Combating Complacency in Victory

You’re a basketball player and you’ve just won your last nine games in style. You feel good, you’re having fun, and, too be honest, you don’t really care that you got away with some poor footwork habits the last couple games. Victory tastes sweet!

You’re new to CrossFit and you’re working in great stride. Progress is coming easy now and you’re motivated. Noticeable success month after month makes poor lifestyle habits easy to dismiss. In your mind, you’ve earned the ability to sleep less, drink more.

Now, imagine how you’d treat your poor footwork if you were a basketball player who is on a losing streak. Also, imagine the things you’d say about your lifestyle habits if you were out of shape and recently put on ten noticeable pounds. These mistakes seem to have increased importance in scenarios of defeat. Yet, during moments of victory they are accepted with open arms because, “Hey, a win is a win, right?”

We had a saying in the baseball program at the University of San Diego, which was “We won’t accept in victory that which we wouldn’t accept in defeat.” Knowing the human tendency to be complacent when things are going well is the first step to combating it.

If things are going well for you, be careful not to stray from the process. Focusing strictly on the results will open the door for complacency especially when thing are going well. Focus on the process, however, and you’ll forever reap the benefits of attention to detail and important feedback.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach