It never feels good to have a bad race. You perform poorly and you naturally feel awful. It’s normal to experience negative emotions in reaction to results that don’t live up to your expectations. But what specific negative emotion you experience has a big influence on how that subpar performance affects you in the near [...]
One of the great emotional obstacles you will experience as a triathlete involves what I call the negative emotional chain. The negative emotional chain includes a linked series of unpleasant and interfering emotions you experience as you face the inevitable challenges of developing as a triathlete and making often-times unsteady progress toward your goals. The [...]
In my last post, I challenged the notion that the COVID-19 crisis (or any crisis, for that matter) is all bad. In fact, I argue that this crisis can actually be an opportunity to better yourself as a person and learn how to respond more positively and constructively to crises you will inevitably encounter in [...]
We humans don’t like disruptions in our lives. We like to feel safe, secure, and comfortable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it means we’re, well, human. This need is hard wired into us through evolution with one purpose in mind: to ensure our survival. Unfortunately, crises are, by their very nature, disruptive [...]
We humans don’t like disruptions in our lives. We like to feel safe, secure, and comfortable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it means we’re, well, human. This need is hard wired into us through evolution with one purpose in mind: to ensure our survival. Unfortunately, crises are, by their very nature, disruptive [...]
Every recommendation that I have made in my sports articles is directed toward helping your young athletes develop a positive emotional response to their sports experiences. Their emotions in their sports lives impact both their enjoyment and performance in their sport. The ability of your children to have a positive emotional reaction begins with a [...]
Every recommendation that I have made in my ski racing articles is directed toward helping your young racers develop a positive emotional response to their ski racing experiences. Their emotions in their ski racing lives impact both their enjoyment and performance in our sport. The ability of your children to have a positive emotional reaction [...]
As any ski racing parent knows, it’s often a challenge to get your kids to the hill every morning on time and ready to go. I admit that I can be a bit of a taskmaster with my own kids on those morning when they’re dragging their feet. I will also admit that this ‘forced’ [...]
Some time ago, I wrote a post about a TED talk in which the speaker recommended that parents allow their children to engage in risky behavior, for example, play with fire, own a pocket knife, throw spears, take apart appliances, and drive a car. I agreed with his views though I also suggested that, because he wasn’t a parent, it was easy for him to say. In contrast, as parents, we all struggle with a fundamental question: How much risk for our children? This question is one I ask myself often because I believe that parents these days are far too protective of their children. Many parents ‘bubble wrap’ their kids with the best of intentions to safeguard them from life’s dangers. I would argue , however, that these parents are actually doing their children a disservice by not allowing them to gain experiences that will build confidence and instill resilience that will be essential for success and happiness later in life. This question arose in my mind over the weekend as my wife and I had some fun adventures with our two daughters (ages 8 and 6). Our girls rode their bikes, swam, and climbed high on play structures. At a more mundane level, we also hung around the house during which time they climbed up on the kitchen counters, cut vegetables with a sharp knife, and helped my wife cook dinner on the stove. Additionally, our daughters rode their scooters on the sidewalk in front of our house and went for a walk around the neighborhood by themselves. Next weekend, we’re going up to the mountains to ski.
Competence is an essential quality that children need to develop to become fully functioning adults. In fact, one thing that separates adults from children is the former's broad repertoire of capabilities that enable them to navigate the world including physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and practical skills. But competencies are necessary, but not sufficient to become [...]
