How to Create Personal Victories in a Subjective Sport
You vs. You
Last week my friend Briteney Mercer and I were counting the number of weekends left until she leaves to compete for her second consecutive year in the equitation and A/O hunters at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Maryland is over 2800 miles away from her barn, Oz Inc., located near Portland, Oregon and the show is the “finale” of her show season. As a full-time criminal defense attorney, a show of this magnitude requires Briteney to make a commitment early in the season to be fully prepared. I was impressed with her centered demeanor as the show is just around the corner.
During our conversation, Briteney was the catalyst of an “a-ha” moment for me about how to put a singular major horse show with subjective judging into perspective. She wisely concentrates on achieving personal bests (ex. 8 great jumps), instead of focusing on placings against other competitors, all the while focusing on the fact that any ribbons from a prestigious indoor show like the Capital Challenge are incredibly special. Essentially, shifting the focus from winning to making it about a personal record (PR) as the benchmark of achievement and success.
Timed Sports and Objective Benchmarks
Striving for PR’s is a common gauge in objective timed sports. I totally relate to this frame of reference after converting from a recreational runner in my late teens and twenties, to competing in distance running events in my thirties and now forties. I am fully aware that I am not going to be at the front of the pack (NY Marathon!), but instead train for months to specifically beat my PB (Personal Best) / Personal Record (PR) times and strive to be at the top of my age group. In my last marathon I trained diligently for 6 months and I missed a major goal by 20 seconds. At first, I was really disappointed with myself, but after analyzing my preparation, I was able to determine that nerves had affected my nutritional requirements for breakfast In a subsequent race I was able to use this information for a very challenging half marathon course and I achieved my PR at this distance!
Using the logic behind focusing on PR’s in objective sports, I now have a fresh perspective that, if fully prepared, aiming for a PR – whatever that might mean to you - at a major equestrian event should be the measure of success. This allows us to find success even with subjective judging. Rather than thinking of a big show like a one-time event with intense pressure judged only in comparison to others, this allows us to make the goal about being our very best and rising to the challenge of great competition by having our own PR.
Creating Your PR Mindset
According to a recent article titled 4 ways to Reach Your Personal Best published on Success.com, author John Maxwell explains that “To reach your personal best, you need to learn how to challenge the person the mirror. He or she is your toughest adversary. Discovering how to overcome your limitations, fears, self-doubts…will do more for your development than defeating a dozen competitors.”
To work within this mindset, here is what to do:
1. Be growth-minded, not goal-minded. If you obsess over a singular event, what happens if you lose? Or for that matter, what happens after you win? That’s why I like to concentrate on growth rather than goals: That game is never over. We’re not distraught if we’ve lost, and we haven’t peaked if we’ve won. There’s always room to improve.
2. Emphasize gradual progress. Yes, emphasizing growth over goals is critical, but goals do have their place in competition. I think of them as milestones on the journey of growth. Set incremental one and celebrate each time you achieve one before moving to the next. Developing small disciplines helps. Big success tomorrow depends on the little things you do today.
3. Develop your strengths. Identify your natural strengths and pursue them with passion. For years, Gallup has studied the advantages of developing strengths instead of trying to fix weaknesses. One finding: People who use their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged on the job. You won’t push yourself to new heights if your heart isn’t in your work.
4. Partner with other winners. Learning to push yourself is critical. But it’s easy to lose sight of how well you’re doing or pinpoint your weaknesses if you depend only on your own perspective. The solution? Get a mentor. I’ve had the privilege of being coached by some of the brightest people in their fields. It is amazing how much difference their insight and advice make (1).
(1) 4 Ways to Reach Your Personal Best byJohn C. Maxwell August 10, 2016: http://www.success.com/blog/john-c-maxwell-4-ways-to-reach-your-personal-best