor prime is his mind to be ready for the pressure of Evo Grand finals.
Setting goals for the long-term
Redmond and I talked about his long-term goal of saving money for the future. He’s a husband now and it’s probably not long before he becomes a family man, so he’s planning for the future. This doesn’t mean he needs to quit what he’s doing and get a day job, quite the opposite. As long as he learns new skills like money management, saving, etc. he can use his passion for fighting games to fuel his savings. He can keep playing fighting games, but now has a clearer goal of what he wants to do with the earnings. He can use those long-term goals as a compass and hit goals along the way, leading up to his bigger goals.
Five Takeaways From Our Conversation
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Don’t get discouraged
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Practice Improving your mindset
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Don’t compare yourself to others.
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Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
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Being Discouraged affects your ability to perform.
Here’s that conversation with Redmond