A superb weekend of racing at National Schools’ and the new world order has emerged. For some, all the pieces of the last two seasons have fallen into place; for others, it may have felt like quite the opposite.
Many people will measure their performance purely based on what they did that day, analysing every moment from waking up to their last stroke. But, remember, performances aren’t delivered on the day; instead, they’re built before you even arrive.
Irrespective of how you got on at NSR, it’s vital you understand what delivered that performance – and most importantly – how to step things on so that you and your crew can build successfully towards HWR and HRR.
From experience working with high-level crews, I’ve seen first-hand that you can’t rely on past success to guarantee your future.
Never let previous success or loss affect what you do.
You can certainly learn from every experience; however, relying on the past to impact the future is a dangerous game. It means you’re relying on previous conquests and risk becoming automata, doomed to repeat your past mistakes.
The only thing you have control over is what you’re doing right now.
(Watch the Last Dance on Netflix, and you’ll see Michael Jordan say this throughout)
I’ve seen so many talented individuals fall to the side because of the complacency of what they had achieved in the past. They thought it would automatically carry over. That doesn’t work. You have to work on the here and now. Otherwise, it will heavily impact how you prepare for your next big challenge.
Remember, the process is the most important thing, and the achievement is a by-product of the process.
– Focus on the present.
– Learn from the past and adapt.
– Don’t live in the past
– The process today is the most significant impact you can make.
So some little tools that will extract what’s working and what to build.
What did you do well? (from the start of the season and at NSR)
Be careful about repeating the same process for the next few months expecting a different outcome. It doesn’t work.
What will you improve upon and do better?
This can be on or off the water, and it will all stack up in the next eight weeks.
What do you need to do to ensure that you are at your absolute best?
This can be anything from consistency to how you’re turning up, whatever comes to mind.
Good questions give good answers, ensure you’re not trapped in the past, learn from it and evolve.
This article was written by Stephen Feeney. To find out more about his story, head over to our content partners page, or read more of his work here.
If you’re hungry for more, check out any of our other pieces from The Catch, listen to our latest podcast episode, or flick through our race previews.
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Images by Roesie Percy
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