High expectations are something that many female athletes struggle with.

Many athletes feel like there are so many expectations for them to perform well and if they don't, then they are letting people down - their teammates, their coaches, their parents, and themselves. I hear this a lot!

Then I hear parents comment that their daughter's are putting too much pressure on themselves with these high expectations and they have no idea how she got those expectations into her head.

Often, athletes who hold these very high expectations for themselves are focusing on external outcomes such as winning, scoring a certain number of points, getting a certain time, or other outcomes that are beyond their personal control.

This leads to more pressure and anxiety and unmanaged pressure and anxiety leads to poor play. Poor play then makes them feel like they haven't met the expectation and instead have failed.

It's a downward, self-fulfilling spiral. Holding these unreasonably high expectations leads to self-sabotage and less confidence because they actually think they have to meet these expectations and then feel there's no way they can.

Instead, we want out athletes to focus on having high standards. High expectations and high standards are not the same! We'll talk all about that in this episode. 

Expectations - Usually outcome based like score/time/winning (out of the athlete's control)

Standards - Usually effort/attitude/work-ethic based (In an athlete's control)

So, the goal is to have no expectations and high standards. 

Here's the process I'll teach you in this episode on how athletes can navigate the expectations and shift towards standards:

1. Manage the expectations
   1. Get clear on exactly what they are and who they are coming from
      1. Coaches
      2. Parents
      3. Teammates
      4. Themselves
2. Stop mind-reading
   1. Realize there are expectations that might not exist
      1. A coach saying "nice job on that double-double last night!" Does not immediately mean they expect that from you.
   2. Who are you playing for? Yourself or your mom, dad, coaches, teammates, etc
3. Focus on standards of:
   1. Effort
   2. Preparation
   3. Behavior
   4. Process 

Making the shift from high expectations to high standards is a key element we teach in our Elite Competitor Program. It's imperative to building confidence in our female athletes and enabling them to compete at their best... and it's something that all athletes can get started with right now. 

Helpful Links:

• Visit our podcast website for more on this episode
• Download the free resources we've created for you
• Join us inside our FREE Facebook Group - The Elite Competitor Society - for weekly Q&A, periodic trainings and challenges, and the support of an amazing community of moms, coaches, and the men who partner with us!

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