Richard Sherman is used to performing under pressure.
For seven seasons, the Seattle Seahawks cornerback has spent many a Sunday playing for a national audience, he's been to two Super Bowls and he has a $57.4 million contract.
To do his best on game day, Sherman tells CNBC Make It he uses a simple trick: Positive thinking.
"It's kind of a meditation technique," says Sherman.
Before every game, he takes a few moments to get into a clear mindset and think about what he would like to accomplish on the field. Specifically, he thinks about past success.
"I've had great games before. I've made great plays. I've done the things like I would be looking to do again," Sherman explains. "I think about those moments. I recreate those plays. I remember how I was in those moments, especially if I'm having self doubt."
Sherman, who grew up in Compton, California and graduated from Stanford University, has been known to be mentally strong and determined since he was a kid.
As his older brother Branton explained to The New York Times, Sherman believes that visualization creates reality. "Whatever he wants, whatever he needs — if he envisions it happening, it will," writes the Times.
Indeed, Sherman tells CNBC Make It: "I try to remember the moments when I was at my best — when I was having a great day and I really was in my zone. I go back to that feeling," he says.
"Then I attack the day. I attack the game with that same enthusiasm."
Sherman, who is currently recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, also has another game-day habit — he has eaten a grilled cheese before every game for the last four years.
For him, it works: "For the most part, I have great results."
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Disclosure: NBC Sports is televising Sunday's Super Bowl.