The 1 thing the greats hate more than anything else
There's one experience the greats dread more than any other.
One that makes them want to crawl into a dark place and not come out.
It's not losing.
It's plateauing.
And it's frustrating.
In fact, for the most competitive people, there may be nothing more frustrating than not getting better. It feels like everyone is passing you by, like you're never going to be able to get where you want. Like you'll never amount to anything close to what you thought you could be.
Being stuck sucks.
Then plateaus cause panic. They force you to look in the mirror, figure out what's not working, where you're stuck, what your limits are, and where you haven't spent enough time honing your craft. You search for solutions, but none come to mind easily.
This search for solutions regularly misses the most critical ingredient:
Mindset.
There’s always more you can be doing to train your mind. When you’re frustrated (the experience of being blocked from working toward your goal), the typical response is to try and do more of what you’ve been doing. To persist and push harder.
But the key to overcoming frustration isn’t volume, it’s variety.
Variety comes from trying new things - different tactics, training methods, or mindset skills - and seeing if they get you unstuck.
All of these boil down to having a flexible enough mindset to see alternatives, to be open to trying them, and willing to experience the discomfort that comes with experimentation.
Getting to the next level is about getting out of your own way and taking risks.
And that all hinges on having a strong enough mindset to push yourself off the traditional path and do something new.
If you're stuck, try this:
Pick a new tool or technique you want to try, and commit to doing it for just 10 minutes a day, 3x a week this week.
Ask someone for feedback about your performance. Outside coaching can help you unlock the next level.
Go back to basics. When you're stuck, going back to what you've mastered and fine-tuning can give you confidence and help you find the little improvements that can compound into big gains - potentially pushing you over the edge.