Yesterday I wrote about teaching athletes the lesson of the promise and the prize. In short, this is a basic lesson on commitment to process instead of focusing on outcomes. It just so happens that this morning my favorite blogger Seth Godin is covering a very similar point in his post Confusing effort, preparation and performance with the outcome.
Godin’s take on this topic is spot on. I suggest you read it to your athletes as the perfect follow-up to the promise and the prize. Godin’s conclusion is simple and memorable:
In order to improve our performance, we need to model our preparation, our effort and our form against a standard, not base it on the outcome. Because outcomes aren’t always guaranteed by our work.
Just because you won doesn’t mean you did a good job (and vice versa).
These are words for athletes to live by and for parents and coaches to never stop teaching.