“Pressure is only one
thing; a feeling. A normal,
natural, transient feeling
that every person on the
planet experiences.”
we have less on our
minds (“the zone”) but
it’s still there when
we’re overthinking, if
we trust it.
A bowler can be stood
at the top of their mark,
utterly convinced that
they are going to bowl a
wide and then run-up
and clean bowl the
batter. Just because we
think something is going
to happen doesn’t mean
it will. This explains why
life is full of “it wasn’t as
bad as I thought it was
going to be” moments.
The bowler does not
have to try to stop the
thinking that’s going on,
all they have to do is
understand that their
thoughts have no power
over them and they can
run-up and nail that
yorker anyway.
The answer to
performing under
pressure is to
understand it.
Understanding pressure
doesn’t mean we won’t
feel pressure (but that’s
OK) nor does it
guarantee we won’t
make mistakes (and
that’s OK too), but it
gets in our way less, so
we can trust our
instincts and enjoy the
game for what it is.
25
Understanding Pressure