The Most Important Part of
Competition
is the Mental Game
The Irony is That
Few Athletes Know What This Means
Successful Athletes are the Ones That
STOP THINKING ABOUT THE GAME
They Learn How to BE THE GAME
Most athletes are so focused on the future, that they are not paying attention to the present moment. A batter cares so much about the outcome of his hit, that he is not focused on what is presently happening - the art of swinging.
Further, by being so focused on the outcome of the hit, rather than the present moment of a great stance, then of present moment of positioning the body, then of breathing, then of watching the ball, then of a beautiful swing... all that time is spent in judgments and focus of the future - worrying about the outcome of all of that.
Thoughts of "If I strike out, what will the coach think" or "My Dad is watching so I better do good" or "Don't miss his curve ball" or "I don't want to let my team down" or "this pitcher is really good"... lots of thoughts about the future - the outcome of the batting experience, but little focus on what is happening RIGHT NOW!!
Competition is NOT about facing another team. It's about facing your own thoughts! The other team just provides the opportunity for you to face the real competition - your own mind.
Let the outcome take care of itself. You focus on the PRESENT moment and REALLY EXPERIENCE each element of the swing. Athletes hear about being “in the zone”, but they don't know what it means or how to get there. It means, STOP JUDGING and be so much a part of the activity, and enjoy every part of the activity so much that your mind is NOT THINKING! Let the “the dancer be lost in the dance. Let the poem write the poem.” Let the hit be poetry of an artist swinging a bat in beautiful concert with the ball where the natural result BECOMES a beautiful hit. Act as if you will be graded on the “poetry in motion” or the “dancing smoothness” of your swing. Then let the hit be whatever it is, without judgment. If anything, use the results of the travel of the ball to help improve the beauty of your swing!
Competition is a mask for the real enemy. The number one enemy of every athlete is judgment! STOP JUDGING!!! The opposite of judging is loving. All great athletes LOVE THE GAME. Play for the right reasons and make sure you are congruent with why you are playing. You can't fake it. In the end, you MUST LOVE IT, or you won't make it!!
Your goal is NOT to hit the ball. Your goal is to have the most beautiful experience during the whole batting time. PAY ATTENTION to EVERYTHING that happens from the moment you enter the batter's box to the moment you leave on your way to 1st base!
For real success during competition, you don't practice the game, think about the game, or try to play the game... You BE THE GAME. In other words, there are times to "think" about hip rotation, retarding the shoulders, hands through the ball, etc., but during the game is time to "get out of your own way" and stop thinking... stop judging... just love even the smallest aspect and all elements of the game!
This is true for sports, for sales, for management, and for life. Competition, performance, results are all a mental game... a game to get your mind out of the way so you can enjoy the moment. Performance is just the natural result.
Focus on this for 3 days and then, after discovering how easy success can be when your mind is right, share this article with every competitor you know!
