Barking Dogs and Softball

At this very moment I am suffering through about two consecutive hours of a neighbor's barking dog. I have a ton of work to accomplish today yet this dog is taking me off my game in a big way! The dog has gotten in my head and it has been impossible to keep the present moment awareness I so desperately need today!

Why do such little and inconsequential things affect us so badly sometimes? Not only has the dog taken away my focus from the tasks at hand but I'm finding it hard to let go of my frustration caused by the dog.

As I write about how essential it is for an athlete to let go of the things she has no control over I know this is true, but at this moment I recognize how hard that can be to execute! It is so easy for negative thoughts to take hold and the downward mental spiral to commence. And it is normally the smallest of things that can set us off, isn't it?

For adults, and your athlete, it all starts with mostly a rigid set of expectations. Like today my rigid set of expectations were that I would be able to record numerous audio lessons critical to launching The Game Changer Program in four days! However, with the dog's intrusion into my best made plans I now need to adopt a mentality of flexibility.

Just the same your athlete needs to allow for the flexibility of "Plan B" to take over when unforeseen circumstances take her off her game. Something as little as not being able to find her cleats as you are rushing out the door for the game, making her late, can set her (or you) off.

One's mental state can be a fragile thing leading to all kinds of negative thoughts which can emotionally and physically drain the body of both focus and energy.

Today I must push through the sound of my neighbor's dog and get my tasks completed while doing my best to come back to the present moment awareness I need. The next time your athlete is distracted by the "barking dog" remind her to employ more flexibility in how her game and her day unfolds!

P.S. -- If you hear barking in the background of any of my audio lessons you'll know why!

Learn more about why physical training simply isn't enough to make her the very best she can be at Winner's Edge Softball.

Learn more about all of our cutting edge original information products like How She Thinks is How She Plays, The Game Changer: A Mental Skills Blueprint to Make Her the Best She Can Be, The Secret Weapon Audio Collection 1, and 21 Killer Fastpitch Softball Winning Strategies and our new Mental Skills Tele-Classes coming in late October.

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