How To Stop Obsessing Over Results as a Basketball Player

For many basketball players, the way they set and pursue goals might actually be holding them back. Yes, it might sound surprising, but bear with me.

Goal setting, in essence, isn't the issue here. The problem lies in becoming overly fixated on the outcomes.

Sure, it's natural to desire and care about results, but the world's top athletes are more focused on the process than on the outcomes. Achieving this mindset can be challenging, though.

I experienced this firsthand during the first part of my senior year as a college basketball player. I became consumed with scoring points and making sure I performed better than my previous season.

The more I fixated on results, the more elusive my goals seemed to become.

It was frustrating to invest so much effort and dedication, only to find myself struggling mentally during crucial moments, making forced plays, and not performing up to my potential.

Eventually, I realized that I needed to shift my focus away from the results and prioritize my mental approach to the game.

Identifying the root issue is what so many athletes fail to grasp, and what I too struggled to understand early in that season, is the difference between a symptom and the root problem.

The symptoms you might be experiencing could include:

• Overthinking

• Lack of confidence

• Performance anxiety

• Choking under pressure

• Fear of making mistakes

• Concerns about others' opinions

But the key to overcoming these symptoms lies in addressing the root problem: an obsession with results.

The Process vs. Results Paradox Breaking free from this mental barrier, also known as the Results Trap, can be challenging for several reasons.

Firstly, there's the prevalent use of traditional goal-setting methods, which perpetuate this trap.

Secondly, there's the Process vs. Results Paradox. By letting go of the outcomes and concentrating on the process, you can achieve greater results.

This presents a unique challenge: if you try to let go of results solely to achieve better outcomes, you haven't truly let go of them.

So, you need a different motivation to get you past the results focus.

Here are three steps to help you stop fixating on results and start enjoying the journey:

Step 1: Separate Your Goals from Your Why. Many people mistakenly believe that the primary reason they do something is to achieve their set goals.

While there's some truth to this, it can lead you into the results trap and doesn't tell the whole story.

Let me illustrate this with a fictional story called the "Flowerbed Story":

A group of twelve-year-old kids started playing touch football in an old lady's backyard. The yard had a flower bed serving as the touchdown zones on both sides.

The kids loved playing, especially jumping to catch the touchdown pass and landing in the soft flower beds. However, the old lady didn't approve and would yell at them to stop. Undeterred, the kids kept coming back.

She considered calling the cops, but they were only 12 years old. So, she came up with a plan and started paying them $5 each to play.

Initially, the boys were thrilled. Not only did they get to continue playing their beloved game, but they were also getting paid for it.

However, this excitement waned when the old lady started reducing their payment. It went from $5 to $2, then to $1, and eventually 25 cents, until one day the kids decided, "Forget this, we're not playing here anymore."

They had completely forgotten why they were playing in the first place.

Although not all athletes are paid to play, the allure of praise and results can distract them as they progress in their sport.

You can have goals and intentions to achieve specific outcomes, but don't confuse these with the reasons you began playing your sport in the first place.

Step 2: Intentionally Set Your Priorities. Now that you understand the distinction between your why and your goals, it's crucial to keep your why and your mindset as your top priorities.

Athletes can prioritize three main categories:

• Blue = Mindset

• Green = Skills

• Red = Results

When I ask most athletes which of these, they prioritize on game day, the order usually goes:

1. Results

2. Skills – to achieve the results.

3. Mindset – to be confident and execute the skills for results.

This reflects the Process vs. Results Paradox. As long as these priorities are in this order, the Mindset will suffer, and consequently, the results will suffer.

Therefore, the challenge for you is to consistently and intentionally place your mindset as your top priority.

Be prepared for the sports structure and the people around you to pull you back toward results as the top priority. You'll need to resist this pull intentionally. All the strategies we teach athletes can help, but one, in particular, is the personal scorecard.

When athletes grasp this concept and can consistently prioritize their mindset, they can truly begin to enjoy their journey.

This concept also applies to parents of athletes. Recently, a parent of an athlete called me to explain that he had made a significant shift in his mentality.

He had wanted his son to be more focused on the process and to have a stronger mental game so that his son could achieve greater results. This goal makes sense, but he, the parent, was still prioritizing the results.

While the goal and intention to achieve results remained, he finally shifted his focus to prioritize the experience for its own sake.

He started appreciating the time spent with his son on the way to and from events. He began to adopt a healthier perspective on a range of results and developed more patience in the face of adversity.

Most importantly, the entire sporting experience became less stressful for both him and his son due to this mental shift.

He was finally enjoying the journey as a parent.

Step 3: Learn to Enjoy the Journey One of the most common clichés in sports is "Have Fun."

However, many athletes are not having fun, mainly because they are still trapped in the results mindset.

When you're fixated on results, all the enjoyment is tied to achieving those results.

But the majority of the joy in sports should come from the journey, not just the destination.

This is why we say that the most significant benefit of mental training is not helping you achieve Consistent Elite Performance, but rather, helping you enjoy the journey.

Instead of viewing enjoyment as something that happens to you, see it as something you can actively learn to do.

Here are the four core concepts you need to develop:

Acceptance

This doesn't mean becoming indifferent and not caring about outcomes. Instead, it's about accepting the range of results so you can fully commit to the process.

Commitment

When paired with acceptance, commitment becomes a superpower. It allows you to let go of results while fully committing to the process, enabling you to be fully present and enjoy the journey.

Centered

The pursuit of high performance is filled with challenges and setbacks. It's crucial to stay grounded through the highs and lows, maintaining control over your emotions.

Enjoyment

This concept brings us back to the essence of this post. If you lose sight of your why and your love for the game, and if you stop enjoying the journey, everything else suffers. But when you learn to enjoy the game for its own sake, everything else falls into place.

Stay resilient,

Coach Dave

Founder Flow State Mentality

P.S. If you want to work with us in any capacity, there are 3 ways we can help you:

1 - TOGETHER with Coach Dave. www.flowstateathlete.com/contact
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