What do you want?
Panu Kuhlberg // English, focus, goals
Leading by questions: “What do you want (in your sport)?” This is a simple, yet important question.
Don’t let the simplicity fool you, as many athletes could do better in this – at least in certain situations. Let’s see!
When asked “what do you want”, here’s an example what a golf player might give as an answer.
Before hitting the ball, the player thinks:
“I don’t want to hit it into the bunker” or just
“Not too much to the left”.
Please notice that by giving this kind of answer, the player doesn’t answer the question.
Instead of saying what they WANT, they said what they DON’T want.
Just look at the answer again to make sure. People might be mixing these two without noticing it – until they become conscious about this, just like you have now.
So, if you find yourself in a situation where you want to avoid something (like hitting into the bunker) or don’t want to feel (“I don’t want to feel so nervous“), try this: Ask yourself “what do I really WANT then at that moment?”
“I want it there! In the middle of the field!”
“I want to be super confident!”
As you do this, you have already started to lead your brain with this simple question. Your brain had a new thing to focus on it gave you a different direction, didn’t it?