Break it Down or Get Broken Down
I’ve spent a lot of time discussing the Human Function Curve with top athletes, coaches, and leaders. There’s one common thing I hear when someone describes what it’s like living, leading, and performing “in the red.”
They describe it as “Overwhelming.”
Things feel overwhelming when the demands of a situation seem to exceed our perceived capacity to meet them.
One coach I work with said “The demands of the profession can be so taxing and debilitating, you can forget what normal even feels like.”
Life in the arena, with real stakes, real pressure, and limited, finite resources can be overwhelming.
What do we do when things feel overwhelming?
Well there’s our default which is to escape, numb, distance ourselves from the demands (even if the methods to distance ourselves are not healthy, or helpful to our true well-being).
Then there’s a trained response, not escaping, numbing or avoiding - but engaging the suffering intentionally.
I call this, “Training in the Intersection” of our inner life. Thoughtfully assessing our mental, emotional, and spiritual response and proactively choosing a response that promotes optimal performance, well-being, and personal growth.
Break It Down or Get Broken Down
As I work with performers and leaders who are overwhelmed we rely on a “task at hand” mindset. Everything comes back to the task at hand, and directing our attention (the direction in which energy flows) on the proper task at hand. Here are two things to consider when you feel overwhelmed.
1.) Acknowledge that it is not “weakness” to feel overwhelmed. What would it look like to create a nonjudgmental internal dialogue free of unhelpful self-criticism and labeling? When we make it a personal flaw to feel certain ways we actually hinder our ability to develop true resilience and true “mental toughness.”
You’re feeling what you’re feeling. Of course it is overwhelming. You knew coming into this that it would be demanding.
2.) What is the true task at hand, and how can you develop a system around staying locked in on what actually moves the needle?
The task at hand:
Is always in our control (if it’s not controllable, it rarely is the true task at hand).
When executed successfully and consistently, will meaningfully promote progress.
Is likely a more reduced version of your first description of the task at hand.
Break the big picture into small bite-sized actions. The crowd size, the demands, the pressure, the stakes if you fail, all combine to create a difficult to manage reality. Questions like, “Where do I start?” “What will they think?” “What happens if I fail?” muddy the water and leave us drifting with no plan. We have to break it down, or the situation will break us down.
What is the most basic function of what you do? How would you define the most basic elements to executing what you do? We have to become allergic to the “big meal.” Bite size only.
In baseball - we play the game one pitch at a time.
In football - it’s 4-6 seconds, play as hard as you can.
In golf - One shot at a time. Full commitment.
In basketball - One possession at a time. 30 seconds, 94 feet, full effort, full focus.
These aren’t just “coach speak” or amusing phrases. When they become a lifestyle around your craft, they can make all the difference between “in the zone” and “overwhelmed”
When the stakes get higher, the focus on the task at hand must become greater.
We’ve got to break things down, or we’ll get broken down.
Stay The Course,
