Next Play
How to Focus on What Matters Most
and Improve Performance, Productivity, & Fulfillment
Available Now!
THIS BOOK IS FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO DEVELOP A NEXT PLAY MINDSET AND BECOME UNSTOPPABLE!
High performance, impressive productivity, and true fulfillment are not complicated.
Prepare during the unseen hours, work toward mastery of the fundamentals, and make discipline decisions consistently.
But what happens when you do those things and still fall short? When you do everything in your power and come up empty, miss your goal, or lose the game?
How do you respond?
How do you bounce back?
How do you maintain optimism and confidence?
YOU DEVELOP A NEXT PLAY MINDSET!
You lean into the fact that what just happened isn’t nearly as important as what is happening right now—your Next Play.
This book will show how reaching the top of your game doesn’t require more. It requires less but better.
The Next Play Mindset is the ultimate guide for closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
This book offers:
- 34 powerful strategies and 35 practical exercises for simplifying success
- A framework for letting go of mistakes and moving forward with clarity and speed
- Tools for improving performance, productivity, accountability, and culture
- Insights that apply across business, sports, and personal life
Grounded in powerful storytelling and backed by decades of performance coaching, Next Play is the ultimate handbook for anyone who wants to stop overthinking the past and start focusing on what matters most.
Because greatness isn’t about what just happened—it’s about what you do next.
“Next Play is real, raw, and packed with the kind of clarity that helps you stop obsessing over the past and start moving forward with purpose. This is the mindset shift we all need.”
MEL ROBBINS, New York Times Best Selling Author and World Renowned Podcast Host
Here are 6 ways the Next Play Mindset makes you unstoppable:
Transition
Life is a series of transitions—some small, some massive. Whether you’re shifting from a tough meeting to a family dinner or moving across the country to start a new chapter, a Next Play Mindset helps you let go of what’s behind you and fully invest in what’s ahead. You can’t control the past, but you can control how you show up now.
Resilience
Setbacks are inevitable, but suffering is optional. Resilience isn’t about avoiding adversity—it’s about responding to it with optimism and enthusiasm. Next Play means you acknowledge the stumble, learn from it, and move forward with renewed energy. You bounce back faster because you’re not stuck in the moment that already passed.
Being Present
Worry lives in the past and the future – peace lives in the now. The Next Play Mindset teaches you to leave the last moment behind (whether it was a win or a loss) and be fully engaged in the current one. That’s where performance, joy, and growth happen.
Adjustments
The best performers aren’t the most talented—they’re the most adaptable. Life throws curveballs. With a Next Play approach, you become a constant recalibrator—adjusting your mindset, your emotions, and your behavior to meet the moment as it is. That’s how you stay aligned and effective.
Lower Stress
Stress often comes from fighting what is. The Next Play Mindset encourages you to stop resisting reality and start responding to it. You don’t have to like every situation you’re in, but accepting it gives you the clarity and calm to take the next best step.
Forgiveness
Holding onto anger or bitterness is like dragging an anchor behind you—it slows everything down. Forgiveness isn’t about saying what happened was okay; it’s about deciding that your peace matters more than your pain. Next Play is the act of release—it frees you to move forward.
About the Author
Alan Stein Jr. is an internationally renowned keynote speaker and performance coach who spent more than fifteen years working with the world’s highest-performing athletes, including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant.
He now delivers a powerful, high-energy message to leading organizations—such as Pepsi, Charles Schwab, American Express, Spotify, and Starbucks—showing how the strategies of elite athletes can help any team improve performance, productivity, and culture.
Alan is also the author of two previous books, Raise Your Game and Sustain Your Game, and the proud father of twin sons (Luke and Jack) and a daughter (Lyla). He lives just outside Washington, DC.
Want your team to develop a Next Play Mindset?
Email Alan directly at Alan@AlanSteinJr.com to invest in a team set for your organization (or event)!
Here are 3 practical, actionable ways to implement Next Play:
Short-Term Focus
When you get knocked off course—missed a shot, made a mistake, had a rough conversation—shift your focus from what just happened to what’s happening right now. That’s your power zone.
Long-Term Direction
Next Play isn’t only moment-to-moment—it’s about life’s big picture. Shift your focus from what was to what is. That’s how you start fresh, no matter how the last chapter ended.
Goal Navigation
Whether you crushed your goal or fell short, the question is the same: What now? Next Play keeps you from plateauing after success and from spiraling after failure. It’s your reset button for momentum.
A Next Play Mindset doesn’t mean forgetting the past. It means honoring it—learning from it—and then refusing to let it define you. Whether on the court, in your career, or in your relationships… the NEXT PLAY is always the most important one…
Even more early praise for Next Play:
SASAN GOODARZI | CEO, Intuit
“Alan Stein Jr. has unique insight into what it takes to perform at the highest levels. His guidance in this book on how to navigate pivotal moments are relevant for anyone trying to achieve their greatest potential. The ability to move past setbacks at speed, manage major transitions with conviction, and have the courage to ask, ‘What’s next?’ after a big win—these are the principles that define true, sustainable success.”
Jon Scheyer| Head Basketball Coach, Duke University
“I’ve known Alan for over twenty years, and he’s always had a unique way of thinking and teaching what it takes to succeed at the highest level. This book is a powerful guide to developing an unbeatable mindset—on the court or in any walk of life.”
Rich Diviney | Retired Navy Seal Commander and Best-Selling Author
“Forget perfection. Focus on progress. In Next Play, Alan Stein Jr. delivers a clear, inspirational guide to building resilience, clarity, and momentum. With lessons from high-performance coaching and real-life setbacks, this is a playbook for anyone ready to stop overthinking and start stepping confidently into what’s next.”
John Donahoe | Former CEO Nike, Chairman PayPal
“Next Play offers a crisp summary of what it takes to perform at the highest levels. Alan Stein Jr. keeps it simple and easy to understand.”
JAMES FRANKLIN| Head Football Coach, Penn State University
“Alan is an exceptional leader, known for his integrity, character, and unwavering dedication to the people he serves. I’ve known Alan for over a decade and have seen firsthand how his message resonates with elite athletes and coaches alike. In Next Play, he delivers the same high-level strategies and mindset tools he’s shared with my team. This book is a powerful, actionable guide for anyone serious about growth, performance, and lasting fulfillment.”
Peter Mallouk | President and CEO, Creative Planning
“Next Play is the mindset required to perform at your best regardless of circumstances. Individuals, teams, and organizations that effortlessly move to the next play are very hard to beat!”
For press inquiries, contact Alexa Davis: alexa@amplifypublishing.com
For speaking inquiries, contact Michelle Joyce: michelle@michellejoyce.com