Building mental toughness is only the first step to success in any field not just sports. No one said being an athlete is easy. As a matter of fact nothing in life is easy. Perhaps one of Aristotle\’s most famous quotes \”we are what we repeatedly do, excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit\”.
In essence, what we imbibe as our rituals or routines are ultimately what make or break us. What we constantly tell ourselves before every big moment largely determines where we end up in our careers. These motivational messages are not for athletes alone by any means, whatever it is you do in life, these principles apply. Are you preparing for the biggest game of your life or maybe a business presentation that requires a lot of reading. Yours might be taking on a new 9-5 job or starting your own company. Telling yourself these important messages on a consistent basis become a habit which in turn leads to a very fulfilling life. The emphasis on Aristotle\’s quote is on \”repeatedly do\”, if we don\’t repeat it then it does not become a habit.
HAVE FUN!!!
Cristiano Ronaldo was interviewed and asked what his number one rule for success was, what was the one thing he always ensured he never lost sight of, what was that thing that had propelled him to the top of the sport. Everyone wanted to know. His answer?? He always ensured he was having fun. Steve Jobs is best known for his fantastic work at Apple but he is also known for having said \”\’The only way to do great work is to love what you do\”.
It is very important for athletes and everyone to enjoy the work. Just have fun. Love the practice, love the duels, love the bright lights, love the encounter, love the meetings, love the seminars, love the projects, love it all. Remember yourself as a child just having fun without any fear in the world. That is the spirit successful professionals have never forgotten and its what keeps them going even when they have enjoyed years of success.
Roger Federer was asked why he keeps on playing into his 30s despite what he has achieved in his career. His simple answer was, as long as he continued having fun and his body was responding, he was not going anywhere. He constantly reminds himself to have fun. Phil Jackson, legendary NBA basketball coach, said in his book, Eleven Rings \”focus on something greater than yourself that you love and value, such as your sport or your team\”.
ACTION STEP: Everyday remind yourself to have fun. Let it be your word of affirmation. When you feel nervous, remember the love you have for what you do. At the end of the day, no matter what is at stake, just have fun.
EXCELLENCE OVER PERFECTION
Many times we find ourselves in situations where we always want to be perfect. We want everything accomplished to the T. What this does is create an atmosphere where mistakes are disastrous, which then leads to nervousness and doubt. Accepting that mistakes, glitches or errors happen sets the tone for us to prime ourselves for the occasion. It is not the perfect team that wins but the best team.
Reminding ourselves to strive for excellence and not perfection is very important in anything we do. Aristotle also famously said \”Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny\”.
The truth is perfection does not exist and there is no point trying to be perfect. Yes you can have an undefeated record, or you could have a stellar business career but all of that down to more of excellence than perfection. If you remind yourself to pursue excellence, you\’ll see more success in your career.
ACTION STEP: Accept that over the course of your career failure in some form would occur but always tell yourself to aim for excellence. Let it be your second word of affirmation after making sure to have fun doing what you do.
PUT YOURSELF IN THE BEST POSITION FOR SUCCESS BUT REMEMBER YOU DO NOT CONTROL THE OUTCOME.
All we can do in life is prepare. Tyler Perry once said \”all you can do is water the seed; you do not control the outcome\”. This answer was in response to a question asked about success in life. His story is well documented, going from homeless to millionaire in a matter of years. His philosophy was once you plant your seed, (your preparation, your training, your PowerPoint, your project), you do not control the weeds, you do not control the rain and you do not control the locust that will try to come and destroy the seed you planted. The truth is the important step is planting the seed. If you do not plant the seed then nothing else happens. Your seed in this case is the work you have put in.
What we need to constantly tell ourselves is once we have put in the work, we must let go of the outcome. Why would you fuss over something you cannot control? Why would you put yourself under that amount of pressure? You would not perform to your best if you do not learn to let go of the outcome. Once you\’ve prepared mentally and physically in your own way, then you are ready to do your best and guess what your best is the best you can do, nothing more.
Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
ACTION STEP: Make it a habit of preparing in the best possible way, the only addition is that the outcome is not always down to you. Once your mind knows that you are free to execute.
So always make sure you have fun. Make sure you pursue excellence and not perfection. Remind yourself that you do not control the outcome.
What are your thoughts on these principles? Share your comments below.
Tola Ogunlewe
Tola Ogunlewe is CEO of Depase Sports. He is a sports lawyer, an avid football (soccer) player, radio sports analyst and a lover of everything sports. His goal in life is to see more athletes succeed in their chosen field.
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