Know Thyself
Becoming Self-Aware
In my years of research and working with athletes, I have come to discover that self-awareness can be an athlete's biggest asset both on and off the field. In my PhD research, I discovered that students who did more moderate and vigorous physical activity tended to have better academic performance, which was mediated by their ability to self-regulate. In other words, practicing daily self-discipline in the exercise and sport realm seemed to help students apply similar effort and discipline in their studies.
A significant component of self-regulation is the ability to reflect on oneself and understand where you are in relation to your goals. For example, reflecting on an upcoming race, an athlete might assess their current physical fitness and make a determination that their fitness is not quite up to the level they need it to be in order to reach their goal. With this realization, the athlete will now apply a strategy to increase their fitness to get them closer to the fitness they believe they need to perform well at the race. Part of this awareness is an understanding of the goal but equally as important is an understanding of the self.
How does one gain awareness of oneself? As an athlete, you are already exposed to a variety of situations that allow you to know more about yourself. You face physical challenges daily, you meet different people on your team, you have a relationship with your coach and officials, you play by rules, you enjoy achievements, and feel defeats. You can see all the possible interactions between yourself and your environment that would give you opportunities to learn about yourself. To gain self-awareness, you observe and note your reactions in a variety of situations and come to predict how you may think, act, and feel in each one. You may discover you get quite nervous before a competition; that's valuable information about yourself. When you know about these nerves, you can implement strategies to cope well with the nerves and thrive in a nerve-inducing situation. If you know you feel energized by challenging situations, you can look forward to being pushed to your limit and get the most out of yourself when the stakes are high.
A great way to become more self-aware (and harness your awareness for success) is to journal about how you feel in a variety of situations. Similar to counseling, talking out or writing out your feelings helps you bring them out of the shadows to examine them more objectively. Your feelings are information and information is always useful. Knowing how your body and mind react in certain situations in sport will allow you to prepare to perform well under a variety of circumstances. Success and failure in sport bring with them host of learning opportunities that lead to one's growth as an athlete.
