​For most of my life, my personal motivation in sport was driven by a deep fear of failure fueled by

black and white thinking, critical self-evaluations,

and a habit of catastrophizing.

 

Both as a figure skater in my youth

and decades later as an adult age-group triathlete,

I struggled to feel “good enough”

despite my list of achievements.

 I lacked confidence, although outwardly

I often appeared to have it in spades.

“Fake it till you make it” was my mantra.

 

I was guilty of focusing on the wrong things at the wrong time, getting caught up in comparisons to others,

and fixating on performance outcomes

to validate my worth.

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I was externally motivated, chasing podiums, accolades, and praise from others for a job well done.

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After years of personal growth combined with a newfound love for learning about mental performance,

I discovered helpful strategies that changed my outlook on sport and performance.

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I learned to frame challenges as learning opportunities and became mindful of my persistent negative self-talk.

​

I learned that aiming for excellence instead of perfection allowed me find renewed joy in my sport.

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And I learned that focusing on the process instead of outcomes and accolades not only lessened my performance anxiety but led to some of

my best performances

and proudest achievements in sport.

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My only regret was not learning these

valuable strategies sooner.

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