If you’re involved in any sports you likely practice, strategize, and rearrange your life, at least to a small degree, for the sake of improving and–more importantly to some than others–winning. Competition is typically defined as you vs. them, or OUR team vs. THEIR team. Some times the opponent will strike fear into you and you may become so overwhelmed that your own ability to perform is diminished, other times you may spend your competitive season training towards one match, one event against one opponent who has beaten you before or who was come closer to victory than they should have.
But in every case, your biggest rival is yourself.
When your performance gets worse because you are so intimidated or anxious, this stems entirely from your own thoughts and perspective.
When you are envious of an opponents skill or prowess, you are more likely externalizing your own sense of inferiority–your own sense of inadequacy and inaction. This is your ego, and the stronger your ego, the stronger your sense of vitriol and animosity towards your competitors.
Did you put in all of the work that you could?
Did you choose to screw around rather than prepare, out of fear that if you put it all on the line, you may still come up short?
Did you take more rest than you needed during your workouts or practice?
Did you think you could wait to start taking your training more seriously closer to your event?
The rival that you need to beat back is yourself, not just your ego, but the negative thoughts, and bad decisions that you know you are making every day of your life.
Here’s a quick little audit: What are three things that you’ve done over the past week that have directly contributed to a worse outcome for yourself. Be honest. Can you eliminate those from your life? Or at least incrementally improve your habits and behaviors?
This is how you beat your rival.
Know thyself.