The Mental Part of the Game
It was the beginning of my senior year at Northwestern. The year I finally had my break through. The year I finally felt real confidence out on the field.
Before my senior year, I struggled hitting. I hit a whopping .131 batting average. It was rough. I had lots of slumps, strike outs, and just disappointment. I would go up to my at bat and all I could think was... "If I don't get a hit, they're going to pull me." And just that happened over and over again. I would get through my first at bat and get pulled from the line up.
I had so much self doubt as an athlete. I was afraid I would never be the hitter I wanted to be. It went like that from my freshman to my junior year.
Then my last year came around. I knew I had limited time playing the sport I loved. The sport I grew up playing. The sport I was always "so good at". I knew I didn't want to feel like I did anymore. I was over the frustration. I was over the sadness. I was over the constant ups and downs. So, I made some new commitments to myself.
I committed to having as much fun as I possibly could. I committed to just doing my best and showing up as myself. And lastly, I committed to the process. Telling myself, "Whatever happens, happens." What this phrase meant to me was that no matter what the results or the outcomes were, I was going to keep showing up as myself. I was going to keep doing my best and having fun in my last year in cleats.
All of the sudden, things started to change. I started getting more hits. I started staying in the lineup. I even had a few grand slams! I ended up doubling my batting average my senior year. I tripled my at bats. Most importantly, I had so much fun playing. I loved the game again.
This was all because I shifted my mindset. I started to think about myself differently, the game differently, failure differently, and even success differently.
When you think differently and work on your mindset, the results fall right into place.
Paige Tonz
