It's fourth and 6, on your opponent's 48-yard line, you're down 6 with 35 seconds left.
The stakes are high, and the moment has never felt bigger.
This play is for the game.
There are 23 seconds on the play clock, and you can feel your heart beating out of your chest. For a second, you feel like you're out of your own body. You see yourself through a camera angle 10 feet above you, as if you were in a video game. You hear something, but mostly a dull echo of the crowd.
This is that out-of-body experience they replicate in movies with CG and sound effects, but it's actually real life, and you're living it.
You snap back and see the field through your sweaty helmet. 21 seconds on the play clock. What you need most in this moment is to be present and find a way to center. But it feels impossible.
When the ocean is rocking your boat, yelling at the ocean to calm down won't help. But positioning your boat to hit that next wave head-on, and leaning into the ride, that's when things feel back in your control.
That's what this moment is asking of you, not to quiet the pressure, but to position your body to lean in and use it. This is what we dream about as toddlers, get fired up about around the TV at Thanksgiving, and now you're here, living your very own version.
Four things to do to prepare yourself for when this moment comes.
- SIMPLIFY
- Simplify everything. Narrow your focus and trust your preparation. Take one deep breath, focus on one single cue (breath, rhythm, or movement), and let go of thinking—self 1—so your trained instincts—self 2—take over.
- MENTAL SHIFT
- Let go of everything that led to this moment, and ready yourself for what's next. Acknowledge, release, reset. Snap your fingers and say your phrase: "Let go" — "Next play." — "I'm here"
- SELF-TALK
- Your inner voice is your biggest weapon. It shifts your entire physiology, changing your body temperature, heart rate, and your ability to rise to the challenge. Use it — "LFG"
- HAVE FUN
- You woke up with the ability to be here today. You made it to this moment, right now. That's not guaranteed tomorrow. Center yourself around gratitude and let it rip. They can't stop someone with nothing to lose.
You break out of the huddle and head to your position. 8 seconds on the play clock. A quick glance at your feet, they are in fact touching the ground, a quick glance back and forth down the line, then a deep breath through your nose, you got this, kid.
Let 'er fly!
