Alec Sundly

Gareth Southgate has said something that I think every coach, athlete and leader should reflect upon… Towards the end of his time managing England, winning was no longer bringing him much enjoyment. Imagine that… Years of preparation. Years of sacrifice. Years of pressure. The pursuit of success. And then, when success arrives, the satisfaction lasts only a few minutes. I find this fascinating (and this is the kind of topic we speak extensively about on my podcast, The Sport Psych Show). There is a human being inside every performer. A human being with emotions. With needs. With vulnerabilities. With relationships. With a life beyond performance. And sometimes, in our relentless pursuit of excellence, we forget this. We become obsessed with results. Obsessed with progress. Obsessed with the next match, the next tournament, the next achievement. And, of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with ambition. Ambition can be wonderful. The desire to improve, compete, and achieve can give life enormous meaning. But here’s the challenge… How do we pursue excellence without allowing the pursuit to consume everything? How do we strive for more while appreciating what we’ve already achieved? How do we remain fiercely competitive while maintaining a healthy relationship with our sport? These aren’t easy questions. And I don’t think they have simple answers. But I do think they deserve far more attention within high performance environments. Because performance psychology isn’t simply about helping people become better performers. It’s also about understanding the human beings who perform. Helping them build the psychological skills to compete effectively; helping them navigate the demands of ambition; and helping them develop a relationship with their sport that can remain meaningful and sustainable over time. The performer matters. But so does the person. Always!!! Source: buff.ly/ozGGn4u