Starting a reflection habit (like the Olympians!)

I'm fully immersed in "Olympic season," which begins with the trials and culminates with the passing of the torch. I've always been a geek for this "season" with its many thrills of victory, so consider this your warning - LOL.

Not surprisingly, I'm obsessed with the mental games of these elite athletes regardless of their sport. In my upcoming podcast, I share seven mindset habits I've picked up while consuming various trials, but today I'm focused on one: the post-competition reflection.

Elite athletes have journals, and they use them! They capture everything from what they ate to their training times to how they felt while competing. Everything is important because everything is feedback. I wish we would all develop a reflection habit, even if it means capturing a few syllables. And yes, ideally we jot down a few thoughts not only after a trial, but also after a practice or class, after a chiro appointment, after a conditioning session, etc. I know we all crave more feedback, and this is one easy way to get it.

Getting started

Here's where I can almost hear the groans and see the eye rolls - people resist journaling (me too!). Handlers say they don't have time, or don't know what to write, or just feel "weird." There is no "perfect" technique, so there's no need to judge what or how you journal, just begin! And saying you don't have time is a cop-out since it can take as little as a minute.

You can write as much or as little as you like for any of these approaches. Can you sum up your run in one word? Do that. Don't over-complicate it!

The "What? So What? Now What?" approach.

• What? What happened during your performance?
• So What? Why did it happen? Why does it matter?
• Now What? What are you going to do about it?

The journal prompt approach.

Jot down your thoughts to discover patterns and make sense of your experiences. Here are a few prompts to get you going, but feel free to add your own:

• What went well today?
• How did you feel mentally? Physically?
• What challenges popped up?
• How did you handle those challenges?
• What could you do better next time?

The debrief approach.

Alone or with a trusted friend or coach, take a few minutes to chat with your team or just yourself about what went right, what went wrong, and why. Talk about your successes and areas for improvement, and set a few steps for next time. If you're doing this alone, imagine you have a team who supports you!

Utilizing the feedback

When you start collecting feedback in this way - consistently - trends emerge. You also develop clarity about any challenges that continue to pop up while diffusing the emotion we tie to our performances. Again, those Olympic hopefuls are very pragmatic about improving their performances and know that feedback will only make them better.

Armed with this clarity, we can devise a plan to improve and share this information with our instructors, coaches, or health professionals. After all, the real magic happens when we turn insights into action and do something about it.

Regular performance reflection and analysis can seriously improve your performance. When we understand what's working and what's not, we make smarter decisions and improve our performance. Start by setting aside even a few minutes after each trial to reflect, analyze, and plan. You'll make the time if it's important to you!