Recently, many of my coaching discussions with athletes have revolved around their mental state during competition.
On one hand, I always encourage my clients to reflect on their red, yellow and green states based on past experiences. On the other hand, our memories can become a bit cloudy.
You can usually identify the general descriptors of each state through reflection, but it does take a bit more digging to find the details. And more importantly, the triggers that might send you from green to yellow or red.
Two kinds of triggers
In my experience working with many athletes over the years, there tend to be two main kinds of triggers that will take someone out of the green: results-based triggers and performance-based triggers.
Letting results affect you
Results-based triggers are when the results you expect don’t line up with your expectations.
For example, a pitcher throws a fastball and paints the corner but the umpire calls it a ball. An emotional meltdown follows.
Keying in on your performance
Performance-based triggers are more internal. These are mistakes you might make in your own process or execution. This could be allowing yourself to become distracted or simply executing below your ability level.
To continue with a baseball example, a pitcher might miss his spot and be upset with himself, despite getting the batter to swing and miss.
For some people, the results are more threatening to their green state, while for others, it’s all about their execution.
Zooming out
Looking at the wider context, this same idea applies far beyond the sporting world. In my own journey, I can definitely see the things that bother me more or less than others. I’ll share an example from my role as a father.
Real life example #1
I might get a bit frustrated (yellow) when one of my kids is being unreasonable when faced with a typical parenting request. You know, melting down at the idea of taking a bath, and then melting down again when it’s time to get out of that same bath.
In this case, it’s a results-based trigger where the execution (a simple fatherly request) is followed by an unexpected result (a meltdown).
This type of thing has definitely put me in the yellow before.
Real life example #2
On the other hand, it’s usually a performance-based trigger that puts me into the red. By this I mean that my own execution as a parent was sub-par – and I end up dropping from the yellow or green into the red.
When I recognize that I’m the one being unreasonable, or I allow the kids’ reactions to influence my own behavior, it can result in a downward spiral into the red where I chastise myself and question my worth as a father.
That’s deeeeep into the red right there.
Why does this matter?
Why am I sharing this? Because in my experience working with top athletes, the best of the best of them are almost never put into the red by results-based triggers.
They might go into the yellow and be confused by the environment, or become frustrated at a bit of bad luck, but it takes a long time for results to really send them over the edge.
The only thing that consistently puts them into the red is performance that isn’t up to their standards.
This is good news
What I’ve learned about this kind of mindset is that it’s quite beneficial. Perfectionism aside, this sort of sensitivity to performance-based triggers (and insensitivity to results-based triggers) implies a strong sense of internal responsibility.
These people have cultivated an understanding of their locus of control. Events that are not in their control don’t bother them as much.
Even more importantly from a growth and development standpoint, it bothers them quite a bit when their performance isn’t where it should be. This becomes a driver for self-improvement.
When paired with a belief system that they can learn / grow / develop the skills they need, this mindset becomes a predictor of future success.
Start focusing on your performance
What’s the takeaway here? It’s a bit obvious to say that you should pay more attention to your execution instead of the results. It goes a bit deeper than that.
Start paying attention to the kinds of things that put you into the yellow or the red, and whether or not they are results-based or performance-based.
In my last blog I discussed the different roles we all play and how our green states for those roles might differ. Think about what your triggers are in those roles, your emotional responses, and whether or not they are actually within your control to change.
Start trying to let go of those results-based triggers and pay attention to the performance-based triggers.
Because they’re the ones you can really do something about.
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