LEARNING FROM A BAD RESULT

 Okay so your swim was not what you were expecting as you look towards the scoreboard.  Not the end of the world.  It also may not be the end of your meet, with more races ahead, so brush yourself off and let’s move forward.  Use this as an opportunity to grow, become stronger mentally and look towards your next opportunity to race.  Instead of making excuses or questioning your abilities, or your training when faced with a bad result, look for ways to learn, grow, and improve.

We may not be superheroes, although as little kids we may have dreamed about having superpowers to do anything.  The fact of the matter is this; each of you are a superhero in your unique way.  “You have the power to alter your perception; to see things how you want to see them and interpret out experiences any way you see fit.”

Do you understand what that mans?  It goes back to our discussion on self talk and the ability to change any negative thought or comment you have into a positive one.  Everything comes back to that.  If you

take a bad result and only dwell on the negative side you start becoming what you perceive and that is a negative swimmer.  One who swims with less confidence and effort and one who is not as happy.  This way of thinking will not only affect you swimming but tends to spill over into your daily lives.

On the other hand if you take that bad result and view in a positive way and look for things to differently or maybe change the next time out you can actually start to learn and grow from the experience and in doing so start repairing your confidence immediately.  Those bad results can actually be a good thing as they may point out a weakness that needs both yours and your coaches attention.  Instead of viewing a bad  result as a setback, view it more as an opportunity to grow both as a swimmer and a better version of your self that you can be proud of.

NEXT UP:  THE RACE