Why are you doing this?

We all need to practice self-awareness.

One should be able to identify what drives them, what are the hurdles to be expected in their journey, and to always come up with a plan to stay on track.

As a swimmer, you are driven by two fundamental forces:

Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation.

The intrinsically driven swimmer thrives on the internal desire to be better and the inherent feeling of enjoyment that obtaining goals provides. These swimmers are:

Focused on the process

Self-driven

Persistent

For the extrinsic type, external factors and rewards play a major role. Some level of recognition is important here:

Focused on the outcome

May or may not be driven by pressure or outside expectations

Also persistent, but may fluctuate with perceived support and reward

Now, you may be thinking, “which one am I”?

In reality, we are a bit of both.

You must take the time to learn which one is your primary driver though and communicate this with your coaches and peers so that way people know the best way to support you.

In the world of sport, a lack of desired results is quite common, and one must also learn to work on their intrinsic motivation in order to overcome the obstacles that come as part of the process.

Now that you have a better understanding of both, which one are you?

Talk soon,

Dr. Sandra and Team