Advice to Athletes: Be a Goldfish
My advice to ALL athletes; Be a goldfish!
If you’re an athlete, this is a phrase you’ve probably heard in recent years, “Be a goldfish”. The popular show Ted Lasso brought us this amazing quote and it truly is something that all athletes should be striving towards.
Why be a goldfish?
As Ted Lasso says, a goldfish has a 10-second memory. This means it doesn’t hold onto past events or ruminate over mistakes. It moves on quickly and remains present.
A goldfish can literally only remember things for 10 seconds!
The Importance of a Short-Term Memory in Sports
So often, we see athletes get hung up on mistakes or when things don’t go the way they want them to in a competition. They make a mistake and they are beating themselves up over it for the next 10 minutes. They get scored on and all they can think about is everything that went wrong to cost them a goal.
Holding onto these moments takes their head out of the competition and will lead to more mistakes and poorer performance.
Holding onto mistakes, sends you into a downward spiral that only gets harder to get out of the longer you hold onto what didn’t go well.
This cycle is incredibly frustrating for athletes. Especially when they know they can perform better than they are but they aren’t able to because all they are focused on is the few things that have gone wrong in the game.
Training Your Mind to "Be a Goldfish"
To avoid this pitfall, athletes should train their minds to have a short-term memory. Here’s how to do it:
Make a Bad Pass? Acknowledge it and focus on the next play.
Get Scored On? Accept it and think about how to get your team back in the game.
Miss a Shot? Prepare yourself for the next opportunity.
Being a goldfish means moving on quickly when things don’t go your way. No competition is perfect, and accepting this fact helps you let go and stay present.
Benefits of the Goldfish Mentality
Training to have a goldfish mentality allows athletes to:
Be present in the moment after a mistake
Keep your focus on the task at hand
Stay positive through the challenges in a competition
Keep a level head when things aren’t going your way
Perform at your best, even after a mistake or missed opportunity
How We Teach Athletes to "Be a Goldfish"
In our work with athletes, we teach them how to develop a goldfish mentality. It’s not just about knowing what to do, but understanding how to do it.
We introduce athletes to a mental reset technique they can use in critical moments. This helps them let go of mistakes quickly and move on.
The Two-Part Mental Reset
The mental reset involves a physical action and a mental cue:
Physical Action: This could be taking a deep breath or tucking in your jersey.
Mental Cue: Say something to yourself like “next play” or “let it go.”
This quick and simple reset allows athletes to move on within seconds.
Together, we’ll create your mental reset and find the exact moments you’ll want to make sure that you’re using it in a competition.
Train your mind to be like a goldfish and enhance your athletic performance. Schedule a consultation with us today to get started!