Tip: Own Your Performance

It's All Your Fault

Realize that whatever went well and whatever went badly were both your fault. You are extremely blessed to have the choices you do and the physical and mental capacity to even compete in something like a Strongman competition. Do you have any idea of how many people would kill to have the opportunities and gifts we take for granted each and every day?

Having a bad yoke time makes for a rough afternoon. Not being able to walk to the bathroom under your own power is infinitely worse. Get some perspective. There are no victims at a Strongman competition... and very few real victims in life.

Whether the promoter changed one of the events at the last minute or it was raining during your press medley, your performance is STILL your performance. If you blame others for your lack of preparation and poor showing, you won't make it far in this sport, or even in life for that matter.

Do This Instead

If you compete, never leave your fate in the hands of the judges. In regular life, never leave your fate in the hands of other people.

If your timekeeper was slow with the stopwatch for your farmer's walk event, switch the blame from the judge to yourself. Rather than berating the timekeeper for his lack of attention, look at what you could have done better. If you had moved the implements faster, then fractions of a second wouldn't be the thing that separates you from the rest of the pack.

Could you have asked the judge prior to your run for clarification on exactly what he was looking for before he stops the clock? If you would have told him a specific time you were trying to beat before you performed your run, do you think he would've been more in tuned to focusing in on what was about to take place? Everyone (judges included) likes to see people push themselves to new levels.

Now which guy is going to get more positive focus and attention? The guy who's polite and has voiced that he's trying to beat his PR, or the guy who yells at others and talks about them behind their backs?

The second you switch the blame to yourself and take ownership of your performance, the sooner you'll find ways to improve the next time. Whether you compete well or you drop the ball, the fault should always fall on your shoulders. Accept that and you'll get better... in competition and in life.