I am constantly working with professional athletes on how to stay connected to the love of the game.
At this level the bright spotlight from the media and the millions of dollars on the line makes the allure of results so strong.
However, the amateur athletes that work with our team of coaches here at CEP Mindset are also fighting to stay connected to the love of the game.
How we help them do this is best illustrated with the Flowerbed Story (check out the full video clip here)
A group of twelve year old kids started playing touch football in a 105 year old-ladies backyard.
The yard was perfectly set up, with a flower bed as the touchdown zone on both sides.
The kids absolutely loved playing—especially when they would jump to catch the touchdown zone pass and land in the nice soft flower beds.
The old-lady didn’t like this so much. She would yell at them to “stop playing” but the kids just yelled back “screw you lady” and just kept coming back.
She thought about calling the cops, but they were only 12 years old.
So she got a sneaky idea where she started to pay them $5 each to play.
At first, all the boys were really excited. Not only did they get to keep playing the game they loved, but they were getting paid to play.
This went on for a few weeks until the old-lady started to pay them less and less.
First it went to $2, then $1, then 25 cents, until eventually the kids decided:
“Screw this, we aren’t playing here any more — you are not paying us enough.”
They had completely forgotten why they were playing in the first place.
Although not all athletes are getting paid to play, the shiny objects of praise and results are what distract them as they climb the ranks.
You can have the goals and intentions to achieve certain results, but don’t confuse this for why you started playing your sport in the first place.
The bottom line is when you learn to enjoy the game for the sake of itself, everything else falls into place.
This is so much easier said than done because the allure of results are constantly around you.
It’s why it’s a recurring theme with our clients and why we help them create strategies to proactively fight against the allure of results and, instead, stay connected with the love of the game.
Blair has over 13 years of experience as a Professional Dancer, Assistant Dance Captain & Cast Manager, as well as an additional 17 years of training. Over the last 3 decades, she has lived and experienced first hand the highest of highs & lowest of lows that come with pursuing a career in the Performing Arts.
As a former member of McMaster University’s women’s soccer team, Emilie intimately understands the demands and challenges athletes face on and off the field. Although she encountered many challenges as a high-level athlete, particularly struggling with self-doubt and overthinking, Emilie was able to make a remarkable transformation when she began to embrace the principles of sports psychology.
Danielle Hanus, MA
Monica Russell, MA
