Mental Toughness: Commitment
Commitment: Face Your Fears and Do the Hard Thing
Are you fully committed to your goals and dreams? Or are you holding back slightly? Many of the athletes I work with, while dedicated, hold themselves back in small, but impactful ways. When we dig deeper, the reason behind the slight hesitation to whole heartedly go after their dreams is fear. Fear of failure. Fear or success. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of judgement.
Fear greatly impacts our results. The way we go into anything, impacts the results. For example in football (whatever version of the sport you want to consider), if you go into a tackle afraid, you are likely going to get injured. If you go into an academic test afraid, you will not think as clearly and therefore will not perform as well.
We need to learn ways to manage the fear so we can confidently “feel the fear and do it anyway” as the popular saying goes. I don’t typically like using this particular phrase with my athletes. Why? Because they are serious about their sport and are dedicated to it, which means they are already facing the fear and doing it anyway. If not day in and day out, then they are doing it weekly. It works…until it doesn’t. You will reach a point where this becomes ineffective and might actually be damaging your performance.
What you really need to be focusing on is ways to manage the fear effectively so you can get the most out off the work you are putting in or are going to put in. So you can lean in and fully commit to what you want.
When you can face the fear and manage it, you can then “do it anyways” and reap the full benefits of doing it.
Attitude
An important part of facing fears so you can fully commit is your attitude. With the right attitude, you can optimize how much you get out of any pursuit. For “right” attitude read: realistically optimistic.
Attitude is about how you interact with the world based on how you see things
It is one aspect of mindset
It is external or behaviorally based
You don’t have to be completely delusional to be optimistic. And being overly optimistic can become toxic positivity when we deny reality. You don’t need to tell yourself “Nothing is wrong, everything is fine.” Especially when things are not fine. It will be far more helpful to tell yourself, “Well, this is shit, but I’ll do what I can to turn this around.” One denies the current circumstances, the other acknowledges and begins shifting toward helpful positivity. It allows for the next question, “What is important in this moment?” Or, “Where is my energy and effort best applied given the circumstances?”
“The right attitude supports your goals and dreams and optimizes what you get out of whatever it is you are doing. ”
Early in my athletic career, there were certain things I had a poor attitude around. Conditioning would be a big one. I mean, who likes it really? I would complain or roll my eyes—knowing full well I would do it anyway. But because of my attitude, I couldn’t get the most out of it. My negative attitude (“I hate this, “This sucks, “I don’t want to do this,” “This is just pointless running.”) would lead to a slight pull-back in effort. I told myself it was to conserve energy so I would finish the workout.
Not only that, the additional stress my negative attitude added, also made my perceived effort worse. It literally would feel harder than it was on my body. If you have a negative attitude, this is happening to you, too. This would also lead to a slight pulling back on effort, one that I couldn’t even notice was happening.
As I worked on my mental toughness, I was able to focus on my attitude. After all, it’s one of the few things I could control. I won’t say I was perfect at it, but as I improved it, everything felt easier. I was less afraid and freer to put myself out there, testing and challenging myself in new ways.
When it came to fitness, I chose to try positivity. I was realistically optimistic. Would conditioning workouts still be shitty. Absolutely. But instead of feeling the need to pull back and conserve energy, I decided to get everything I possible could out of it. I told myself I was allowed to try and put it all out there. I wanted to try because I wanted to be fit and prepared for the last 5 minutes of play when the game is on the line. I wanted to trust myself to have the legs to carry me through. An opponent might best me in skill, but my effort will not be matched. Instead of “This sucks,” it became, “This is hard, but I will get it done.” “I don’t want to do this” became, “I am capable of handling this. It’ll be worth it when I am able to prevent a last minute goal.”
While I can’t say attitude is everything, I can say attitude plays a big role. You may be able to skate by with a poor attitude, but it isn’t the easiest path and will certainly add extra obstacles you’ll have to overcome. The right attitude allows you to face fears and move past them.
Fear doesn’t have to hold you back anymore.
Ready to Elevate Your Mental Game?
If you’re looking to elevate your mental performance and wellbeing and reach new heights in your sports and career, you’re in the right place. Through secure videoconferencing, I bring elite mental performance coaching right to you. Whether you're an athlete, coach, or professional seeking to up your mental game, I’m here to guide you to your peak performance. I’m dedicated to helping you thrive under pressure and realize your fullest potential. Take the first step toward mental excellence, contact me today. Your path to success starts here!