This article is a great read for everyone. It references a number of negative random events that happened in previous Olympic games. It reminds me of the expression used in and outside of sport, “control the controllables”. We develop performance routines to make things predictable and consistent. When random things happen, mental skills training help us regain focus on the one thing you can control: your performance.As athletes head into the Olympics, the psychological concepts of “ trusting in the process” as well as “mindfulness” become even more important to put things into perspective.
You may ask, “What is the more important concept to learn in performance psychology, controlling our behavior or accepting it?” My answer: both, staying focused on the present (acceptance and mindfulness), while controlling the variables that are within your control. As the decathlete, Ashton Eaton stated in the article “Anything you can’t control, you just say, “To hell with it, I can’t do anything about it.”
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