{"id":15822,"date":"2023-10-05T06:56:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=15822"},"modified":"2025-06-03T08:11:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T12:11:32","slug":"defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining Athletic Success on Your Terms\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/athletic-success.jpg\" alt=\"Defining Athletic Success on Your Terms\" class=\"wp-image-15823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/athletic-success.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/athletic-success-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_To_Define_Your_Athletic_Success\"><\/span>How To Define Your Athletic Success <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/#How_To_Define_Your_Athletic_Success\" >How To Define Your Athletic Success<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/#Goals_are_only_effective_and_motivating_when_the_goal_is_yours\" >Goals are only effective and motivating when the goal is yours.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/#The_Composed_Athlete\" >The Composed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Often, athletes allow other people (with good intentions) to define <strong>success<\/strong> for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, your parents may see success as earning a college scholarship, becoming a starter, or competing for a highly competitive team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, your coach may see <strong>success<\/strong> as you achieving a national cut, having a top ranking, winning tournaments, or having league-leading statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These success parameters may be positive, viable targets, but if you haven&#8217;t consciously chosen them as your goals, those targets will create distraction and anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you compete to meet the <strong>success<\/strong> expectations of others, you will often create complications for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trying to meet the high expectations of others creates immense, overwhelming pressure that can lead to burnout, injuries, underperformance, low confidence, and mental health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think for a moment about how much parental pressure affects an athlete&#8217;s performance and experience in sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some parents want their children to earn an athletic scholarship to a D-I college. When the &#8220;DI&#8221; goal is repeatedly mentioned, you will feel increased pressure to perform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To worsen matters, you will feel you must be perfect to achieve such a high standard. Every time you fall short, you will feel you are letting down your parents. The pressure starts to wear you down, and the once fun and exciting sport eventually seems like a chore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Goals_are_only_effective_and_motivating_when_the_goal_is_yours\"><\/span>Goals are only effective and motivating when the<strong> <\/strong>goal is yours<strong>.<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to see how excessive expectations affect an athlete both inside and outside of sport, look no further than the career of gymnast Simone Biles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles started competing on the U.S. National Team in her early teens. Biles is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the sport&#8217;s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, with success comes higher expectations and increased pressure to win. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles withdrew from many events because she felt the &#8216;weight of the world&#8217; on her shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon afterward, Biles took a hiatus from the sport to prioritize her mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, Biles announced she was returning to competition at the U.S. Classic. Since her return to gymnastics, Biles has a new personal definition of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BILES<\/strong>:\u00a0<em>&#8220;I think what success means to me is a little bit different than before because before, every one defined success for me, even if I had my own narrative that I wanted. So, now, it&#8217;s just showing up, being in a good head place, having fun out there, and whatever happens, happens.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Success should be <strong>personal<\/strong>. Sometimes, it is challenging to disregard the expectations of others. However, you should prioritize your needs and mental health, and that starts with identifying your desires and goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start by assessing why you compete. What do you enjoy about sports that keeps you coming back to practice every day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, think about what success means to you. Summarize your success definition in 1-2 sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, set 1-2 long-term goals aligning with your definition of success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the athletic season, read your success definition to stay focused on your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/a-mindset-for-success\/\">A Mindset for Success<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-pros-use-visualization-to-improve-success\/\">How to Pros Use Visualization to Improve Success<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/focused-training-and-mindset-equals-success\/\">Focused Training and Mindset Equals Success<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Composed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Composed Athlete<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/composed-athlete-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Composed Athlete Workbook &amp; Audio\" class=\"wp-image-19327\" style=\"width:169px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Composed Athlete\u201d is presented on<strong> 80-minute Audio Programs<\/strong> with a <strong>70-page step-by-step workbook<\/strong> that guides you through the program each day. It\u2019s a complete system for conditioning your mind to have <strong>maximum composure in competitio<\/strong>n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<strong>The Composed Athlete<\/strong>\u201d was developed for <strong>any level coach, parent, or junior to professional athlete<\/strong> who wants to improve performance and gain a competitive edge. It does not matter if you are a fledgling junior athlete; or a seasoned professional, plagued with distractions; or you just wanting to learn how to improve your composure\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-8fee86ee\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-df6f9eb5 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-composed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-9e238db0 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-digital-download\/products\/the-composed-athlete-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How To Define Your Athletic Success Often, athletes allow other people (with good intentions) to define success for them. For example, your parents may see success as earning a college scholarship, becoming a starter, or competing for a highly competitive team.&nbsp; Likewise, your coach may see success as you achieving a national cut, having a top ranking, winning &#8230; <a title=\"Defining Athletic Success on Your Terms\u00a0\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/defining-athletic-success-on-your-terms\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Defining Athletic Success on Your Terms\u00a0\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[318,247,250],"class_list":["post-15822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-confidence-in-sports","tag-mental-toughness-in-sports","tag-sports-psychology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.5.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you compete to meet the success expectations of others, you will often create complications for yourself. 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