#26 When Negative Nelly Comes to the Game

Yesterday during our game we were down by 12 and 3 meters away from scoring a try. My teammate went in with the ball and I was the first to the ruck but the other team got over the ball for the poach.

I was frustrated.

First came my thoughts:

• I should have rucked her off instead of trying to grab the ball

• If I would have protected that ball we could have scored with enough time for another kick off

• I should be performing better as one of the only paid players on the team

Then came the feelings:

• Low energy

• Sadness

• Disappointment

If you’re reading this, I imagine you’re most likely a rugby player and can attest that you’re probably not playing your best with these thoughts in your head and these feelings in your body.

This all happened in my noggin in a matter of a minute or 2. But, oh, what’s this? I HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THIS MOMENT. I recognized my negative Nelly thoughts and my conscious mind kicked in to save the moment.

“What next? What can I focus on now? What can I control now?”

I cleared the negative thoughts of the past play and focused on staying present. Easier said than done but I think the first step is being able to recognize that you’re in your head, living in the past, and not on the field.

My takeaways:

You will make mistakes. You will have negative thoughts. Call them out. Focus on the now. AND GO FORWARD STRONG BABY!