FEAR OF FAILURE
with portions from "Thinking body dancing mind" By: Bobby Aldighieri
92 USA Olympic Team Pro Winner Head coach-Team Steamboat


In our sports world, winning isn't everything: it is the only thing. While it is important for us to win, we must understand that losing is a lesson for winning later. Only then can we maximize our potential when we compete. Here are some important tips to get there:

Realize that:

  • Losing does not represent failure, it represents a lesson that we can learn from.
  • Failure cannot be avoided, the greatest of the great have failed at times, and so will you.
  • Failure gives us the chance to be rational about the mistakes that we have made and a chance to fix them which gives us the best satisfaction in sports.

"The arrow that hits the bull's-eye is the result of a hundred misses"

These affirmations will help you to use failure as a positive force for athletic improvement:

  • "Failures are lessons from which I learn and move ahead."
  • "I act, I don't react-I learn from my mistakes."
  • "Adversity leads to inner strength. I am a better athlete because of it."


Some other important things to know:

THE MOST IMPORTANT-Document all of your competitions in your journal. That way you can really internalize them so not to make the same mistake over and over. Write down the mistakes, realize it then let it go! Feed off the positive don't repeat the nega- tive.

There has no better satisfaction for me than persisting through the hard times and fully reaching my potential!

Hard times are like a huge thunderstorm-when the thunderstorm ends the grass and trees and flowers bloom and grow and become their best. When you get through the hard times you will grow and ski your best!

Ask yourself these questions:
  1. Is it a life or death situation for results every time I step into the gate?

    How I can fix this:
  2. Do I get down on myself after a competition and not let up on myself?

    How I can fix this:
  3. Do I have fun when I compete?

    How I can fix this:
  4. What do I feel like when I'm "in the zone"?

    NOTES: