I often talk about the pursuit of excellence, in both sport and life, being a journey not a destination. And while its much easier to talk about it in concept it is a long hard road fraught with setbacks, disappointment and failure. But for those who continue to pursue it, despite the hurdles and pain, the joy of victory and accomplishment far outweigh the agony of defeat.
Vince Lombardi said it best “I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”
In an effort to inspire and encourage you on your arduous and exciting path to greatness I want to talk about what I call the “The 4 C’s of the Mental Game;” Commitment, Confidence, Consciousness & Character! Better understanding these 4 C’s and how one can benefit from them will not make the path any easier. Rather the path will seem easier because your power of purpose and desire to continue will increase. This concept is more eloquently stated by Heber J. Grant who said, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier..; not that the nature of the thing has changed, but that our power to do has increased.”
Commitment– This is a very powerful word that implies a pledge to do something now and in the future. It is also the state of being obligated or emotionally impelled to achieve something greater. If one merely decides to accomplish some task or goal that will not be enough. He or she must also COMMIT to it and the work necessary & time requisite to achieving their goal. Commitment takes courage and conviction because on those cold days and those times when something else may seem more fun you will have to decide to stay the course and that is not easy. In these moments it helps to go back to when you started and the “why” behind your pursuit of excellence. This will bring back the emotions the desire and the determination to go on. As I’ve already said, there will be setbacks, frustrations and temptations along the way so commitment and re-commitment is vital to success!
Confidence– Is the goal of the mental game! It is that feeling and belief in yourself, your abilities and your preparation, regardless of the situation, that you CAN get the job done. I often refer to it as CANFIDENCE! When you are confident you have a feeling or thought in the back of your head that you belong in this moment and you deserve to be here! You move forward knowing you have a chance instead of hoping or even doubting in yourself. When you can play with confidence on a more consistent basis you will play up to your potential and even surpass it.
Take a moment and look back at your best performances, I would bet you were feeling confident. You were trusting in your stuff and were having fun playing. When we are confident we think less and trust more. We play by feel instead of analysis which in turn allows us to play free and loose. Our minds are uncluttered from doubt and fear propelling us to perform with power and conviction. Developing the ability to be confident will be paramount in your quest for peak performance.
Consciousness– This may be the most important of the 4 C’s! Consciousness, alertness or the ability to be aware of ones mindset, thoughts & emotions is like I’ve said before; “the foundational skill of the mental game.” Without it you will not be able to control yourself, specifically the things I just talked about. And if you can’t control yourself you cannot control your performance!
It starts with conscious awareness where you have to think about what’s going on and how you are reacting or responding. Then as you begin to become more adept at checking in it will become second nature or a subconscious awareness. It will be part of how you play and you will be able to adjust and compensate as needed on the fly. Just like your ability to adjust your swing for a fast ball or curve or the difference in your shot for a 3 pointer or 15 foot jumper. You’re not thinking “do this or do that” you just do it to get the job done.
Character– Who thought this was part of the mental game? Yes your character has an impact on how you both prepare and perform. It has to do with who you are, not only as an athlete but more importantly as a person! It gets to the heart of how you want to be remembered when your career is over and what people will say about you above how you played. I believe the choices you make and the way you treat people, coaches, teammates etc. carries over to your mentality on the court and effects your ability to play your best. You’ve worked so hard to be your best so put your best self out there, on and off the court.
In an underlying statement about character President Theodore Roosevelt stated “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” So regardless of where you are at in your pursuit dare to be great, dare to fail and break out of that relative “gray twilight” and do mighty things!
I believe that understanding and working on the 4 C’s of the mental game will help you in sport and life. You will approach your preparation with more purpose and your performing with more passion. Life is about going for it and the chance of winning “glorious triumphs.” The ordinary and gray twilight are boring and bland. I say be EXTRAORDINARY and look forward to “laying exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”
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