Be patient and wait it out. Everything ends – good or bad; it’s all temporary. Whilst what you did yesterday may have brought you success today, staying the same doesn’t guarantee success tomorrow. Be flexible, adaptable and open to learning. Reframe negative events to extract the most from every opportunity and experience.
RECHARGE AND RECOVER
Balance is important. You cannot be “on” 24/7 and continue to churn out incredible results. You will fatigue; it’s only natural. Mistakes are inevitable, particularly if you’re pushing the boundaries. Use mistakes as constructive ‘data’ to feed off as you move forward and not as an indication of self-worth.
When you’re “off”, be off and take care of yourself. Be aware of decision fatigue and swapping one form of mental stimulation (responding to email, scrolling through social media etc.). Consider how you can reduce the mental stimulus to benefit from your “downtime” truly. Ensure you’re getting enough sleep, fuel up with healthy food, have fun and practice self-care rituals. Take your “off” time seriously to recharge and recover so that you can function at your best when you need to.
POSITIVE SELF-TALK
Long story short: it works. Be your biggest supporter and hype yourself up. Keep in mind that positive self-talk can look a little different to everyone. It can be affirmations of particular qualities, cue words to manage specific scenarios or performance-related reminders. Our thoughts become beliefs, which become actions, which become habits. However you chose to approach positive self-talk, come at it from a place of compassion and support. You are confident, in control and utterly unstoppable. Don’t you forget!
VISUALISATION
The mind can have a difficult time distinguishing between reality and imagination. In vivid detail, visualising scenarios stimulate the same neural networks and respective physiological triggers that occur when experiencing something in reality (changes in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, etc.). Using visualisation to prepare for high-pressure situations can be highly effective.
Time spent conditioning and preparing the mind allows us to develop coping strategies and better responses to anxieties when experiencing the moment in real-time.
Believing you have already achieved something has a significant impact on the mind. Visualise your success in explicit detail – engage all of the senses to make it as accurate as possible. Repeat the scenario – make it automatic to know precisely what to do to achieve your desired outcome. Keep it positive – envision yourself in a state of effortless success.
MICRO GOALS
Our micro-goals ensure that we’re in a position to realise our greater ambitions. They act as stepping stones between where we are right now and where we want to be. They are targeted, measurable and short-term. These goals can be broken down into a 24-hour cycle or a minute-by-minute play of a scenario. Use whatever works for you to achieve your goal. Get in a rhythm, build momentum, tick them off. Success feeds success. Think smaller. Stop waiting to celebrate until you hit your dream goal; start celebrating the micro-goals that play a significant part in moving you closer to your main goal.
FIND YOUR TRIBE
It’s a misconception that resilience and mental toughness is solely the strength of the individual. Even the most resilient people reach out and ask for help because they understand the benefit of sharing the load. Surrounding yourself with people who share similar vision and values to you, and establishing solid support networks, is a fundamental aspect of your overall health and happiness. The tribe won’t do the work for you, but they’ll encourage and uplift you to remind you that you can. A shared experience felt within team sports. If you’re in a team that supports you, shares the same goals, aspirations and dedication to reach the team’s version of success, you will inevitably rise with them.
We all experience setbacks, disappointments and occasionally, defeats. I have had many defeats on the football field, and in life, the goal is to position yourself so that you don’t continually oscillate between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Build mental stamina, a resilience so sturdy that what once felt like a magnitude eight earthquake now registers as a slight vibration.