There is an experience that is shared by all former athletes after they step out of a competitive world. At some point, we find ourselves as a spectator for the first time, sitting in the stands or watching on the TV focused primarily on the entertainment value. Yet, the experience goes deeper than that, as […]
Anger as Fuel: Is anger a useful form of motivation?
Among the many different emotions that impact motivation, anger and fear are the two that feature most prominently in the ways in which athletes fuel their competitive drive. We harness them both in different ways and different situations, and they can either carry us or cripple us depending upon how we handle them. As we […]
The Shift From Finding Value to Guided by Values
One of the many needs that we fulfill by our participation in competitive sports is the need for self worth and value. We surround ourselves with like-minded people with similar goals and interests, and we take on a role that allows us to pursue that value within a team or sport. Feeling a sense of […]
The Values Behind Our Goals:
Where they come from determines the amount of fulfillment we experience. One of the ‘givens’ of competitive sports, whether individual or team oriented, is that success starts with having clear and attainable goals. The starting point of any progress is setting the right direction, and that all starts with where you want to wind up. […]
The Need to Belong: Our place in a team or sport as a fulfillment of a basic need.
From our earliest years, sports can provide a sense of belonging and acceptance. The experience is built into the structure of sport. In team sports, we are accepted as a part of the group, uniforms identify us as such, and we are drawn together by competition on a regular basis. While the outward trappings of […]
When is a heavy load too heavy?
Turning to mental health professionals. We all had the speech at some time or another. “Know the difference between Pain and Injury” – one is a part of the game, and the other is a reason to step out of it. It’s a distinction that many of us were forced to make during our competitive […]