In his book, The Goldmine Effect, Rasmus Ankersen talks about his travels around the world looking for what he calls the "secrets" of high performance in sports. From the female golfers of South Korea to the sprinters of Jamaica, Ankersen is searching for what makes these athletes so successful. There was one question that he asked which really got me thinking about how athletes mentally approach their participation in a sport: "...do I want to look good, or do I want to get better?"
Think about it. If I am an athlete, and I am more concerned about looking good, then how will I approach my practices and games? First, I will probably hold back from trying anything new because I don't want to make a mistake. Next, I will experience more anxiety and stress because of this internal pressure that I am putting on myself. Third, I will be concerned and worried about things that I have no control over, like what the coaches and other players are seeing and thinking. And, maybe more importantly, I will definitely not be enjoying myself or having fun. So, actually, being more concerned about how I look is the recipe for disaster.
Focus on how you want to get better. Begin to set short-term goals for how you want to improve your physical conditioning, develop your athletic skills or elevate your mental preparation. Being more concerned about getting better puts you in a more productive and proactive state of mind. You will understand that learning something new to improve your game will involve making mistakes and mistakes are simply part of the learning process. Things outside of your control will not bother or frustrate you. Essentially, you will practice and play with more energy and enthusiasm.
