If you're like most dedicated athletes, then you have both a commitment to excellence and a strong work ethic. Great athletes know that the very best way to get to a goal is to be willing to do whatever it takes, effort-wise. The bottom line: Hard work is the key that unlocks the door to success.
If you meet your setbacks with this kind of "working harder" approach, then there will be very little that you won't be able to accomplish. However, there's one, teensy, weensy catch here. The hard work won’t take you as far as you’d like to go if you tend to get angry at yourself whenever you fail. Far too many athletes meet their setbacks and disappointments with self-directed anger and frustration. They get upset with themselves for messing up. They put themselves down. They blame themselves for their mistakes. They are harsh and unforgiving to themselves.
Being angry or getting down on yourself when you mess up or make mistakes will NOT make you a better athlete.
Put the self-directed anger, frustration and impatience away. Those emotions have little to no constructive value in your training and development as an athlete. They will not help you become a champion. They will, instead, seriously hold you back. Forgive, forget and then move on. That is the way of a champion.
Instead, become an “inner coach” to yourself. When you make a mistake, just say “It’s OK. I know you’re disappointed. You’ll get another chance. You can do this. Just keep working hard. You’re a great athlete. It’ll come.”
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