Introduction:
Hi I’m Max – A High Performance Coach.
If you’re an athlete – today’s reading could be very profound.
Your journey as an athlete isn’t just about physical skill or tactical strategy; it’s one of self discovery. You’re hyper competitive, striving, pushing yourself every day, and got your eyes on your next trophy. What if I was to tell you that your whole model for how you are viewing your journey has serious blind spots in it?
If you’re able to keep an open mind – today’s reading will allow you to re-shape your thinking which will unlock the next level of your development. Here’s the core insight for today: The most important—and counterintuitive—aspects of growth as an athlete is learning to stop obsessing over competition. Don’t click off this post, keep your mind open and follow along. Yes, I know this may sound strange, especially in a world that glorifies winning, but to truly become a better competitor, you need to shift the focus away from the idea of “beating others.”
In today’s reading, we will break down three paradigm-shifting insights that will fundamentally change the way you approach goal-setting, competition, and your athletic journey. A bit of a warning – today’s reading may require some growing up to do if you’re a young athlete. Really take time to ponder these insights.
1) Take Your Eyes Off Your Competitors—Start Competing with Yourself
It’s easy to get caught in the trap of comparing yourself to your “competitors”. Whether it’s your ranking, game-day performance, or even practice outcomes, we tend to measure success by how we stack up against others. But what happens when your entire motivation hinges on outperforming others? You lose focus on the one thing you can control—your own growth.
When you shift the focus inward and start competing against the “you of yesterday,” something powerful happens. You become more invested in your long-term progress and less distracted by short-term fluctuations in performance, allowing you to more effectively set goals and track results. Competitors come and go, wins and losses come and go, and the variables they bring are out of your control. But your personal growth is something you have complete command over. Each training session, each competition becomes about pushing past your own limits—not someone else’s.
Here I am reminded of Conor McGregor when preparing for his famous Jose Aldo fight was asked by an interviewer “are you ready for Jose Aldo?” to which he responded “There is no Jose Aldo, I’m at war with myself” – a perfect illustration of this point.
Ask yourself daily: Did I show up better than yesterday? Did I apply myself more fully today than last week? This internal measure of success builds consistency, mental resilience, and a growth mindset that ultimately leads to stronger outcomes, and the mitigation of pointless, counterproductive stress. By consistently improving, you’ll eventually surpass your external competitors as a byproduct of focusing on your most formidable opponent—your past self.
Quick tip: For those of you in team sports, or who train in cohorts, don’t get caught in the noise of what your fellow training partners think, this is a distraction. If you end up losing a drill or two but you are still better than last time, that’s a win.
2) Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome
Athletes are often trained to fixate on results. We’re trained to think that the outcome—the win, the ranking, the medal—is the sole indicator of success. If I won, it was a good game, if I lost, it wasn’t But here’s the problem: outcomes are uncontrollable. And every athlete hates to admit this. No matter how much you prepare, there are too many factors beyond your control that can influence the result of a match or competition.
This is why process-oriented thinking is crucial for long-term success. Focusing on the process means shifting your attention to the things you can control—your preparation, your attitude, your effort, and how you handle the pressure in the moment. Yeah, okay cool, I get it you want to win – here’s the key insight – what are the things that you need to focus on that will give you the win? In other words – THE PROCESS. The process is the foundation upon which successful outcomes are built.
Athletes who are overly focused on outcomes tend to get anxious, frustrated, and lose sight of what truly matters—progress. Focusing on the process creates consistency in effort, sharpens skills, and builds the confidence needed to deliver those ever desired victories.
3) Redefine Success
Winning or success has traditionally been defined as coming out on top—beating your opponent or ranking higher than your peers. But what if we shifted that definition? What if winning meant outdoing your former self every single time? This reframing isn’t about lowering your standards; it’s about elevating your focus to something more sustainable and fulfilling.
Athletes who define success only by the external result often become discouraged when they don’t achieve immediate victories. But when you redefine winning as the process of surpassing your personal bests—whether that’s in the gym, on the track, or in a competition—you create a path of continuous improvement. You might not always be able to control who crosses the finish line first, but you can always control whether or not you outperformed your last effort.
Here’s a key example of this mindset shift – if you’re an athlete who loses a race but beats their last personal time, this would count as success. Even if the medal you’re wearing is silver, the real race has been won, the race against yourself.
When you think about the best athletes in the world, they often talk about striving to improve day by day, incrementally. Their pursuit isn’t about chasing medals; it’s about becoming the best version of themselves. And ironically, by focusing on this internal pursuit, they end up on top more often than not.
Conclusion:
These shifts in mindset aren’t always easy for athletes to accept. You might be thinking, “But if I don’t focus on winning, how will I win?” The reality is, your death grip on winning and needing to win is the fundamental thing that is stopping you from winning, cruelly ironic isn’t it? Over-focusing on the outcome increases anxiety, which can hinder your performance when it matters most.
Think back to times you’ve experienced flow state during competition—the moments when everything clicked, and you performed effortlessly. These experiences didn’t happen because you were obsessing over winning; they came from being completely present in the moment, fully engaged in the process of performing at your best.
Ultimately, to achieve sustained excellence, you need to let go of outcome attachment and embrace a process-driven approach where improvement over your former self is the only true measure of victory.
If this resonates with you, reach out to me here.
Max. High Performance Coach.
