True or False: You don't need motivation?
Apr 15, 2022 11:06 am
Hello,
You probably think "Of course I need motivation!" and I guess that would be true. The challenge is we are often motivated to do two opposite things at once.
We are motivated to workout and to rest (conflict).
We are motivated to diet and eat chocolate chip cookies (conflict).
We are motivated to go to bed early and stay up and watch Netflix (conflict).
... or is it just me?!?
I have something better than motivation for you below on a recent interview with Success Stories member, Steve Project of the The Sports Project Radio Show.
Then I share some very recent research on well-being in elite swimmers and offer some encouragement about good questions to ask all our athletes so we can keep them mentally healthy.
Are you struggling with your mental health? I can help.
Happy Easter!
Dr Eddie
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TRUE! You don't need motivation!
Listen to the Sports Professor Steve Project and I discuss how motivation is great to empower you, but why you are in trouble if you need it! Learn why commitment is much more important – and how the critical role of preparation not only helps motivation, but helps overcome anxiety too.
I don't mean to imply that motivation is useless. External motivation can provide extra energy. But what happens when that outside influence disappears? Usually, your internal motivation takes a dip too. Motivation based on your values is much better. Identify what’s important to you for a greater motivation to carry you through adversity.
The interview ends with a great focus exercise called, “What’s My Job?” Listen for the four questions you need to answer before the big game to anchor your concentration and improve performance.
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Well-Being
While we may think well-being is easily observed or defined, a recent (February 2022) study found that well-being in elite swimmers varied greatly between individuals and is a highly subjective experience. For example, some swimmers valued social experiences while others felt emotional functioning to be more important to well being.
While “happiness” remains a good general indicator, it is 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 that matters.
Specific behaviors can reflect well-being in the athlete, but again these behaviors are high individualistic. A change in these behaviors may indicate a drop in well being. For example, for a swimmer that values social connections, increased isolation from teammates may indicate a problem. Monitoring these behaviors and following up on changes can promote mental and physical health.
A complicating factor is that these athletes were not all self-aware and relied on coaches, parents and peers for feedback to notice their own levels of well-being. The athletes rarely thought about well-being until it became a problem.
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
- Coaches and other support staff around the athlete should have conversations around life goals beyond swimming, and their progress in them, to facilitate well-being.
- Each athlete should identify a specific list of behaviors that are necessary for and demonstrate existence of well-being. This list will vary by athlete. Others are encouraged to follow-up with the athlete when changes in the behaviors are observed
These insights can proactively support well-being and invite interventions before significant problems arise.
* Uzzell, K. S., Knight, C. J., & Hill, D. M. (2022). Understanding and recognizing high-performance swimmers’ well-being. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 11(1), 12–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000284
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Dr. Eddie O’Connor
