“Not yet…”

“Never complete a negative thought.”

Fear of failure holds many athletes back. How can athletes overcome this?

FAILURE DOES NOT EXIST. There is great power in these words. If you view every negative situation as an opportunity to learn and grow, then you never fail. It does not exist. The great ones learn to master their mind and their approach to failure. This is one powerful way to do it.

FAILURE IS GROWTH. Do you have a fixed or growth mindset? Fixed mindsets struggle to overcome adversity. They feel they have no control. Growth mindsets view failure as an opportunity to grow. Choose growth.

NEXT PLAY. The best athletes have the ability to move on to the next play. They don’t think about the shot they just made or the bad pass they threw away. They shift to the next play in the moment. Do not dwell on past mistakes OR past successes. Be PRESENT.

EVERYONE FAILS. Hitting .400 in baseball means you fail 6/10 times. Stephen Curry is a career 42.8% three-point shooter meaning he misses 60% of his threes. Michael Jordan said, “I succeed because I have failed over and over.” Learn from the elite. They always fail. It is okay to fail. It is part of the process! It’s not a big deal. It’s not a big deal. It’s not a big deal.

MASTER YOUR MIND. Learn to TALK to yourself instead of LISTEN to yourself. Just because you have a negative thought does not mean you have to believe it. Failure is a concept. Don’t let yourself believe those thoughts. Talk yourself out of it.

EARN CONFIDENCE. Athletes must earn the right to be proud and confident. When you are confident, you begin to have a different perspective on failure. But confidence is earned and earned through daily habits, consistency, and persistence. Earn it!