 |
Athletic Greatness! |
What do you think about when you reflect on your athletic greatness? Is it a victory that you had in a race, a certain time in an event, or the feeling of overcoming a previous physical obstacle? In my ten years working with athletes at www.abingtonpsychology.com and www.powerfulathlete.com, I have observed that our minds tend to greatly overestimate the value of athletic victories. I have worked with successful high school, college, and professional athletes and many times, although at the top of their game, they feel empty. I have also worked with many athletes who are a notch lower in talent, but who love being out there playing and competing. It seems that what we hold at a greater value over the long haul is not how many races or events we won, but the process of the training, competing, and improving. Simply, emphasizing participation over results.
When I grew up playing goalie in ice hockey for over a decade, I was on championship teams a couple of times. However, what I remember most in terms of athletic greatness was when I was on a team that went 2-11-1! An average game had us out shot by 45-10 and we would wind up losing 4-1. I remember the process of training my body and mind to be in condition for those slaughters, while also realizing how much better a player I became each game.
As an adult, my athletic venue is triathlons. I have participated in over 100 of them in the last decade. I have won my age group and division a few times and even managed to place third overall in a small triathlon. When I won my age division, I thought I would experience greater feelings compared to the other races when I had not placed. However, there were no special feelings with the victory; it only meant that I had placed higher in my division compared to the other people that showed up that day. Please don’t get me wrong as it is fun to get a trophy or to get your five seconds of recognition, but it pales in comparison to the truly great feelings or to what I refer to as athletic greatness.
What is athletic greatness then? I imagine that for each person it is different, but I think that when one reflects on their athletic endeavors, it comes down to the process of participating in sports instead of the results. It could be the mother of three who wakes up at 5:30 AM to walk two miles with a friend and sees the sun rise and feels energized for the rest of the day. It could be the overweight child who has worked his way into great shape by eating healthy and exercising consistently and now feels more confident and secure in all the arenas of life. It could be a person finishing their first century bike ride with a bunch of friends when less than a year ago they could ride only a few miles. For me and triathlons, I remember participating in the same triathlon with my Dad at his very first one and seeing the proud look in his eyes as he crossed the finish line. Another one was when I completed the Ironman Lake Placid and was way in the back of the pack, but just so happy to have persevered for the past year training for this event while simultaneously finishing my doctorate and holding down my first real professional job.
Maybe it pays to focus more on the process and less on the results. You will probably enjoy your athletic activities more and will also likely be pleased with your results. Enjoy the journey!