Dealing With Adversity

Athletic careers are full of adversity. Full of ups and downs. You’re going to get cut from teams, you’re going to have bad games, you’re going to lose at big competitions, and you’re going to get hurt sometimes. A major key to success in your career is learning how to deal with that.

The most important thing to realize at any time is that YOU have control. Instead of thinking about what other people could have or should have done differently, dig deeper into you. What could you have changed? What could you have done better? What will you do better next time? Sometimes it is too easy to look at the external factors and feel better about yourself. “ I played great, but if **Insert Name** had only done their part, our team would have stood a chance.” Or the classic… blame the ref for a bad call. Sometimes those factors are there and relevant, but the key is being able to look at yourself anyways.

As soon as you can look away from the external factors and focus on what you can control… you’re winning. Pissed about a tough loss, or a bad call a ref made? Make sure that next time you come back so f***ing good that you have the power to reverse the outcome. Honestly, it feels freeing to me when I am able to stop looking at external factors, or blaming other people and put it all on me. If I am not happy about the way something turns out, and I find something that I can fix to change the outcome, all of a sudden I feel in control. I know that there is something I can do to create a more positive outcome next time.

By the way, this is MUCH easier said than done. We love to look at the negative. We love to find the scapegoat to make ourselves feel better. It is something that even as I write about, I can think of countless times I blamed other people, or made an excuse for something that I could have fixed by myself. It is a constantly evolving mindset, so don’t worry if you find yourself slip every so often. However, if you can be aware of it when you do and fix it… You are setting yourself up for success. An athletic career is loaded with pressure. Media, high stakes performances, training, contracts, etc etc etc. The earlier you can learn to be accountable to yourself, the easier it will be to deal with those pressures when they come.

As always, I would LOVE to hear your opinions on what I have written. When I put these up, I want to start thoughts and start conversations. Do you agree with what I have to say? Disagree? Why? Shoot me an e-mail kenny@coachdusseault.com , or DM me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Linked In with your thoughts!

Thank you for taking the time to read, looking forward to hearing from you!