Performance Anxiety
As England’s national football team prepares for their first ever Euros final today, a whole nation is holding its breath. We are finally on the cusp of much-anticipated glory. Their victory would be our dreams fulfilled. Our collective celebration. We are counting on them. But who do the players count on from the kick-off?
With a success rate of 0.012%, the chances of making it as a professional footballer are slimmer than getting into Harvard (4.7%) or landing a job at Google (0.2%). These odds are the same as being hit by a meteor. With these statistics, the expectation is that by the time that sportsmen become elite professionals they are masters of their fate. As spectators, we believe that they have conquered their fears and their frustrations. We want to be entertained by their expertise and amazed by their composure.
But the reality is that many top athletes under-perform when the stakes are at their highest. Their humanity supersedes their proficiency. Fear of failure is paralyzing: a footballer misses a winning penalty; a tennis player double-faults on match point; an opening batsman gets a golden duck; a young, rising tennis star suddenly cannot breathe. The real test is not whether we can avoid these failures but surely how we react to them. Graham Gooch became one of England’s all-time leading batsmen despite getting a pair of ducks on his Test debut. David Beckham’s career is not defined by missing a penalty in a losing shoot-out for England against Portugal. Emma Raducanu, this year’s Wimbledon’s darling, will no doubt return better and stronger in years to come. Winners always do.
Fear of failure is something that most of us—if not, all of us—can relate to. Anxiety is as physical as it is psychological. Our heart rate increases, we shake, we feel dizzy, our vision becomes blurred. The anticipation of disappointment and humiliation is a seductive catalyst for self-sabotage. Our bodies betray us in a misguided attempt to make us withdraw into solitary safety. Yet, we must not believe everything we feel. Feelings are not facts. The key is in understanding our reactions, shifting our faulty perception and focusing only on what we can control. We need to believe in preparation and progress, not perfection. With every failure and disappointment, there is an opportunity to develop strength, wisdom, resilience and perspective. We must stay present in the moment, not fear the imaginary monsters ahead. We must re-direct the energy trapped in our fears into exhilaration, focus, confidence and fun. As Albert Einstein said, “failure is success in progress.”