Self-Doubt

 

There are instances when we feel low and doubt our proven capabilities. It as happened with many great sportsman and elite performers, that after touching the height of their career, they tend to enter a phase where doubt creeps in, which prevents them to be effective at their parameters. The main problem here is that they carry the burdens of their successes with them, which make the bar so high that they lose their self belief.

Ofcourse, when we are in the starting phase of endeavours, its good to keep lifting the bar after every performance and keep setting higher ambitions. But imagine a cricketer who has 100 centuries in his career, at this stage everyone including himself expects him to score a century every time he come to bat, and anything below 100 is a failure for him and spectators. Any area of human endeavour is a performance in continuum, and in these circumstances, one good ball, or a bad bounce, may get him out, and resultantly, he starts thinking that that he is no more good enough to play, and affects his future performances. At that point in time, one must relax, and start his next match as he is playing for the first time, put down the burden of his successes and enjoy.

Sometimes, self-forgiveness does wonders in performance, and brings back that attitude to reinstate him to his peak form.