You are More than just an Athlete
“Sports is my whole life.”
“I live for racing.”
“Eat. Sleep. Swim.”
Have you ever uttered similar phrases during your athletic career?
Too many athletes define themselves based on their sport. They derive self-worth primarily from their sport. And surround themselves with like-minded teammates who are the source of social interaction.
When an athlete’s life is consumed by their sport, too much rides on their participation and performance, such as:
*Injuries can rip away the sense of who they are.
*Bad performances can feel like absolute and total failure, destroying their self-worth in sports and life outside of their sport.
- Fear of not living up to the expectations of others can become overwhelming.
- Worry of losing friends because they advance at a faster rate can impact physical health and mental well-being.
For these reasons, it is critical that athletes are well-rounded and have a balanced life.
You really are more than your sport. Sport is what you do, not who you are.
When you are training and competing, give 100%! When you are finished with your daily practice or competition, leave your sport behind.
Taking a new perspective to the importance of sports can reduce the pressure you feel when competing, improve your health, and IMPROVE PERFORMANCE!
Here’s a little story about how one athlete improved performance and lessened the pressure she experienced by focusing more on her life outside of sport…
Mirinda Carfrae is a triathlete who competes in the Ironman. Ironman is an event that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike leg and a 26.22-mile run. The Ironman is both grueling and over 7 hours long. The training is even more grueling and time-consuming. Many hours of dedicated training can be life-consuming.
In 2013, Carfrae set the Ironman World Championship course record and has seven podium finishes including winning the event three times. Despite her tremendous success, Carfrae hit a patch where she experienced a sense of staleness. Staleness is a term used to describe difficulty maintaining training regimens or maintaining motivation to pursue personal goals.
CARFRAE: “Prior to having Isabelle, triathlon was my whole world. Early in my career I needed to win to pay the bills, I needed to win to eat. It can be a bit of a pressure cooker.”
Carfrae’s attitude changed after the birth of her daughter and a significant break from competing.
CARFRAE: “I have absolutely loved racing, but prior to having [my daughter] Izzy, it was just getting a bit stale. I took 2017 off. I think that was a welcome shift for me, just having a different outlook. The perspective just shifts. Everyone knows that triathlon is not the most important thing. But once you have a child, you are OK with everything. I don’t stress about the minor things.”
Not only is Carfrae back to competing, she is performing at an elite level again with less stress.
Balance is important in and out of sport. You are more than just an athlete.
By having balance in your life, your performance doesn’t feel like “life or death.”
With the pressure off, you clear the way for performing at your peak.
Living a Balanced Life Beyond Sports:
Remind yourself that you compete for fun and the thrill of competition, not to please others. Also, sport is what you do, it does not and should not define the person you are.
Take a step back and assess the person you are–outside of sports. How would you describe yourself as a person? How do others describe you? These questions help you define your self-concept.
Once you have a well-defined self-concept, and you’re comfortable with who you are, you have self-esteem–no matter how well of poorly you perform!
Improve Mental Preparation in Sports!
If you’re an athlete who is frequently tight, tense, anxious, or wants to learn more about how to relax better under pressure, The Relaxed Athlete is for you!
Confidence and the ability to relax under adversity is what championship athletes do best.
It only takes one tense moment for you to lose a critical point, miss a putt, or lose a second off your lap time. You cannot afford to let distractions run wild in your mind and cause you to make errors at critical times in the game!
The Relaxed Athlete is a complete system to teach you how to relax like a champion and harness the power of relaxation every time you step on the playing field, court, track or course in practice and games!
This workbook and CD program consists of 2 audio CDs that include 14 days of focus boosting exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through each of the 14 days, helps you apply strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal focus challenges.
You’ll Discover:
- How to quickly identify distractions that sabotage your concentration and how to quickly refocus after distractions.
- How to use pre-shot routines before shots or serves to help you be more task-focused instead of worrying about results.
- How to use pregame routines to help you harness the power of zone concentration before competition.
Learn more about one of our most popular CD programs in The Confident Athlete Series…
The Relaxed Athlete: A 14-Day Plan For Superior Concentration
What are customers saying about our mental game programs?
“I first purchased
‘The Confident Athlete’ to see how the program went and immediately saw
results. I then purchased the rest of the Confident Athlete Series and
have noticed a dramatic improvement in my level of play or should I say
consistency. I currently play NCAA Division 1 baseball for Lamar
University, and even my coaches have noticed a change in the way that I
approach the game. My attitude and confidence at the plate. I am able to
get into that zone were I am able to narrow my focus on to the task at
hand. Thank you for helping in my continuing goal to mental toughness.”*
~Tylor Prudhomme
“By far, The Confident Athlete Series is the most powerful tool I’ve used to perform my best. The simple and easy to use program has helped me take my game to the next level.” *
~Shaun Burrell, professional surfer
Disclaimer
*Testimonials found on this site are examples of what we have done for other clients, and what some of our clients have said about us. However, we cannot guarantee the results in any case. Your results may vary and every situation is different. No compensation was provided for these testimonials.