I remember in my last post, I spoke about the importance of Decision Making. Before I continue, think about 3 decisions you have made in the past 5 years that have shaped your life.
If you were to have made a different decision in those three moments, where would you be now? what would you be doing? who would you be with? what would you have experienced?
Decisions are critical, and their importance is overly magnified and evident in the sporting arena. Every decision an athlete makes is highlighted for everyone to see. There is no hiding.
So, what do I do to help make sure I make the right decisions at the right time?
Firstly, it comes down to knowing in advance what decisions you want to make. What are you trying to achieve as an individual and as a team? If you know that in advance, you can think about the scenarios you are likely to be confronted with and you can plan your decisions in advance for those moments. Before a match, I stand in position on the field and talk myself over all the key decisions I need to make in the match for my performance to be as good as possible.
Secondly, I try my hardest to get into a state of confidence, certainty, and excitement. I feel like when I’m in these states, I play my best hockey. I think about what my body does when I’m in those states and I try to replicate it. I think about what language I use when I’m in those states and I try to replicate it. I think about what I focus on when I’m in those states and I try to replicate it.
Have a think about your own performance in the various areas of your life. What do you need to do in order to be able to make high quality decisions every time?