REMAINING OPTIMISTIC AFTER LOSING AN IMPORTANT SPORTING EVENT

By: Stan Popovich (www.managingfear.com); Edited by Ross Guity aka R.G. Major

Some athletes who do not perform well at their event may have a difficult time in getting over their most recent loss. As a result, here are a list of techniques that an athlete can follow in staying optimistic for their next event:

*First, DO NOT make excuses or blame others for your defeat. Many athletes tend to make excuses on why they lost, instead of looking at themselves and their performance. The fact is that the competition was better than you that day, and the only way to get over it is to FIND WAYS TO DO BETTER the next time around.

*Evaluate your performance and learn from your mistakes. Regardless of how good you may be, you will always make mistakes in any given event. The key is to learn from your mistakes, and NOT TO REPEAT THEM AGAIN. This is the attitude you need to have in getting over your most recent loss and get ready for your next event.

*Focus on the BIGGER PICTURE. As an athlete, you will perform in many events. DO NOT focus on only that one event where you did not do that great in. Instead, look at the BIGGER PICTURE in that you will be performing in many other events down the road. Use your loss as a measuring stick on what you need to improve on for your future events.

*Try to have a more persistent attitude for your next event. Many athletes who lose or make mistakes in an important event tend to doubt themselves for a while. DO NOT do this. Accept the fact that you lost, and BE DETERMINED that you will do things differently the next time around. DETERMINATION is the key in getting over any loss.

*If you are not sure of what you did wrong, then ASK. Talk to a coach or your friends on what they think you did wrong. Get their advice on how you did in your last event, and then try to see if they are correct in their assessment. There is NOTHING WRONG with asking for help. Even the best athletes get advice from others.

*Finally, you MUST be patient in trying to improve your performance. Some athletes who get into a losing streak do not know how to get back to their winning ways. They start to doubt themselves and put more pressure on themselves to do better if the losing continues. It may take time to get back to your winning ways. DO NOT put pressure on yourself when things do not go right. BE PATIENT, and try to make small, subtle changes in your performance. The last thing you want to do is to panic.

Enjoy the fact that you are an athlete. You can't win all of the time, and there will ALWAYS be somebody who is better. DO NOT compare yourself to others who may be better or worse off than you. Focus solely on YOUR performance, and and develop your OWN personal goals in acheiving your MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE!