John Eliot

John Eliot, Ph.D is a professor who teaches Performance Psychology, Sociology and Ethics, and Writing at several universities, including the University of Houston, and Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business. His last stint was with Rice University, where his Performance Psychology class was one of the campus favorites.

Through his book Overachievement Dr. Eliot refutes today’s self-help conventional wisdom using his research and the stories of successful people like Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Yogi Berra, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Tiger Woods. Backed by research he shows that techniques like visualization, goal setting, stress management, and relaxation are counterproductive for most people. He advocates that success will come from developing a personal Performance Philosophy that incorporates what he calls the Trusting Mindset, focusing on only things you can control, embracing the nervous butterflies, not working too hard, being exceedingly confident in your abilities, and qualitative measures of your inner mental game.