Focus on the process.
For many years my performance at competitions had huge swings—from winning national championships to barely making it out of pools, feeling unstoppable one day to feeling like I never actually got started the next.
This was frustrating, to say the least.
It was also confusing—I was the same guy from one day to the next, I was training the same way, why was my fencing so different?
There are a million variables that go into athletic performance, and many of them we can’t control. It’s natural for there to be some variation—but this was more than that.
After many years of this up and down I realized that, even though I knew the most important things I could do to help my performance, I wasn’t doing them every time.
I was fixated on the outcome I wanted and focused on things I couldn’t control, instead of taking ownership over the things I could.
The change
This past season I committed to an idea I’d been toying with for years, but had never fully invested in: defining my success by my process, not the outcome.
This meant really and truly letting go of the results––fully accepting any outcome—regardless of whether I liked it.
This was my resolution:
If I followed my process, that was success.
I knew that by improving my process (even to the point of making that the sole focus) my results would eventually improve, and more importantly in the moment, it meant I knew exactly what I had to do to be “successful” and it was fully in my own hands.
What happens when you do this?
You can determine your own success—and know that you can be successful.
Because of that feeling of control, you are more confident going into the competition.
That confidence translates into more relaxed fencing and better decisions.
This in turn leads to better results, and a better experience along the way.
And finally, when you finish your day of fencing, you can see your wins (even if you didn’t get the result you were hoping for) and leave with a feeling of accomplishment instead of frustration
So, if you want to guarantee success at summer nationals this year—
Focus on the process.
Here’s how to do that:
Pick 3 things within your control that you think will help your performance.
(they cannot depend on anything your opponent does, or any other outside factors—they need to be things you can guarantee through your own actions)
Commit to the idea that if you do those things, the competition is a success—no ifs, ands, or buts; a complete and unmitigated success.
Focus on those 3 things above all else.
Trust yourself that you have chosen well, and let go of the rest.
If you’re not sure how to do this, I can help—there’s still time to schedule a 1-1 coaching session before nationals.
Oh, and don’t forget to take a copy of the Perform PERFECT Checklist—a quick way to clear your mind before you compete.
P.S.
You might also be wondering how it turned out for me when I made that switch . . .
The first competition I truly committed to a process orientation and let go of my results, I prepared better, felt relaxed going into the competition, stayed focused, and felt great.
But what about results?
I got 3rd in that competition a Div I NAC—my best result in over a decade—and qualified for the world cup travel team, my goal for the season.
What I mean to say is—it worked.