Remember a match you are particularly proud of. You played masterfully, everything was going your way. Can you recall how you felt after that match? Our assumption is that you left the field with your head held high and a smile from ear to ear. In your head, you were thinking about how good you are, and you were overcome by a sense of pride, achievement, and satisfaction with yourself as an athlete. Your teammates congratulated you, praised you for being responsible for the victory, and everyone had only positive comments about your performance. As a consequence of all this, your attitude was winning and positive in every aspect. Now think about how often you have that kind of attitude after matches.
Positive attitude – but what about when things don’t go your way?
When everything goes right, maintaining such an attitude isn’t difficult. But what happens when you make a number of mistakes during a game? When nobody praises you, and some might even blame you for the loss? Is it easy to maintain a positive attitude in that situation as well? We believe that in a situation like this, a positive attitude very rarely comes to light. Your attitude is your choice! You choose how you will feel and behave at every practice, every match, and even every minute of every day. What happens in a match is influenced by a great many factors. BUT, your thoughts, feelings, and behavior are completely under your control. And that is regardless of what position you play, how old you are, or your level of professionalism. Remember, your attitude is a matter of choice.
What kind of attitude do your sports idols choose?
We can learn a lot about a positive attitude from professional athletes as well. Take Luka Modrić as an example. We could say that Luka does not exactly have an enviable physical build and that he is quite short. From an early age, he could have entered the football world with this mindset: “I am small, and I can’t do anything against players who are physically stronger than me.” However, Luka decided that his attitude would be positive, and that he would invest a lot of work and effort into himself and his football skills. His thinking was different: “I might be smaller, but I will use that and work on my speed and technique. With my football knowledge, I will manage to beat players bigger than myself.” Luka did not see his smaller build as a disadvantage, but as an advantage. Even when he succeeded as a footballer and moved to Real Madrid, many believed that he was not good enough and would not succeed there. And what happened then? Luka maintained his attitude, worked even harder and longer, and became one of the best footballers and the backbone of Real Madrid’s play.
Do sports stars have a magic wand against negative thoughts?
Most of you might say that Luka is one in a million who succeeded and that a positive attitude is not always easy to have. True! We completely agree. It is hard to maintain a positive attitude, especially after a poor performance when criticisms come from all sides, and we are often our own worst critics. Everyone understands that it is practically impossible to play a perfect game without a single mistake. We are also aware that it is very difficult to look at things positively if that mistake directly contributed to your team’s defeat. Of course, it is important to be realistic and learn from mistakes, but what is also necessary is to try to think differently about failure and defeat. Mistakes show us that we are trying, taking risks, and attempting new things. “He who works, makes mistakes,” says the old proverb. Therefore, do not be afraid of work and mistakes, learn from them, and always put in a bit more effort than last time.
What does a positive sports attitude consist of?
React positively to mistakes, and keep your head up even after difficult matches. Guide yourself by the example of your idols and never stop working on yourself. We will repeat it once more: a positive attitude is uniquely YOUR CHOICE! No one can forbid or take away your engagement at practice and in matches; how hard you fight depends only on you. The belief that you can is a choice you make yourself. Commitment to what you love is solely your own affair, and you determine how deeply you will immerse yourself in it. Thoughts and emotions, as random and sometimes limiting as they may seem, are still yours alone. If you are already choosing all of this, choose what helps you, because you are not a foosball table or a pinball machine, but athletes who govern themselves. After all, what is an athlete without a touch of positive madness?
