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Simple means manageable. Simple means controllable. Simple often means singular. But simple does not mean easy. Simple and easy are not synonyms in my book; the athlete's job should be simple, but it is never easy because approaching potential by doing my best is never easy. Communicating mind-to-muscle is challenging because an athlete's mind is capable of processing so many distracting thoughts simultaneously. Keeping it simple allows athletes to spend their energies in useful ways instead of spinning their wheels.
Control is a huge factor in keeping things simple and manageable. Know your job to do your job, and make sure you're defining your job in 100% controllable terms. Trying to control the uncontrollables (including winning!) leads to frustration, worry, and a lack of attention to the things that can be controlled. Rather than trying to win, try to give yourself and your team the best chance to win by doing What's Important Now. That's controllable. It's simpler. Example: what is a pitcher's job? It's to "Throw the ball aggressively through the target." That may take longer to say than "Get outs," but it's a simpler concept. It defines precisely what to do, regardless of how things outside of the pitcher?s control are going. Trying to get outs or control results leads to guessing about things outside of the athlete?s control and worries about irrelevant details, especially as soon as anything starts to go wrong.
Control is a huge factor in keeping things simple and manageable. Know your job to do your job, and make sure you're defining your job in 100% controllable terms. Trying to control the uncontrollables (including winning!) leads to frustration, worry, and a lack of attention to the things that can be controlled. Rather than trying to win, try to give yourself and your team the best chance to win by doing What's Important Now. That's controllable. It's simpler. Example: what is a pitcher's job? It's to "Throw the ball aggressively through the target." That may take longer to say than "Get outs," but it's a simpler concept. It defines precisely what to do, regardless of how things outside of the pitcher?s control are going. Trying to get outs or control results leads to guessing about things outside of the athlete?s control and worries about irrelevant details, especially as soon as anything starts to go wrong.
