How often do circumstances play out in our favor?

Everyone has an ideal way of how they’d like situations to go, whether it’s during sport or in daily life. Of course, the blue ribbon, the trophy, the medal, and the win are desired by all competitors during a competition, but there can only be one winner. Nobody wants to make mistakes or fail in any way, but the downs in performance and in life are inevitable. Since circumstances won’t always work in our favor, it’s natural to feel disappointed when we don’t feel as if our performance was successful. No matter what happens, good or bad, our response to these events is the most important aspect.

Some days we feel so “on”, while other days we feel completely “off”. Sometimes performance flows effortlessly, and other times it seems as if we completely forget how to move and play the sport at all. There are some factors in our direct control that can be prevented, but there are numerous factors outside of our control that just tend to happen at times. Sometimes the opposing team gains a large lead on the scoreboard, other times our horse trips during a medal final. Whether the circumstances could have been prevented or not, the responses to them is what really matters in the end. What’s happened has happened; it’s done and over. Time machines haven’t been invented, and nothing can be done to take it back. So, now what? There is a choice to be made here: ruminate on it or learn and grow from it. Are you going to let the negative event bother you, or will it push you to come back stronger? This choice of response is crucial and leaves a large impact on our mentality. Performance will either flourish or significantly decrease, depending upon how the negative event is both perceived and responded to. It can be very upsetting and disheartening to lose an important game, but that doesn’t mean that all is lost. Failures can be valuable learning opportunities, and it’s more than possible to successfully bounce back from them. We’re allowed to feel negatively towards circumstances that do not favor us, but our responses to these events are in our direct control. Leave the past in the past and focus on what needs to be done next. Turn the negative experience into a productive one, and see how much you learn and grow from it.

Remember to learn from the past and focus on what is in your control now. How you respond to the varying circumstances is something that you can learn to control. Later on, setbacks won’t negatively affect you as much as they used to. You’ll be able to bounce back faster and reach your goals with much less frustration from the inevitable setbacks that occur. You may even begin to see mistakes in a positive light, learning what not to do and how to become a better athlete in the end. Negative events are naturally perceived in a negative light, but we have control over how we respond to these various negative events. We don’t have to be overtaken by the flood of negative thoughts and feelings surrounding an unfortunate event. These initial feelings can be challenged and transformed into helpful information for an optimal performance. Productivity lies in learning from failures rather than believing that we are one. The hard times will happen, and they can be dealt with in an effective manner. 

Take some time to think about your reactions to circumstances that are not working in your favor. Maybe your typically fresh horse comes out tired and lazy on the day of the international hunter derby. Maybe you missed a couple of distances in the warmup ring. Just because performance may seem to be headed in a negative direction doesn’t mean that it has to go that way. Remember that you have control over your responses to these different events and circumstances, and you can use that power to your advantage. If you are curious to explore this topic on a deeper level, please reach out!