Why Some Athletes Maintain Motivation for 10,000 Hours and Some Don’t
It’s no secret that it takes an extreme amount of practice to become an elite athlete. If you are familiar with the research of Anders Ericsson, then you know a little something about the 10,000 hours rule of thumb. This rule of thumb is an oversimplification of Ericsson’s research. But it’s still a nice little reminder of what it takes to be elite… An absurd amount of time.
3 hours a day of practice for 10 years is a good starting point for an estimate of this time. Therefore, to be an elite college athlete by the age 21, an athlete must start roughly age 11. Moreover, an athlete can’t waste time during their hours of practice, as many young athletes do. Deliberate practice is the only practice that counts towards these hours. This requires self-motivation, as external motivation won’t cut it.
Ultimately, this ability to maintain motivation over decades without external carrots and sticks is what separates elite athletes from everyone else. So, it’s a fair question to ask why some athletes have this self-motivation, some have it and lose it, and some never have it at all.
Motivation Over the Long Haul Requires a Positive Illusion Mindset
To answer this question, I will use the research of Peter Catina, Ph.D. and Seppo Iso-Ahola, Ph.D. published in the International Journal of Sport Psychology. The title of their research is Positive Illusion and Athletic Success.
The positive illusion mindset is when one orients their mind to view themselves using “self-enhancing” perceptions. In other words, this is the mindset of those who have high self-esteem, self-confidence, and optimism. Those with this mindset never perceive negative feedback as negative. They are always able to spin failure, loss, bad news and criticism to improve their performance.
As you can imagine, athletes experience all these negatives and more over careers that span from youth sports into college and the pros. Athletes who don’t have a positive illusion mindset allow these negatives to debilitate their motivation. This is why many athletes fizzle before they reach that mythical 10,000 hours it takes to become elite.
As stated by Catina and Iso-Ahola in their research:
But how does one maintain motivation to practice for 10 years to begin with and sustain motivation if success is not forthcoming even after 10,000 hours? A key answer may lie in having the mindset of positive illusions. If one believes in himself/herself and his/her future, such views give rise to and reinforce expectations for success and mobilize motivation needed to succeed. Given how difficult it is to become an elite performer in any human field, distorted views of one’s abilities, personal control and future may indeed be necessary for sustenance of continued effort expenditure and meaningful practice.
Simply stated, the positive illusion mindset allows athletes to bend and distort reality in their favor. This mental skill is the key to maintaining motivation over decades.