Having the mindset of an athlete can help you achieve success in any area of your life. Performance expert Peter Jensen tells you how.
1. Understand Pressure
You might think that competing in a world championship is nerve-racking. But athletes rise to the occasion because they’re ready, not because they excel under pressure.
“Most pressure comes from being unprepared,” says Cherie Piper, a member of the Canadian Olympic women’s ice-hockey team.
One of the things she has learned is managing the “arousal level.” Two factors drive up that level—the perception of an event’s importance and uncertainty about its outcome. When your arousal level gets too high, you can lose focus and make mistakes.
Whether playing sports, trying to ace a business pitch or writing a test, being primed breeds confidence. You think Roger Federer shakes when he’s down love-40 and serving to save the match? He’s aced that serve thousands of times, so he knows he can again. That’s not pressure. Pressure is meeting a client when you haven’t reviewed the file.
2. Focus on the Now
How often have you heard the athlete’s cliché of taking it one period/quarter/inning/game at a time? In high-level athletics, performance expectations can be overwhelming, says Jensen. Thinking about the future isn’t beneficial. You’re aware of the ultimate objective, but you need to narrow your focus to: What do I need to do right now?
This means ensuring a focus on expectations. Consider a salesperson thinking of how to make the year-end numbers. It’s as daunting, in its own way, as a championship is to an athlete. What’s constructive is thinking about the next chance to perform and improve—just as the salesperson should simply concentrate on the next sale. And the results take care of themselves.
3. Be Self-Aware
Whether you’re in the middle of a game, business encounter or discussion with your child, notice what you’re thinking or saying and decide if it’s helpful. “We have the capacity to step back, observe ourselves and ask what’s required in this situation.”- Jensen
4. Banish the Negative
“There is always more than one way to look at a situation, so you might as well reframe it in a way that is positive.” So you were to think negatively—"that the judge is bored or doesn’t like our performance—the natural reaction would be to tense up, try harder or panic, none of which would help you excel.”
There’s a huge difference between trying to win and trying not to fail. “When you’re motivated by a fear of failure, you eventually reach the point of diminishing returns.” - Jensen.
5. Visualize to Win
Our bodies continually react to images. Envision throwing a ball, and your neuromuscular pathways fire in exactly the same way as if you were throwing a ball. Images are “events” to the body, which doesn’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s imagined.
Painting a clear and concrete picture of what you want to achieve fills the gap between theory and execution. “Imagery is the language of performance,” Jensen says.
The goal isn’t necessarily to win gold. “John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, never spoke about winning.” - Jensen. “He had his players striving each day to be better. This is something we can all do. Being the best may not be attainable, but being better always is.”
Author and Credits: Stuart Foxman