Accepting Challenges and Learning from Failure
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Accepting Challenges and Learning from Failure
Synopsis of Article
The podcast is about the challenges that sports psychologists and athletes go through in their career, the different ways of overcoming these challenges, and the different lessons one can draw from the challenges. Sports psychologists are well known for helping athletes overcome mental challenges and enhance their performance. The podcast is about the life and experiences of Matt Cuccaro, the ups and downs of his career, and how he has been helping athletes improve their performance, overcome their challenges, embrace change, and make the best out of their careers.
Reflection on Sport Psychology Content
For persons with a passion for sports and the desire to help athletes, sport psychology is an excellent field to venture into. Sports psychologists focus on how playing sports impacts athletes and help them develop positive mindsets that will help them excel in their field. Sports psychologists understand that professional or amateur athletes need healthy minds and bodies to achieve success (Bucky & Stolberg, 2017). Operating in a high-performance field yields pressure and stress. Sports psychologists help athletes overcome interpersonal challenges and mental health concerns such as eating disorders, depression, and anxiety.
Sporting activities are a popular lifestyle choice. Every day, athletes are all corners of the country are getting into the gym, exercising throughout the neighborhoods, and doing all it takes to keep in good shape. People will always go to any possible length to be the best of them. Sports psychologists offer critical services that are necessary to keep the lifestyle intact.
Sports psychologists work with their clients to maintain and improve their physical performance, mainly focusing on the mental issues that contribute to enhanced athleticism, including matters such as communication and coaching methods. Athletes have huge demands and dependence on their performance. Every day they have to cope with rigorous schedules that demand motivation, concentration, and commitment (Jain & Nisha, 2020). In addition to all these career pressures, they have to deal with personal challenges as normal human beings. Sport psychologists are professionals trained to help athletes look at their challenges from different perspectives and face the field with determination and confidence.
The podcast demonstrates the importance of focusing on the two objectives of sport psychology. The perception of sports psychologists’ services is affected by how people perceive the impact of psychological factors on physical factors. Matt Cuccaro narrates a lot of challenges before making something good out of his career choice. He also acknowledges that the future is not clear, and the end of any existing contracts signals a period of uncertainty. He was even discouraged by a prominent figure in the sports arena from pursuing sports psychology. The lesson from such messages from people who understand the importance of sports psychology is a clear indication that society has yet to embrace its service.
The common factor in all successful athletes is that they value what they do and are committed to becoming the best they can be within the available limitations. Athletes succeed because they are pursuing their goals and enjoying the process at the same time. They value and appreciate their sport participation and believe what they get out of this participation is way higher than the commitment they give into the sport. Most of the mental skills that contribute to success in sports are learned and enhanced with practice and instructions. Matt Cuccaro narrates that athletes must set high and realistic goals. Setting high goals creates an opportunity to challenge oneself, but the goals must be realistic and achievable to allow performance measurement.
There is a high value placed on the commitment to anything one does. Success as a sports psychologist can only be achieved if one is committed and always seeking new and emerging opportunities. It is critical to be on the lookout about changing trends and emerging needs. Sports psychology fields offer opportunities in many fields other than sporting. For example, Matt Cuccaro intends to focus on real estate, which he considers a high-performance field. On the other hand, athletes must be consistent with their training to ensure they have mentally and physically healthy.
Reflection on Interest and Personal Experience
This podcast offers interesting insights necessary to succeed in high-performance fields. Most people fail in what they do because they are unable to overcome challenges. Developing a positive mindset is critical towards facing one’s challenges. I wanted to get the perspective of a professional on the various challenges present in sports psychology, challenges faced by athletes, and some of the possible solutions to these challenges. From the podcast, I understand that commitment is important in everything we do. It is also important to seek professional help to guide you in your career path.
I face many challenges in my personal experiences, some of which have become clear after listening to the podcast. I have never thought how the things I do every day affect a string of other persons or how other people’s interventions contribute to my growth. Now I realize behind an individual’s success; there are many interventions, some of which are through unconscious measures. The assignment was a good experience, and I would probably visit a sports psychologist soon.
References
Accepting Challenges and Learning from Failure. (n.d.). Retrieved August 07, 2020, from https://bridgingthegappodcast.libsyn.com/accepting-challenges-and-learning-from-failure
Bucky, S. F., & Stolberg, R. A. (2017). Multiple relationships in sports psychology.
Jain, A., & Nisha, M. (2020). Sports Psychology. Friends Publications India.