RESET

“Athletes who can press the reset button after bad plays, games and beyond are, by far, the most successful performers on the field, and in life.”

I was out to dinner with my friend Lisa and her husband when she told me a story about her daughter’s college recruitment, which immediately piqued my interest. First a little backstory, Lisa’s daughter was a standout high school athlete and was recruited by top colleges in her sport when she was only a freshman. Yeah, that  kind of standout athlete…

With so much regard, the college coaches were making their best pitch on how their school’s athletic program was the right one for Lisa’s daughter. Being in this unique position allowed Lisa to reverse the tables a bit and interview the coaches. See, Lisa runs her own executive coaching company, and she’s endlessly curious about performance. So she asked: what precisely were the coaches looking for when they recruited players?

All the coaches responded with their take on what makes an athlete a success at their particular program, but what Lisa was looking for was the common denominator beyond the usual responses of “good technical skills” or “the ability to be coached” or “a good athlete.” Was there one dynamic that all the coaches would cite that could be an X-Factor for separating good players from great ones? It turns out there was…

For the high-powered, business executives that Lisa coaches, she calls this the ability to “Reset.” Fact is, top performers in every sport have this same talent. But what exactly does being able to reset mean?

Before I had this conversation with Lisa, I used to tell my players after a bad play or missed goal scoring chance, “forget it, put it in your rear view mirror,” meaning you must move on, and not dwell on it for even a second. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve seen a player shank a shot and then immediately start beating themselves up. Hands in the air, fists clenching hair, calling themselves an “idiot,” and so on…all this energy expended wallowing when the ball is still in play. Often, if they would have just instantly forgotten about it and refocused, they probably would have had another opportunity to make an impact. But no, they rather kick themselves over and over in an Oscar-winning performance of “Woe Is Me!”

Instead, reset.

Making a mistake in soccer is like squeezing too much toothpaste out of the tube. After the toothpaste it out, you’re never going to get it back into the tube. So stop wasting your time trying. Instantly move on and start focusing on what you can actually do to make a difference on the field. And don’t get so hung up on making a mistake, professionals do it all the time, and they’re getting paid the Big Bucks.

In order to facilitate not dwelling on an error, come up with something that instantly clears your mind and allows you to move forward. I like Lisa’s word, Reset, but some players come up with their own phrases like “respawn” – “reboot” – “move on.” Whichever you choose, just keep it short and simple.

Remember, it’s this resilience that will fortify your mental toughness and never allow your play to dip. Athletes who can press the reset button after bad plays, quarters, games and beyond are, by far, the most successful performers on the field…and in life.