Controlling the Controllables

stack of rocks balancing on the point of a sharp rock

Controlling the Controllables

Every season has wins and losses. Every game has mistakes. And whether you are working towards a long-term goal or just trying to play your best every game, it sometimes feels like nothing is going or way, that the losses outweigh the wins, and that every game has more mistakes than things going well. So when everything feels out of control, how can you still focus on your sport, life, and goals? The biggest thing is to focus on controlling what you can and letting go what you can’t.

What Can You Control?

There are four main things in your control: your actions, your attitude, your behavior, and your effort. You can take actions that help you in your sport, life, and towards your goals. Plus you can avoid actions that hinder you. You can also control your own attitude by taking notice when it is hindering your performance instead of helping. The same things go for your behavior and your effort; you decide how you are going to act and how much effort you are going to put into what you are doing.

Controlling Everything Isn’t Possible

On the flip side you cannot control anyone else’s actions, attitude, behavior, or effort. Yes, their actions, attitudes, behaviors, and effort may affect you but if you are focused on controlling theirs, you will have no control of your own and now you gave away your own power.

A tip to stay focused on yourself versus others is to check in with yourself throughout the day and see where your thoughts are: on you or others? If you are worried about what other people are doing and things out of your control rather than focusing on you and what you can do to make a difference, then take a moment and bring things back to you. Only you can change what you are doing, so focus on you!

Content Created by Kathryn Colby, M.Ed.

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