Video transcript:
High performers have high expectations and as they should. But sometimes we hold on to these expectations too tightly and this can really hurt performance. When we’re really good at something because we’ve worked really hard at it and we’ve done really well in the past, we expect to be really good in the future. And inherently, there’s no problem with that, but problems do arise when we think we have to play to a certain level of performance. I have to hit 350 this year. I have to be a starter.
The problem is, is that your sport does not care what you think you have to do. This mindset will put you in a performance prison of your own making, and it will leave you frustrated and stuck when you fail to meet your expectations. And the result will probably either be, trying too hard in order to avoid that frustration or it’ll be burning out because you just decided it wasn’t worth it. It might even be both.
Remember that your best performances didn’t come when you were trying to meet expectations. They happen when you just trusted yourself to get the job done no matter what you had that day. So leading up to competition, do everything in your power to put yourself in the best position for success. But when you get to game day, don’t force performance. Don’t try to make it happen. Focus on what you can control and let it happen. It’s okay to have high expectations, just hold them loosely.