the tuesday transition - issue 38
January 17, 2023: Recently I had the opportunity to sit out in the Arizona sunshine and watch several ODP Far West Championship games. As I enjoyed the weather and the matches, I reflected on, and admired, the enormous amount of time and energy that these coaches and players had given to the game, to the sport that they love. The energy that they gave on the daily to their pursuit of greatness.
Then – last Monday I listened to this Ryan Holiday podcast and it inspired this thought: if we each only have a certain, limited amount of mental energy, then why do we exert so much of it on things we have no control over? Why do we sometimes waste it on things that DON’T move us toward our goals, that DON’T help us level up our game?
Why is it that we give our mental energy away so freely?
Let’s think about this in terms of the game. First off, a full bar of mental energy is what you NEED in order to play your best soccer and stay in your optimal performance zone. Each and every day, you have a limited capacity for how much mental energy you have. Do you want to allocate that energy towards the things you can control to help you play your best soccer and stay in your optimal performance zone, or do you want to spend it all on things that you have no control over? Things that will help your game ZERO?
Here are some examples of distracting things that players commonly waste their precious mental energy on during soccer games:
- Getting upset and distracted by refereeing calls
- Worrying about who’s watching (scouts, college coaches, etc.)
- Complaining about the other team and their players
- Comparing yourself to a teammate who’s playing well
- Hung up on coaches decisions about playing time or subs
- Replaying mistakes and thinking about things in the past
- Striving to play perfectly without making any mistakes
Most of us are not great protectors of our inner space.
This is because, as a society, we don’t talk about mental wellness anywhere near enough. Because of this, we don’t even know that our mental energy is something we SHOULD be protecting. Instead we consistently self-defeat by carelessly throwing our mental around and freely giving it away to any situation or person that activates us or makes us uncomfortable. We allow ourselves to get swept up in the moment, and we let our emotions run the show.
When we react to things that other people did or said, we let ourselves get mentally invested in the situation and WE DRAIN OUR OWN MENTAL BATTERY.ย We give other people our precious energy, that energy we had reserved for OURSELVES and OUR GAME. At this point we are drained, not at full capacity, and our performance suffers. It’s a lose, lose situation.
Spending your mental energy on the things you can’t control will get you nowhere and will take your head out of the game. Spending your mental energy on the things that you CAN control will make an immediate positive impact on your game and help you play better soccer.
Players, coaches AND PARENTS – what would happen if you decided to work towards allocating your mental energy more optimally? How would things be different for you out there on the soccer field? How would things be different for those around you?
What if each of us decided to get a little bit selfish and be a fierce protector of our inner space? Our mental energy? If you want to go out there and perform to the best of your ability, you need every drop of focus/attention/self-regulation/discipline/resiliency/belief/confidence/mental toughness/etc. that you can get! Each one of these is HARD to maintain and takes all the mental energy you’ve got. DO NOT GIVE IT AWAY FOR NOTHING!
So how can we protect our inner space and not let it get the life sucked out of it by all the distracting things that come up that we can’t control?
Here's 3 steps to keeping a full charge of mental energy:
1) Learn about self-awareness so that you can understand where your headspace is at currently, at any moment in time
2) Make the CHOICE to intentionally allocate your mental energy towards things you can control, not the things you can’t
3) Lastly, come up with a plan for what to do with things that zap your mental energy: example, assume an attitude of ZEN when it comes to the things you can’t control
This last piece is really important. When we assume a zen attitude, we are peaceful and calm about the situation. We let the things we can’t control JUST BE. This doesn’t mean we don’t FEEL anger or anxiety or disappointment, it just means we CHOOSE to react in a composed manner by not letting the emotions run the show.
And here’s the best part, when you learn to do this, YOU GET TO KEEP THAT MENTAL ENERGY and use it on exactly what you want to use it on: competing HARD, being FIERCE and playing the best, most CONFIDENT soccer of your life.
Till next week,
๐ What I’m digging: I’m absolutely loving that NWSL player trading cards are a thing. This is such a great way to follow & get invested in the game!
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๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ป What I’m reading: There are so many reasons to get excited for the Women’s World Cup! Here are a few. Also – don’t forget about USWNT friendlies this week!
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๐ง What I’m listening to: The Ryan Holiday podcast that inspired this post; your soul can be strengthened or weakened through your daily choices
Grow your confidence through preparedness.
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Hi everyone! I’m Jenn and I create content to help female soccer players and coaches maximize individual and team potential by developing healthy mindset skills. Join other subscribers and sign up for the newsletter for all my best tips and advice!
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