In sports, and in life, it’s tempting to fixate on the final score, the championship trophy, or the personal record you’re chasing. After all, that’s the goal, right?

But here’s the problem: when your attention lives in the result, your performance suffers in the moment.

Elite athletes know that winning consistently requires a shift in mindset away from obsessing over the outcome and toward committing to the process.

The Danger of Being Result-Focused

When you focus solely on the result:

• Pressure builds unnaturally high because every mistake feels like it’s costing you the win.

• You play tight instead of free, afraid to make errors, you stop taking the risks that lead to greatness.

• You lose control, results depend on many factors you can’t influence weather, referees, opponents, even luck.

As basketball legend Bill Russell once said:

When your identity and confidence are tied only to winning or numbers on a scoreboard, failure feels devastating instead of educational. That’s why many athletes spiral after losses, they don’t know how to measure success in any other way.

What It Means to Focus on the Process

Process focus is about zeroing in on the controllables:

• Your preparation

• Your mindset

• Your effort and energy

• Your execution of each play, rep, or shot

Tennis legend Serena Williams put it perfectly:

When Serena talks about “goals” here, she isn’t talking about the trophy at the end of the tournament, she’s talking about her daily practice habits, her tactical decisions in each match, and her emotional control under pressure.

Examples in Action

Stephen Curry – NBA’s Greatest Shooter
Curry isn’t thinking about how many points he needs for the scoring title when he’s on the floor. His focus is on mechanics, balance, follow-through, shot selection — one possession at a time. The result (often a win) takes care of itself because he trusts his process.

Michael Phelps – Olympic Champion
Phelps famously visualized and rehearsed every race in practice. On race day, he wasn’t thinking about the gold medal; he was locked into each stroke, each turn, each breath. That’s why he could execute perfectly, even when his goggles filled with water in the 2008 Olympics and still win gold.

Why the Process Leads to Better Results

When you focus on the process:

• You stay present in the moment.

• You reduce anxiety, because your attention is on things you can control.

• You improve consistency, because your performance habits become automatic.

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus said:

That’s a process-first mindset.

Takeaway for Athletes

It’s natural to want the win. But if you obsess over the scoreboard, you’ll often underperform. If you master the process, the scoreboard will usually take care of itself.

Process > Outcome. Always.

So, the next time you step onto the court, field, or track, ask yourself:

• Am I focused on winning the game… or winning this moment?

Great athletes win moments. Moments win games. Games build legacies.

Focus on the Process!

Coach Dave

Founder

www.coachdave.me

If you have any questions or want to learn more about working with me individually or as a team, schedule a Free Call here: https://calendly.com/coachdavecall/free-30-minute-strategy-session