Have you ever said to yourself “If I fail or make a mistake people won’t like me?” Or “Why should I do tryouts again if I didn’t make it the first time?” The perfectionist cycle of thinking is one of negativity: “I am not good enough;” “this is awful;” “I’ll never be able to do that skill.”
Here’s the secret: no one on earth is perfect!
An old saying goes, “Perfectionism is the art of never being satisfied.” So take that burden off your shoulders. Perfect doesn’t exist. Perfection just simply isn’t attainable.
Perfectionism can hurt your performance and slow your progress.
Perfectionism strips you of your confidence. Athletes on the hunt for perfection usually fail to accomplish their athletic goals because they get frustrated easier.
Perfectionism leads to athlete burnout. Social perfectionism – the pressure from those around you to be perfect – can lead athletes to lose their desire to play sport as they feel they are not doing it for themselves but instead for those around them.
So now what do we do in this judged sport where we all appear to be seeking “perfection?” What most athletes – and coaches – can do is shift your mindset from seeking perfection, to seeking excellence. Accept the fact that mistakes are inevitable, and are a natural part of the process of seeking excellence.
Perfectionist athletes don’t usually feel success or acknowledge their own accomplishments if they aren’t “perfect,” running themselves through a vicious cycle of “whatever I do, it’s never enough.” Seeking excellence, then, means not the elimination of mistakes, but the courage to make mistakes, learn from them, and then ultimately to minimize the mistakes and their distraction against your end goals. Striving for excellence fuels motivation as you work to improve upon previous performances. While perfection is unattainable, excellence is always achievable.
Solution to the perfectionism mindset:
1. Shift your mindset from seeking perfection to seeking excellence.
Excellence embodies:
Quality
Superior
Greatness
Excellence strives toward what is positive and valuable.
2. Have an attitude of professionalism.
This is not about being overly serious and demanding (training can still be an enjoyable and fun!), it is more about making each training session count! Being professional is about having goals to achieve each and every time you hit the water.
3. Focus on your level of effort.
There are 3 levels of effort:
“I’ve given up...” - stopping or quitting;
“I’m comfortable...” - going through the motions, completing the task but not giving anything more;
“Breaking through the wall...” - Max effort, choosing to give more, to push more, and attack. Breaking through the wall means getting uncomfortable.
Which one are you today?
4. Acknowledge mistakes or failure is a prerequisite for success.
Failure is an event, not a person. Understand that mistakes and failure will happen, they are part of the process. Every successful person, athlete, and business owner has failed at some point in their lives, and most likely multiple times. It is about getting back up, learning, and being patient as you develop new skills and embrace opportunity. Mistakes and failures are how we grow, improve, and develop. It is not by having a perfectionism mindset.
When you demand perfection of yourself, you will always fall short; you can never achieve that ideal because it doesn’t exist. Dr. Patrick Cohn, a sport psychologist says when you adopt the mindset of excellence, you will see opportunities and possibilities more clearly, opening yourself up to your peak performance. We all must acknowledge that mistakes happen, have happened and will continue to happen throughout life. It’s a fact. The quicker you are to embrace the idea of excellence over perfectionism, the more progress you will make, and the more likely you are to realize that success is attainable.
Ask yourself this simple question before each practice: what can I accomplish today if I seek excellence?
And then strive to be the best you can be and do the best you can do.
Now is the time.
READY, GO.
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