You've probably heard the saying, "you've gotta want it". While that holds true, it is not effective unless that desire is backed by action. It is simply not enough to want something and expect to achieve it, without taking the necessary steps to get it.
There lies the gap between expectations and desire. For example, I should not realistically expect to jump 15 feet in a competition if I have never done it. While I may desire that, I should expect to jump 13'6' - 14' because that is what I do every practice and most consistently. I can desire higher results, but in order to achieve something we have never done before, we must get outside our comfort zone and do whatever it takes to get the results we want. We must desire the process just as bad as we desire the results.
I shifted my perspective to this thought process at my latest meet this weekend and it helped me perform the best I have all season, earning a season's best mark of 4.27m / 14' and took some good shots at a lifetime best of 4.42m/ 14'6". I am happy to have made progress in a meet situation, but not satisfied because I know I am capable of more.
Keeping the desire tank full was a great tool for me to continue to attack my comfort zone with every move in competition. It also prevented me from getting satisfied with progress early on. A personal weakness of mine is that I tend to give in just enough toward the end of practice or at a meet if I have done something well - enough to get complacent with my performance. It's as if I check the box and settle with, "okay, I achieved this today so that is good." Rather than saying, "anything less than my desired results is not enough. I will keep fighting with a full desire tank."
Ask yourself - is your desire tank full? If fear exists, that is okay. Trying new things can be
scary; however, as long as your desire tank is greater than your fear tank that is enough.
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