đ„How to Win... and Then Do It Again
đ Welcome to Full Stop. Sharing my brain so you can dive deeper into yours.
âïžNot too high, not too low.âïž
I skipped a week of Full Stop because I was non-stopâbouncing between sessions of my significant otherâs last-ever swim meet. The Ivy League Conference Championships took place last weekend at Brown, giving me not only an excuse to see Harry swim one final time but also a chance to visit a few friends at my alma mater.
Watching seven sessions of swimmingâprelims, finals, and even some divingâtransported me straight back into the mind of an athlete. Championship weekend = eyes on the prize (yes, I did, in fact, sleep on the futon for the duration of the meet).
With so many events, so many final swims, itâs essential not to let your emotions get the best of you at any stage of the competition.
Take, for instance, the following scenario:
In prelims, Swimmer Jack just raced the fastest 100-yard breaststroke of his life, shattering both his personal best and the Brown University record. That evening, heâs set to return for the A-final as the top seed.
So, what should Swimmer Jack do? Spend the afternoon celebrating, basking in the glory, skipping his nap amidst all the hoorah? I mean, he did just have a career highlightâsurely he deserves to be euphoric, right?
Well, perhaps if Swimmer Jack did that, heâd return for the final slightly off his gameâjust enough to get out-touched at the wall by Swimmer Matt, who paced his race perfectly and surged in the last 25 yards.
But what did Swimmer Jackâand the entirety of Brown Menâs Swimming and Divingâdo instead?
After that prelims swim, they smiled, hugged their teammates, talked to their coaches, and hopped straight into the warm-down pool to flush out the lactic acid from their superhuman efforts. Then, they got changed, hugged their parents, and went off for their afternoon naps, returning to the pool refreshed and ready to race again.
For those curious, Swimmer Jack did indeed hold his top-seed position. He not only secured first place with another personal best but also set an Ivy League recordâplacing him third in the nation as he gears up for NCAAs. A glorious podium finish. And then? In bed by 11. Because tomorrow, there was more racing to be done.
While I canât transplant myself into the mind of Brown Menâs Swimming and Diving, I can make some extrapolations based on their actions and outcomes:
Never let yourself get too high after a great performanceâor too low after a disappointing one. Easier said than done, I know. But maintaining a level head allows us to move forward with clarity as we take on future actions, decisions, and judgments.
Staying steady enables adherence to routineâto the things you know you must do to secure future success.
Celebrate when itâs time, because you do deserve itâjust at the right moment.
In 2008, Michael Phelps did what no athlete had ever done before: winning eight consecutive gold medals at the Beijing Olympics. Throughout the meet, he remained composedânever indulging too deeply in any one celebrationâbecause he knew that each day required a new effort. No prior success guaranteed the next. And at the end of the meet? Well, letâs just say his post-race McDonaldâs order was hefty.
While we may not all be athletes, this mindset can benefit how we approach work, hobbies, and even relationships. As humans, weâre wired to be reactiveâconstantly responding to the highs and lows of our environment, emotional roller coasters left and right.
But when we keep our cool, stick to our routines, and remind ourselves that one moment (good or bad) doesnât dictate the next, we can move forward with a calmer, more calculated approach. We can make the next moveâthe next successâthat much more intentional.
đ Much love to you, Full Stoppers, as you enter this week.
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Hi friends, Iâm Natalieâa recent Brown University neuroscience grad now living in San Francisco. Through đFull Stop, I share my mind so that you, amazingly insightful reader, can take the risk of exploring yours. Thank you for reading and being part of this journey.