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As we prepare for Thanksgiving, athletes all over the US will be unknowingly practicing a powerful mental skill. This one mental skill often goes overlooked. In fact, most athletes don’t even consider it to be a mental skill, however, recent studies show that it has profound positive benefits that target multiple areas of the mental game. This one mental skill is called Gratitude.

When determining the underlying factors which lead to every athlete’s struggle there is a common mistake seen among much of the athlete community. This mistake if not understood early on may lead to an increase in poor performance by the athlete and in worse situations, complete burnout of the sport. As I write this article to you, I write this not out of judgement but out of compassion to help improve your role as an athlete, parent, coach, or caretaker. 

In sports as in life, people admire success. Often times success even becomes a measurement tool for one's overall self-worth in the world.

Unfortunately, this misinformed infatuation by society has lead to many athletes and individuals feeling unhappy and even as a failure when they fall short of reaching society's standard of success. More specifically, what I've encountered at SPMI is that the struggle of chasing success begins at a young age when the athlete starts gaining attention and recognition from his or her coaches, parents, team, and anyone around the sport.

One of the greatest mental battles athletes face is the ability to stay motivated and not give up when times get tough. Too often, athletes find themselves training less. One reason for this is due to a major shift in the athlete's perception of training and their goals.

This unproductive pattern looks something like this: 

SPMI Athlete Tom Lewis wins in dramatic fashion yesterday, winning both the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Championship by 5 strokes while finishing off with a score of -23 (68-66-66-65) In addition to winning the championship he also earned his first PGA Tour Card! Now Tom has both European and PGA status, allowing him to compete against the best golfers on the planet. Tom has been working hard with SPMI since early last year on his mental game and mostly trains via 1-on-1 mental training when traveling and face-to-face in person when in Miami, FL.

One of the most important habits that we work on with athletes at SPMI is developing success by compounding mental toughness. Many athletes get caught up in the comparison trap where they look to see what their peers are doing and then replicate their training approach to the sport. Now in rare cases one of their peers could be exceptional among their training habits to where replicating them is beneficial to reaching their full potential.

Wanting to know more is a normal part of human behavior and is also a defense mechanism of the brain. This is why many athletes find it so difficult to perform well under pressure. Especially, during those moments when athletes feel like there is something more to lose. But almost every athlete who struggles with pressure also practices this one bad mental habit that keeps them mentally trapped. This habit is wanting to know more.

Congratulations to SPMI athlete Tom Lewis who this past weekend dug deep after ending the first day at the British Open in 118th place. Tom was then able to work his way through, shot by shot, and hole by hole to finish tied in 11th place in golf's last major of the year! One important lesson for all athletes is that mental toughness isn't just about how well one performs under pressure. It is also about how well an athlete responds when the odds are against him.

During competition, the toughest competitor is most likely the one you see in the mirror, yourself! Many athletes start training with SPMI because they notice a big drop in level from practice to competition. These athletes are already performing at a high skill level but really struggle mentally when the game or competition is on the line. Oftentimes, the biggest mistake athletes make in key moments is they start to over-analyze. Many athletes will perceive a situation as more important.