@BStulberg: Here’s 24-year-old pitcher Tro...

Here’s 24-year-old pitcher Troy Melton.
His first playoff start. Heavy underdog.
He’d just given up a home run and then a deep fly ball that was inches away from being another.

It doesn’t faze him a bit. Look at that smile.
He goes right back to dealing heat.

Incredible moment with such an important lesson.

Sometimes when the odds are against you the best thing to say to yourself is:

“F*ck it. The odds are against me, but someone’s got to do it, so I might as well give it a shot.”

And then you let it rip.

A performance avoidance mindset is when you play not to lose. You are tight and fearful and trying to prevent things from going wrong.

A performance approach mindset is when you play to win. You are loose, relaxed, and having fun.

Research shows the performance approach mindset is almost always advantageous.

I was talking to my 7-year-old son about this moment and here’s what I told him:

It’s why Dad always says, What are the two most important rules of sports?

Try your hardest.
Have fun.

It’s true for 8U baseball and it’s true for the best in the world. It’s true in sport and it’s true in any other craft.

When you step into the arena there are going to be highs and lows. You are going to have good outings and bad outings.

Whatever just happened is in the past.
Whatever could happen is a fantasy.

You’ve only got the moment you’re in.

Cliche? Sure.
But also the most accurate,
truest statement there is.

For all the over intellectualizing we do around performance, sometimes the best thing to do is the simplest:

Try hard.
Have fun.
F*ck it.
Let it rip.