Motivational Diseases
“Diseases of the mind impair the bodily
powers.” – Ovid
Much like a medical doctor diagnoses
medical problems by understanding the
symptoms in order to find a cure for the
causes, we can understand the symptoms
of motivation problems. Rather than
addressing the symptoms, understand and
address the causes.
No control of the situation, nothing you do
will make a difference, desire to just give up.
(Experiment with dogs)
◦ Symptoms: Low intensity Low effort
Sees the other team as always getting the breaks;
lucky
Attributes losing to the other team’s luck
Attributes losing to the other team’s unfair skill Gives up easily
Expects loss
No control of the situation, nothing you do will make a
difference, desire to just give up.
Causes:
◦ Losing often no matter what you do
◦ Always playing against unfair opponents
◦ Lack of maturity
Cure: get a taste of success
◦ Redefine success – success is self-improvement
◦ Chart performance and measure against yourself or your own past performance
◦ Develop short term goals and see success in these smaller goals
◦ Create/find success in daily practice
◦ Believe you have “earned” success
Most common. This is when you have an
obsessive preoccupation with what you
perceive as the consequences of losing.
The idea of not winning and losing creates
anxiety. Your identity is wrapped up in being
an athlete, so your performance is who you
are. Winning and losing defines you as a
person.
Symptoms:
◦ Excuses. Before, during and after performance
◦ Preoccupied with what others think
◦ Preoccupied with opponents rank or reputation
◦ Indecisive about skills and strategies
◦ Feelings of non-control
◦ Psychosomatic injuries (mentally creating physical injury)
◦ Performance anxiety
◦ Stress caused illnesses
Causes:
◦ All motivation is extrinsic
◦ Experience conditional love (perceived or real) from family and friends
◦ Fear of being unworthy
◦ Coaches or parents using inappropriate rewards
◦ Identity is based on the sport
◦ Never experienced failure before
◦ Fear of being “ordinary” while possessing extraordinary potential
◦ Perfectionism – failure tells the world that you are lazy or lack the discipline to be successful
Cures:
◦ Unwrap your identity from your performance
Recognize what or how coaches communicate after a win or loss
Your performance is separate from you as an individual
You are still you, you as an individual have value and worth regardless of winning or losing
◦ Learn from losing
You can learn your weaknesses, now you know what to work on
You can learn patience; most things truly worthwhile are going to take time and effort. No immediate gratification
You can learn persistence; you are able to find daily success and come back at it again and again
Learn from mistakes; mistakes are good if they are used to make good changes
◦ Goal setting
Learn to make good goals that focus more on the process, less on the performance
May seem strange that someone is afraid to
succeed. You are preoccupied with the
negative aspects of winning. Really not
comfortable competing.
Symptoms:
◦ Avoids competition
◦ Lets up during competition
◦ Small comfort zone
Uncomfortable with success
Happy with being mediocre (good where they are) Comfortable not being #1
Mental barrier – cannot see yourself as #1
Causes:
◦ Unrealistic expectations – from yourself or from others
◦ Afraid of the pressure of being #1
◦ Afraid of the responsibility of being #1 or being the role model
◦ Afraid of friends being jealous or envious; losing friends if you are too successful
Cures
◦ Stick with your personal goals, not based on other’s expectations
◦ Anticipate and prepare to be #1
◦ Expand your comfort zone; Imagine being #1; Visualize what that will be like
◦ Play your own game; play to your expectations, not someone else’s
◦ Remove your “identity” from your success. You are still you whether you win or lose
So obsessed with perfection that it is the
only acceptable outcome. There is only this
one option, anything else is failure.
Symptoms:
◦ Never satisfied
◦ Over training
◦ Burnout
◦ You feel guilty if you rest or if you feel happy about where you are
Causes:
◦ Identity is directly tied to performance
◦ Environment; those most closely associated with you are never satisfied (sometimes perceived this way, not
reality)
◦ Nothing is ever good enough. This is irrational achievement orientation.
Cures:
◦ Recognize positive results of rest and relaxation
◦ Take the time to enjoy the success
◦ Focus on the process, not the outcome. “Enjoy the journey”
You have greater potential than what you are
currently achieving. This is usually when you
are a naturally gifted athlete, but you put in
minimal effort to use those gifts. Never really
had to put much effort into success.
Symptoms:
◦ No work ethic; lazy
◦ No pride from accomplished goals (probably no meaningful goals anyway)
◦ Living in the past; failing to look to the future
◦ Not prepared to compete at a higher level
Causes:
◦ Naturally gifted and talented
◦ Had success without hard work
◦ Athletically mature early
◦ Possesses athletic abilities you didn’t have to work for
Cures:
◦ Verbal commitment from yourself to make a change
◦ Learning to understand that effort = success (success does NOT = effort)
◦ Set goals. Challenging goals that are measurable, and not dependent on “winning”
◦ Compete against yourself, not others
◦ Become more team focused; your purpose is to make the team better
