I loved this perspective on U.S. Open semifinalist Emma Navarro.
Navarro’s longtime coach Peter Ayers knew his charge was a perfectionist even before he became her primary coach when she was 14. Years ago, Ayers charged Navarro to apply that perfectionism in a ‘healthy sustainable way’ by striving for a very specific goal.
‘Here’s what I want you to strive to be perfect at,’ he recalled telling her… ‘I want you to strive at being perfect at bouncing back. Stuff’s going to happen. You’re competing in tennis; there’s going to be adversity every time you play. So instead of worrying about being perfect at a given shot or playing a perfect match in terms of never missing a ball or whatever…let’s strive at being perfect at bouncing back.
I find athletics and physical activity very helpful in pinpointing how improvement happens, and how our psychology helps or hurts us. But this article helped me see that most of my focus has been on versions of Navarro’s perfectionism: how sports can teach us to achieve our (accomplishment) goals.
2024 has been one curveball after another for me. It’s been pretty humbling to recognize where my control starts and ends, and what I can and cannot to be “perfect” at.
Life, like tennis, is full of curveballs. No amount of diligent effort will protect us from disappointment and from falling short—because “we” aren’t falling short, we just cannot always achieve what we want to achieve when we want to achieve it, no matter how hard we try.
If this image from @butlikemaybe reminds you of your 2024, maybe it’s time invest more in how you’re recovering.
And, for my fellow perfectionists, “recovering” doesn’t mean “fixing the thing” it means taking care of you.
Not only will this make for a healthier you, it means that, soon, you’ll be back to full (emotional) strength…and you at your best is unstoppable.
