Building An Internal Desire To Win

By Author: Patrick J. Cohn, Ph.D.
Total Articles: 10
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Talks about how to build internal desire to win and gives some examples
In my work with athletes, I have learned that there are many different levels of desire and types of motivation. Athletes are motivated for several reasons: (1) love of the game, (2) fun of competition, (3) to achieve personal goals, (4) To get trophies, (5) for acknowledgement, or (6) to gain the respect of people in my life just to mention a few. Athletes that have the internal desire to compete and love their sport for intrinsic reasons are more likely to have a longer-term motivational level. Other athletes depend on external rewards for their motivation such as praise, trophies, or money. This type of athlete is more prone to have motivational ups and downs because when the reward is not present the athlete loses motivation temporarily. Everybody likes to be rewarded for their efforts and ability, but when the end product becomes more important than the fun of the process of performing, where is the fun in sports? An athlete once said to me: If I perform well this summer, my parents will buy me a new car. Wow! This type of reward only ...
... serves to control the athlete and make him or her focus more on the end result than enjoying the process. I often encourage my students to focus more on internal reasons to play sports such as the love for sports, the love of competition, and the achieve personal goals. Athletes that are motivated intrinsically, have a burning desire to succeed at sports and in life and seem to enjoy the trip on the way. My motivation comes from the love for the game; working with young people, watch them develop, see them get better, see the results- you get instant feedback. --Pat Summitt, Head Coach You might want to evaluate why you play sports. Are you self-motivated or are you other-motivated? The best option is to be self-motivated and base your motivation on the love for sports and the fun of competition. Self-motivated athletes I talk to are driven by: (1) the pure love of performing, (2) achieving person goals, (3) the fun of competition, and (4) the feeling of executing a play or shot perfectly. The first step is to ask yourself what is so fun about playing your sport? Then, focus on those reasons so you can be self-motivated. About the Author Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is a leading mental game coach who consults with professional and amatuer athletes. He is the author of Going Low, Peak Performance Golf, The Mental Game of Golf and The Mental Art of Putting. For more information call (888) 742-7225. Or sign up for free mental game tips newsletter at: www.peaksports.com.