4 Ways to make sure you have a Bad Day

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Nobody wakes up in the morning and decide to have a bad day. Those just happen. Of course very few people wake up in the morning and decide to do everything possible to have a good day. Do you choose to have a great race? Or does a great race choose you on the day? Erratic performers believe the latter. Champions choose the former.

This month I’ll tackle our mental performance session from a slightly different angle. I want to share with you four things that people do to guarantee a bad day. Why four things for a bad day and not some tips for a good day you ask? Simply because there are a myriad of things you can do to have a great day. Avoiding the following four will rank at the top of the list.

I call these The Four C’s. They form the cornerstones (geddit?) of great performance. Poor performers engage in these and they become disempowering. When things go well, who gets the credit? When things go badly, who gets the blame? If you’re like most people, everyone gets the blame for the latter. Everyone from competitors, coaches, event organizers, equipment – even the weather!

The first C is to Criticise. Poor performers make it a point to criticize. They target everything around them, people, equipment. Criticism is disempowering because, quite frankly, you are projecting your short-comings on your surroundings. You focus on the negative, and we’ve regularly said that you get what you focus on! Criticism of course goes further. People also blame their equipment. Nic Bester, SA Ultra Triathlon Champ and Comrades winner completed an Canoe ultra in a jolly-boat, a delivery bike and ran the 32km (in those days) in “slops”. He did it to prove that you don’t need top equipment to perform well.

Secondly, losers Condemn. By condemning others, their needs and their performance we empower them through focus. How many times have we not seen a national sports team struggle against the “minnows”? A few years ago I heard someone condemn others after an Ironman race. “The race was so tough. I suffered and people who are far below me beat me” were his words. Guess what – if they were inferior to him how did they manage to beat him? Where have you ever heard an athlete condemn his competitors in an interview? The truth is that our competitors drive us forward. They are the ones who push our performance ever higher. They are the ones who serve as inspiration and push us into the red zone.

No day, no training session, no race will ever be the same. That’s why the third “C” is to Compare. In the “old”days, we trained by getting on our bikes and riding. When we wanted, where we wanted and at the pace we wanted. We knew that some days we felt great, and other days we suffered holding the wheel of our usual training partners. We compared our training effect to the way we felt the previous day. We compared ourselves against each other. Today successful athletes don’t compare people. They compare data from their heart rate monitors and the power meters. Poor performers compare against fluctuations. The only time comparing is healthy is when compare with a constant. Don’t get hung up on times, average speeds and people.

Finally, if you want to have a bad day, look for something to Complain about. Race organizers can attest to this. There’s always one. If you are a negative person (you probably won’t be reading this) you will always look for something to complain about. I coached an athlete like that once. She always complained about something. Even on a perfect day, after a great victory, she’d find something she wasn’t happy about. When she got a sponsorship she complained about it. Athletes who complain can’t get over themselves. They feel that they have to make up for an inner weakness, the feel that they have to hide their own lack mentality from others. Therefore they shift the focus onto other people, the route, the weather – whatever – by complaining.

If you can avoid these four “C’s” you’ll be well on your way to enjoying your sport more. Greater enjoyment leads to better focus, to superior dedication, and dedication leads to discipline which translates into results. Once you avoid the C’s, start applying the 4 D’s, bit more about that next time.

About the author: Erik Vermeulen recites the alphabet while ticking off the miles before his next event. In the meantime, he is a mind coach and performance consultant to athletes and corporations.

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