In a rare interview, Rafael Nadal’s Coach and uncle, Tony Nadal was asked the following question:

“Recently, we read that you were saying [a quote from Pablo Picasso]: ‘When inspiration comes, let it find me working’…”
To which he answered: “This is an essential fact of life. I do not think people who succeed or stand out are only the fruit of labor. I do not think Roger Federer, Michael Jordan are just the result of work… The question is that if you do not work, you would not be one of them. And, as far as most people are concerned, I am indeed convinced that the work helps us totally. I am a defender of work, especially the mental effort.” [Source]

As we always say at Mental Toughness Inc, “Performance Only Happens in the Present”. When you look back, you’re not present, so there’s no possibility for performance.  The trick is to keep bringing yourself back to what you need to do right now, then right now, then right now, second by second, moment by moment.  Only then is performance on purpose possible.

It’s for you to play around with what exactly has you be calm in performance.  Maybe it’s taking a couple of deep breaths, maybe it’s reframing to an empowering MindFrame, maybe it’s visualizing the outcome you want.  Either way, it’s for you to explore what works best for you in each scenario. And, the more mental toughness tools you train, the better prepared you’ll be for any circumstance that comes your way.

So you could say that the key to Performance on Purpose™ is to continue to try out different Mental Toughness Tools and Strategies, and, in so doing, expand your Mental Toughness Toolbox.  Just like a carpenter that doesn’t have a hammer, and instead is using a screwdriver to bang in the nail, so too does having the right tool make a difference in your performance.

So start experimenting, try out different tools, and make sure to use them not only in your sport or performance, but in every area of you life.

No, really. This post is about ME asking YOU a serious question. I can’t help you with this you see, because the answer to this question is uniquely yours. No one can give it to you, urge you toward an answer, or offer you a solution. The WHY you do things, anything, but especially this high performance athletic thing, is deep within you.

It’s important to know your WHY. Training is hard, there are as many bad days as good. Competing can be stressful, and sometimes you don’t get the results you want, and you need to go back to the drawing board so to speak. Life is busy, and complicated, and can sometimes get in the way of your athletic objectives. It’s essential to have access to the answer to “WHY am I doing this?”

So here are a few more questions to help you unearth and shine a light on your own special “WHY”:

• Why do you choose to play or compete?
• Why do you train so hard?
• Why do you stick with it?
• Why do you sacrifice for your sport, and what do you have to give up?
• Why do you train your mental toughness?

You might answer all of these questions with “because I want to be my best”, or “because I want to win”. But the magic is in the details, the nitty-gritty, fascinating things that keep high performers striving to be the best. Try these questions:

• What makes you get up in the morning?
• What feelings do you experience the moments before the starting gun goes off?
• What has you put in extra training time?
• What fuels you to reach for more, push a little harder?
• What do you feel when you’ve completed a workout?
• What do you tap into to push past fear? What does it feel like to conquer your fear?
• What resources to you need to grapple with failure? What does success mean to you?

Knowing your WHY will:

• Help motivate you
• Get you through the dark days
• Have you be more disciplined in scheduling your life
• Push you to reach for more
• Sustain you through injury
• Lend meaning to the repeats, the falls, the sweat and the tears

Most importantly, the WHY will elevate your successes, from simply a score in a competition, to something that fulfills you. Everyone has a story, I’d love to know yours.

Reach out to me and share your WHY – or what you think your WHY is, and I will give you some feedback to help you develop it. CLICK HERE

In baseball, batting over 300 in a season is considered to be a great feat, as only the top batters make it there.  Batting over 400 is seen to be almost impossible.

And, to bat 300, requires 7 failures in 10 tries.  7 failures!!!!  You have to be ok with not getting on base in 7 of 10 at bats.  Talk about failure on the road to success. . . .

So if a 70% failure rate = success, it begs the question, what is failure?

This is defined differently in each sport, and differently still in our own heads!  I know for myself as an athlete, I expected every contact to be a success, and I would get very frustrated and upset with myself. I expected a 100% success rate and left no room for failure.  How about you?

The only thing is that you will fail, it’s inevitable.  In fact it’s required.  In order for you to develop your skill level, you need to fail, otherwise you’re simply not pushing yourself to the edge of your ability, instead you’re staying in your comfort zone.

So it’s time for you to start taking responsibility for your failures.  To start owning them.  To start looking at the stats – what’s expected of you in your sport vs. how are you performing.  

Because it could look like you’re failing as a baseball player if you’re only hitting 3 of 7 attempts at bat, when the reality is you’d be among the cream of the crop.  

It’s time for you to give yourself the room to fail so that you can succeed at a level you never thought possible.

Failure is necessary.  Go push out side of your comfort zone today.