In the moment

Thursday, May 14

You knew the moment was coming. You had prepared. You had rehearsed. You had anticipated scenarios and had a plan for them.

Then you got in the moment and suddenly your brain seemed to shut off. That thing you had practiced and rehearsed and prepared for, you couldn’t access it. It was as if you had never trained at all.

Why? Because the thing you didn’t prepare for was fear. In the moment, fear prevents us from accessing skill. This is why world-class kickers miss game-winning field goals. Why great shooters miss free throws with the game on the line. Why great closers go blank in the middle of a sales pitch.

So what do you do? Acknowledge the fear. It’s there in your preparation it just doesn’t feel like a threat so you ignore it. But when the pressure is on, it suddenly gets loud. Deal with the negative voice in your head. Hear it, and practice fighting back. You must prepare for the mental battle as much as the skill battle.

This is how world-class kickers make game-winning field goals. This is why great shooters perform in the clutch. This is why great closers get the deal done under pressure. They feel fear, have a plan to deal with it, then do the thing they’ve prepared to do.

You work too hard to be great at what you do. Don’t let fear rob you of your best when you need it.
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Keep chopping wood. 🪵🪓

-Kevin