Eric McAlister is a former professional athlete and now serves as a performance consultant and international keynote speaker, delivering expertise in well-being, mental performance, leadership and team culture.
There is a very fine line between adversity and achievement. Every adverse situation we face is simply another opportunity to conquer and grow into a bigger and better version of ourselves. As a professional athlete, you become very familiar with the complexities of performance and what it takes to overcome adversity in high-pressure situations.
Pressure and adversity go hand-in-hand. Whether you are taking a game-winning shot in front of 15,000 people or you are closing in on a midnight deadline alone in your office, handling that pressure is what dictates the consistency of your results in those situations. Presence and perspective are the two pillars that truly dictate performance. How you choose to perceive adversity has been scientifically proven to influence performance and staying present in those moments is key. It's easier said than done, though.
Mastering three key emotions to stay present under pressure
Fear
First and foremost, fear is the number one emotion that keeps us from our greatness. We fear failure, the opinions of others and letting those we care about down. I’m going to let you in on a little secret about fear, though: fear and excitement have the exact same physiological response in our bodies. When you feel fear, you are actually feeling excitement, as well. Having an awareness of this, we can now choose (perceive) our fear as an exciting opportunity to grow and succeed.
Fearful of the adversity —> Excited for the opportunity to (grow, succeed, achieve, etc.)
It is our choice to judge our fear as negative rather than to see it as a waypoint to something greater. Those feelings of discomfort and dissonance are us leaving our comfort zone to expand our abilities and being. Embrace that fear, for it is the compass to a greater version of you.
Anxiety
Especially in today’s world, we constantly run away from our anxious thoughts but what so many people fail to realize is they are sabotaging their own ability to grow. I want you to think of a time when you were anxious. Feel it in your chest and coursing throughout your body. Now I want you to think of the thoughts going through your head. I can all but guarantee those thoughts are coming in the form of questions. “What do they think of me?” “How will I ever get out of this situation?” “What will happen when I fail?”
Anxiety is one of our most powerful tools—when we have control of it, that is. In psychology, anxiety is seen as a hindrance to our ability to problem solve but from a practical standpoint, I think our inability to lean into our anxiety comfortably is what causes the breakdowns in problem solving. Continue breaking down a singular question and allow that anxiety to guide you on the path to the source of the problem. Example:
“What if I fail?” —> “Everyone will hate me.”
“Why am I worried about what others think?” —> “My value is in what I can do, not who I am.” “Why don’t I value myself? —> “I never learned to love who I am.”
Find the real root of your issues and your ability to perform soars because you’ve learned to use anxiety as a weapon for you, not against you.
Overwhelm
This is a direct consequence of not being in control of our anxiety. Anxiety begins as one question and when we lack that control, it’s the overwhelm that really starts to kick us in the backside. One question turns into two, which quickly turns into an avalanche that we feel we can never overcome. Solving those overwhelming feelings is a very simple process—start with one question or problem and finish it. Move on to the next and repeat.
My strength and conditioning coach in college is the person who I credit with helping me develop this skill. When I first stepped onto campus as a freshman, one of my many flaws was my lack of strength. I had never been in a truly serious program and I had a lot to learn. The workouts were brutal for me, constantly being pushed passed my limits as I was molded into a new version of who I was. My coach always had a way to break things down to make it seem more manageable, though. If I had to do ten repetitions he would get me to focus on one at a time until we got to the end where he would use the phrase, “BANG, BANG!” It served as a reminder that you had already done eight reps, just get the last two over with and keep moving through the workout.
To combat those feelings of overwhelm, break the problem down into the micro and stop focusing on the macro. When we learn to take care of the little details, the big picture begins to take care of itself. You have to start at the bottom—a house is built from a strong foundation up, not with the roof first.
Whatever it is you do in life, whether it's professionally or personally, keep the main thing the main thing. Use your fear to guide you to where a better version of yourself lies, allow your anxiety to guide you to the solution and when the avalanche of overwhelm begins to kick in, bring it back to the finite details and solve one problem at a time. We are a constant work in progress, make sure you don’t lose sight of that.
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Eric McAlister, Performance Consultant and Speaker
Eric McAlister is quickly revolutionizing how we look at the connections between well-being and performance. As a professional athlete, Eric has gained and now expanded on the many tools at the disposal of a professional athlete, honing in on our ability to maximize our potential without the emotional pitfalls that come with chasing our goals. Eric has worked with athletes and organizations across the world including the NBA, Olympians, PGA golfers and more. His vision is clear winning well and it is something he believes we all deserve.
