Perfection
“You cut him! You hurt him! You see? You see? He’s not a machine. He’s a man.” -Duke (Rocky IV)
There’s no telling how many times I’ve watched the Rocky movies. I’ll spare you the long summary, since most of you have probably already seen this movie, and just tell you the nutshell version. Rocky was fighting Drago, an opponent who, up until this point in the movie, seemed like more of a machine than a man. Until he shows he isn’t.
You aren’t a machine either. You are a human. You are an athlete. Maybe a student. A son/daughter/brother/sister. And as a human, you will make mistakes. You will have errors, turnovers, bad games, failures. We all will! But, it’s how you handle these mistakes that sets you apart.
Perfectionism is characterized by the pursuit of very high performance standards and concern over failing to achieve those standards.
Maybe you strive for high standards on your own. Maybe you strive for these standards because you want to be respected and thought well of. Maybe you feel pressure from a coach or parent and feel like you won’t measure up unless you reach these aims.
Ironically, as you train and strive and aim for perfection, more often than not, you will put additional pressure on yourself, overthink, and end up underperforming.
So let’s get to know ourselves and this perfectionism a bit better…
In your eyes, what is success? Not your parents’ idea, not your coaches, not your crush who is watching from the stands; but how do you define success?
What do you see as failure? What type of performance takes place that leads you to walk off the court/field/arena/etc. feeling disappointed in your performance?
How do you experience success? How do you experience failure? What emotions, thoughts, actions, body language, etc. take place when you succeed and when you fall short?
How do you handle mistakes and setbacks? What have you found that has helped you bounce back during a game or leave a game with your head held high knowing you gave your full effort?
How will you grow from mistakes? How can you reframe a less than pleasant situation and think about it differently?
Rocky took tons of hard hits. There were many moments when he was pulling himself back up off the ropes or the ground after getting knocked down. He was performing in the moment with passion and drive. Not aiming for perfection, but giving all he had.
Is your desire to succeed so great that it prevents you from performing well due to a fear of failure? If this is you and you want to dive into your mental game a bit more, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Schedule a consultation or shoot me an email today! I would love to help you get out of your head and into the performance you desire.
