Focus in Sports is Critically Important, But Not All Focus is Good
As a college athlete, I never reached the best version of myself. As a matter of fact, I left so much potential on the field that sometimes I wake up sweating after a dream about how things could have been different.
I know that regrets aren’t helpful or healthy. However, a big part of what drives me to write about youth sports and pursuing difficult goals is my constant reflection of what I regret. My hope is that drudging up some of my painful memories can help prevent others from repeating my mistakes.
With that said, one of the big reasons I never reached the best version of myself as a college athlete was focus. It’s not that I didn’t have focus, it’s that I was focusing on the wrong things.
Focus is Only Good When You Focus on the Right Things
My big mistake was that my focus was always on outcomes. Things such as where I was on the depth chart, did I make the game day or travel squad that week, or if I was practicing with the A-team or the scout team. These were all things that made me feel better when the outcome was what I wanted. But my improvement as an athlete had nothing to do with any of these outcomes.
In reality, my focus should have been on what I needed to do in the present moment. Reaching my potential was dependent on my day to day execution of the task at hand. Not comparing myself to others. I should have been focused on studying film, hitting the weight room hard, and increasing my speed and conditioning.
If I put all of my mental energy into those tasks, the outcomes I wanted would have taken care of themselves. This is the lesson.
Focus on tasks not outcomes. Focus on the present not the past or the future. Additionally, focus on competing with yourself not competing with others.