Committing

During a recent talk to a triathlon club I was asked the question, "Why do you think some people under perform in races?", which is a great question...and a tough one to answer, especially being on the spot in front of an audience!!!

I pondered for a moment, thinking how to respond when there could a hundred reasons why an athlete might under perform - is it because there expectations were too high, they weren't fit enough, were tired, un-prepared or any of a multiple of factors. I was thinking aloud in rattling off some of the typical reasons people might give for an under performance, when the answer popped into my head. Perhaps, I said, it is because the athlete isn't really committed to what they are doing, not just at the race but their wider participation in the sport. It's a little confronting to suggest someone isn't committed, but it's not quite as harsh as it might sound. Let me explain.

Committing to a race begins back at the origins of participation in the sport, and is akin to your core motivation for getting involved in the first place. Whatever your reason for starting out, committing to it and the process involved is the key to getting the most from your participation, whether that is to just get fit and finish an event or to secure a podium placing. Committing means that you're owning the task and effort involved in reaching your goal, and your degree of commitment reflects how important the end goal is to you. That is, committing to something is not all-or-nothing - there are shades of commitment which subsequently colour your life in black or white...or shades of grey.

For example, you might have a motivating goal of having a perfect race; your perfect race. So your commitment would be to doing the necessary things in training and preparation which would lead to the possibility of a perfect race, where the race provides the means to measure how close you are to your idea of perfection, and what further work is required. You may chose to have a high level of commitment, which will inevitably be reflected in many aspects of your life, but this would rarely be the same as anyone else's, because we are all different and commit to things at different levels.

Committing can come in all different shapes and sizes, and relate to any range of things. The common element is the effect it has on your decisions and actions as you shape your life around meeting the commitment you've made, to whatever extent you choose. Committing to something without action is just an empty thought; a whim.

Suffice to say, the more strongly you commit to a goal, the more it becomes part of your identity, motivation, actions and daily routine. Subsequently you will have a greater chance of achieving the goal, and in the case of the question I was asked, reduce the likelihood of under performing in a races.

Committing to something should be empowering, at whatever level of commitment feels most comfortable. Committing is a signal to yourself that you want to pursue whatever your goal is, and if the goal is worth it then committing to it should be easy.