Competitive Pressure & Attributes of Success

Competition, at its best, triggers us to excel and realize our human potential and can be the driving force behind our desire to succeed. When we are intrinsically motivated we love what we do for the simple sake of loving it. Intrinsic motivation improves focus on the task at hand, of achieving personal excellence and an ability to thrive on competition.

Competitive pressure can knock us off our intrinsic motivation and make us self-centered, judgmental, envious and negative in our rivalries. These emotional states move us away from an attitude of wanting to, toward a disposition of having to succeed and feel a sense extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation causes us to feel more distracted and focused on or affected by competitive conditions and outcomes instead of our love of the game and sense of presence in the moment.

Competitive pressure, through the eyes of extrinsic motivation, can cause tension, or stress, interfere with focus, and limit our ability to anticipate and read the field of play.

“We create most of the pressure in life with our perceptions and perspective. If we have a rational personal perspective, pressure can be defused and put in its place” – Cal Botteril

By developing our ability to think rationally in the face of competition, we can remain intrinsically motivated. Perfection is not the goal. Excellence and a focus on the details of performance, what we can control, is the frame of mind that directs our ability development. Exercising self-acceptance and joy in your identity builds resilience to competitive pressure, humility and respect of others.

Matt Brown and the 3 Key components of effective perspective in sport and being the best performer:

1. Know Who You Are - Strong self-acceptance, which is different than self-esteem.

2. Know Where Your Support Comes From - Significant and meaningful relationships with unconditional, supportive people who support you in your goal.

3. They Know How They Want To Live and Compete – Development of individual characteristics of humility, gratitude and strong personal values and attitudes.

Cooperation & Competition

“Life is a team game, and the skills of cooperation and collaboration play a big role in realizing one’s potential. Rather than being polar opposites, competition and cooperation involved complementary skills and values. An appreciation of both is part of a healthy perspective on sport and life” – Cal Botteril

Charles Garfield, a performance expert, identified 6 attributes, related to cooperation and competition of elite level athletes and their ability to manage and maneuver through the issues of competition and cooperation in sport:

1. A sense of mission, fulfilling your destiny: Motivation for people with a sense of purpose is natural because they enjoy what they do and believe it is important.

2. A tremendous work ethic: Being action orientated, driven by a love for what they do and understanding that excellence require persistence.

3. Use of resources: Understanding it is necessary to invest in your healthy, development and recovery, which optimizes your potential and the potential of others.

4. A strong “preparation ethic”: Superior preparation enables top performers to appreciate the big picture and be much more creative, open, and focused under pressure.

5. A love of challenge and change: Looking forward to, and enjoying the challenge and being excited about the process of succeeding rather than fearing failure.

6. Great “team people”: Work and relate well with others. Top performers are a blend of cooperation and competition. By developing these attributes an individual is more likely to have perspective and the skills to enjoy health, happiness and high performance.

As Sports, Exercise and Performance Psychology Coaches we can help you develop these types of characteristics by supporting you as you work toward your personal goals of excellence. By creating an atmosphere of learning and enjoyment in the steps to be taken throughout the process. With applied mental skills training, it is possible to love what you do, succeed and thrive in life.

Create.Believe.Achieve.

*Information in this article is adapted from Chapter 3: Competitive Drive: Embracing Positive Rivalries by Cal Botteril in “The Sport Psych Handbook” edited by Shane Murphy. 2005 by Human Kinetics.