It’s a horrible feeling isn’t it?

After every match, every round, you feel that same tension.

It’s one of the most persistent feelings in an athletes life.

No matter how well you may objectively play,

Or how well people say you played.

You ALWAYS have that knowingness in the back of your mind that you still could have played better.

And the reason is…

You could have.

But not for the reason you think.

You see, I don’t buy into the belief that it’s “normal” to feel this way.

There is a reason for this feeling.

And it’s not because you need to keep refining your skills.

It’s not about refining or acquiring skills,

It’s about accessing them.

The reason you have that persistent feeling that you know you could have performed better,

Is because you know that you didn’t access the full arsenal of your skill.

But just because almost every single athlete spends their entire career feeling this way,

Does not mean it is normal.

It does not mean it needs to be accepted.

We are led to believe that it is a skill issue,

Or a concentration issue,

Or a mindset issue.

We are led to believe that it’s “part of the process”

And is part of becoming a better athlete.

But this is like saying you have a bank balance of a million dollars,

And you only access $250,000

But instead of learning how to access the full amount,

You are led to believe that you must work harder, for longer, to get a million and one dollars,

So you may access $250,001.

This is why you ALWAYS feel like you could have performed better,

This is why you only get 1% better after months of work.

Tell me, is it easier to make more money,

Or access the money you already have in your account?

So the question is not; “How do I perform better?”

Or “why am I not playing as well as I could?”

Or even “how do I access my full arsenal of skill?”

The question is;

“What precisely is preventing you from accessing your full arsenal of skill?”

You have this dam blocking the Flow (pun intended) of your full arsenal.

Sport psychologists will tell you to think positively and calm the mind.

Sport psychologists will tell you how to deal with pressure and calm the nerves.

Sport psychologists will tell you how to be more mindful.

But this is like the coat of paint that covers the wall.

Barely even scratching the surface.

Negative thoughts may harm you,

But that doesn’t mean positive thoughts will help you.

Negative thoughts may harm you,

But that doesn’t mean being more mindful of them will help you.

Negative thoughts may harm you,

But that doesn’t mean belief will help you.

If you were to hold a grenade in your hand,

Would it matter what colour it is?

Either way, it’s going to blow you up.

So what I’m saying is,

Negative thoughts are not the issue,

Positive thoughts are not the answer,

It is the very existence of ANY thought that is the dam blocking you from your full arsenal of skill.

The state at which the Athlete accesses their full arsenal,

The state of Flow,

Is not when the mind is calm,

Or positive,

Or confident,

But when the mind has disappeared altogether!

Your subconscious mind does everything by the law of “path of least resistance”.

It does everything faster, more efficiently, and more effectively than the conscious mind.

But you see, the conscious mind is the ego.

It wants to be the hero.

It wants to be the one who hits the great shot,

Shoots the low score,

Wins all the races.

So what you could really say is,

That feeling of tension when you know you could have played better,

Is your subconscious mind silently reminding you that you’re getting in its way again.

The more you understand the conscious mind and it’s ego fuelled desires,

The more you understand just how much it blocks your full potential.

So what do you “do” now?

Nothing.

There is nothing you can do.

You can meditate,

You can practice mindfulness,

You can think your way through it,

All which is highly suggested by sport psychology,

But this is using the mind, to overcome the mind.

A fruitless endeavour.

No, there is nothing you can do.

There is only understanding.

So here is the understanding that will help you let go of the conscious mind & finally access your full arsenal:

The conscious mind is a desiring machine – it wants to be the hero, it wants to win, it wants to play well.

The law of polarity says that as long as you have the desire, you will have at the same time the fear of not getting it.

The fear will always be 10x greater than the desire, due to our survival mechanism to protect ourselves.

The conscious mind deals in thoughts, opinions, likes & dislikes.

The subconscious mind deals in emotions, identity, beliefs & values.

The subconscious mind does things automatically, 10x faster, more efficient, and more effective than your conscious mind.

The conscious mind has to believe, because believing is a thought.

The subconscious mind just knows.

The same way you ‘know’ how to brush your teeth, and therefore do not think about it.

The subconscious mind already knows what to do,

Knows how to access your full bank balance of skill,

Knows how to get the result, using the path of least resistance,

So the trick, is allow it to do so.

I’m not telling you to not want to win,

I’m not telling you to not want to play well,

I’m not telling you to not think about what other people will think.

What I am telling you, is that as long as you do,

You will have the fear of failure,

Which will always be greater than the desire,

And you will never access your full bank balance of skill.

You’re right,

You can play so much better than you do,

And now you know precisely what is preventing you from doing so.

To Your Success,

Alec.