Jonathan Males | Performance1 - Decisions, decisions.  Competitors are faced with choices all the time.  Do I respond to the unexpected challenger in the next lane or stick to my race plan in a 1000 m race? Which line do I take on this upstream gate? What races should I do this season? Should I work with a new coach? Do I retire or keep going for another season?

Some decisions are quick and easy, and you can make them confidently based on objective facts – like what the stopwatch tells you.  Others aren’t so much a decision, more following through and executing a well-prepared plan. The hardest decisions are those where there is no obvious solution – typically the big decisions like whether to retire or not.  And although we like to believe that humans are rational and logical, the reality is that when faced with these sorts of problems we’re driven far more by emotion and perception than we are willing to admit.  This means that it’s almost impossible to be truly ‘objective’ – we normally make a big decision based on feelings then retrofit the facts to make it seem logical.

So it’s easy to get caught up when faced with a big decision, because we have competing motives and conflicting emotions.  Responding to one motive, say the desire to be a successful racer, may lead to a different choice than responding to the desire to have financial security.  It can be hard to find the right course through these seemingly conflicting needs. In my experience, the best competitors are single-minded in pursuit of their sporting goals, and are unwilling to compromise.  But what happens when that single-mindedness starts to waver and doubt creeps in?

Here are some things you can do when faced with a major decision:

Weigh up the pros and cons
If you have several options, write them down side by side on a piece of paper and list all the pros and cons for each one.  Sleep it over and look at the list again – notice what you might add or subtract after some reflection.

Remind yourself of your priorities
Reflect on what gives you most satisfaction and meaning in your life, your aspirations and your dreams. It’s easy to forget your priorities in the daily grind of training, travel, school or work.  And it’s natural that some priorities change over time.

Get a fresh perspective
Imagine it’s 5 or 10 years in the future and you’re looking back at this moment – what does it look like from this perspective? Talk to someone who isn’t involved in canoeing, notice what it’s like to have to explain your situation afresh.

Pay attention to your emotions and be honest about them
Acknowledge any uncomfortable or difficult emotions and try to understand why you feel that way. Feelings often change when they are expressed, so be willing to talk. Most feelings are based on how we think about a situation, so test your thinking with a trusted friend.  You might be making inaccurate or unhelpful assumptions and ‘catastrophising’ – making the possible consequences far worse than they really are.

Doubt or opportunity?

Sport teaches that success requires dedication and focus – and this only comes with clear commitment.  Commitment requires alignment of head and heart, both logic and emotion. Paddlers are people not machines, so moments of doubt can be valuable reflection points, allowing you to ‘check in’ and re-set your direction.  Often, this will lead to you re-committing to your competitive career with renewed energy and motivation. If not, perhaps it simply means that your priorities have changed.  Rather than being a problem, it can signal a growing maturity. At best, you’ll learn to know yourself and trust your judgment – valuable skills for your whole life, not just on the water!

For more sports psychology related articles visit: www.sportscene.tv/news/sport-psychology-database-canoe-kayak