Set goals
Are you a striker who wants to find the back of the net more often? Maybe you’re a goalkeeper desperate to keep more clean sheets? Setting outcome-based goals, such as goals, clean sheets or assists, will boost your motivation.
Find a powerful reason ‘why’
Ask yourself why you really want to become a footballer and regularly remind yourself of the reason why you’re chasing your dream. This will help you to maintain your motivation and give you a sense of purpose.
Control the controllable
Even the best players worry about the opposition, results and factors out of their control. But by focusing on purely the parts of the game that you can control, you will avoid wasting energy on other things and becoming frustrated.
Reframe quickly and positively
When faced with a problem, take a step back and be objective. Assess what you need to do to overcome it. Quickly gain an understanding of a situation and then adjust your training or preparation to improve.
Appreciate the ‘bigger picture’
Other people – team-mates and coaches – will have different perspectives to you. Try and understand and appreciate these to build your depth of knowledge and empathy.
This is an extract from the book ‘So you want to become a professional footballer’, by Richard Lee and Adam Woodage.
