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Steven W. Noles, Psy.D.
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PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
In
order to be successful at virtually any level
of competition, an athlete must be willing to accept responsibility for
his/her actions. Without responsibility, the athlete fails to learn
from
mistakes, learns only minimal information from the things performed
well,
and as a result fails to grow and mature in the chosen sport. In
the long
run, even the most promising of young athletes fail to obtain a
fraction
of their potential unless they genuinely accept responsibility for
their
own performance.
The athlete who
accepts responsibility truly is in
more control of his/her fate than the athlete who does not accept such
responsibility. The responsible athlete knows improved performance
does not just happen, it is not a product of fate or of luck, and
he/she
knows hoping will not lead to success. The responsible athlete does
not wait for the breaks to happen; he/she makes them happen or at least
does things which will increase the likelihood of the breaks falling
his/her
way. When we assume responsibility, we accept that life is a series of
choices. Given available information, we choose between
alternatives with
the full knowledge that sometimes things do not go our way. But when
this
happens, we see the situation as a learning experience. We profit from
the opportunity even though it was an unsuccessful and, indeed, an
unpleasant
one. In fact, it is likely we learn more from our failures than from
our
successes.
Whenever we are
making choices, be it on the playing
field or in real life situations, if we are willing to accept
responsibility
we feel in control of our lives. Ever feel out of control? Not a
pleasant
feel generally and usually not one we will want to repeat. Human beings
like to be in control; in fact we like being in control so much we
often try to control things outside of our
influence; we try to control things we cannot control. The truly mature
person (athlete) understands the distinction between what he/she
controls
and what he/she does not control and does not spend much time worrying
about the latter. If you are playing baseball on a day when the
temperature
is 100 degrees and the humidity it 95%, the thing to do it develop
strategies
for staying well-hydrated, for trying to cool off in the dug out when
possible,
and for expending as little energy when not actually in the game as
possible.
Does moaning and groaning about the weather help? Does it make the day
seem cooler? All moaning and groaning does is let it become
the focus of your attention. What athletes in such a situation have
to realize is that the winning team will probably be the team which
copes
most effectively with the weather.
The responsible
athlete is not threatened by circumstances,
such as the weather or attempts by the opposition to control
things. He/She
feels enthusiastic and optimistic since taking responsibility leads one
to think he/she controls his/her destiny. This leads to greater
preparation
because the outcome can be influenced; the outcome is not a matter
of chance, luck, or the "breaks". The athlete who assumes
responsibility
does not need or use excuses. The responsible athlete can hold
his/her
head high in times of defeat and does not turn to excuses. He/she does
not blame inanimate objects such as bats, gloves, balls, masks,
helmets,
shoes, or the track; he/she does not blame things outside his control
like
the temperature, the noise, the wind, or the sun. He/She does not blame
the officials, the referees, teammates, fans, or improper tactics by an
opponent.
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