Negative Self Talk may be holding you back!

Most of us were taught as children to fear failure and to avoid it at all cost. This learned behavior has negative affects for the elite athlete. Fear of failure produces tension; tension constricts the blood flow and slows the reflexes, which produces shallow breathing. Shallow breathing results in the contraction of opposing muscle groups which reduces coordination. Ultimately fear of failure generates a vicious cycle that creates what is most feared, failure.

Associated with our learned fear of failure is our tendency towards destructive self criticism. An example of destructive self criticism, "I am not fast! Man this is stupid." If infants held the same tendency towards self criticism as adults, they might never learn to walk or talk. Fortunately, babies are free of self-criticism as they do not have any at this stage of life.

To break this cycle you need to make peace with failure. You need to appreciate failure and the use of it. The greatest artists, inventors and athletes all failed many times. Mark Maguire was the home run champion while leading the league in strikeouts. Babe Ruth was the home run king yet he was also the strikeout king.

Self-criticism is a learned habit one usually begins at childhood when mistakes are made regularly and criticism is often destructive. We usually internalized criticism and we began to criticize ourselves to prevent others from doing so.

Be kind to yourself! Some believe that we have to criticize ourselves to improve. Just the opposite is true. Show yourself the same kindness and patience you might show a young child. Remember that when you are competing against others AND yourself odds increase against you.

Others will underestimate us,

for although we judge ourselves

by what we feel capable of doing,

others judge us only by

what we have already done.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

How to identify your performance state

Address your negative performance factors and realize your strengths 

Positive performance factors                 Negative performance factors

Muscles relaxed            1 2 3 4 5          Muscles tense

Calm and relaxed          1 2 3 4 5          Fast and frantic

Low anxiety                  1 2 3 4 5          High anxiety

High energy level          1 2 3 4 5          Low energy level

Positive                        1 2 3 4 5          Negative

Highly enjoyable           1 2 3 4 5          No fun

Effortless                      1 2 3 4 5          Great effort

Automatic                     1 2 3 4 5          Very deliberate

Confident                     1 2 3 4 5          Not confident

Alert                             1 2 3 4 5          Dull

In control                      1 2 3 4 5          Out of control

Focused                       1 2 3 4 5          Unfocused

Performed well 1 2 3 4 5          Performed poorly

Positive energy 1 2 3 4 5          Negative energy

We humans have many issues that affect us on race day. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses will go a long way in supporting positive performance. We need to teach ourselves to alter irrational beliefs or negative self statements and to express them in a positive way.

Many times we use these negative thoughts as defenses or resistances that get in the way of our progress. By learning to change negative to positive we reduce the power of these defenses. Pack your practice log book with positives from practice remembering that you are your own best / worst coach and chart your progress towards reinforcing a positive performance state.

"Your will becomes clear only when you can look into your own heart.

Who looks outside, dreams: Who looks inside, awakes".

Carl Jung