Become an expert on yourself

Seeing success in mental health and performance as an athlete requires becoming an expert on yourself. It is important in your journey as an athlete that you don’t assume that others have the answer for you. Many people in your life might tell you what they think is best for you or how they think you should handle a situation. Although it is often helpful to listen to feedback from people you trust, you must also have trust within yourself that ultimately you know yourself best and have the courage and autonomy to make your own decisions.

Ultimately, to become an expert on yourself you need to become more self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses, continuously track your progress towards your goals, and systematically reflect on your experiences to improve yourself. The late Greg Harden, mental health and performance coach for multiple high achieving athletes including Tom Brady and Michael Phelps, emphasized the need to “commit, improve, maintain” in order to see results that stick. He emphasized the first step of commitment to making the changes necessary to improving yourself. You cannot go halfway when it comes to trying to better yourself. You must be “all in” with respect to dedicating yourself to make these changes.