Perfectionism will f**k with your mind
I recently heard a commencement speech by Roger Federer where he shared something surprising. Even at the highest level of tennis, he only won about 54% of the points he played.
Which means almost half the time, he lost the point. Yet he is considered one of the greatest players ever.
Why?
Because great athletes don’t obsess over the last mistake. They focus on the next point.
That hit me personally.
When I was in high school, I played squash competitively. Every time I took a bad shot, my mind would replay it again and again.
“Why did I hit that shot?”
“I should have angled it differently.”
“That was such a stupid mistake!”
The problem was while my mind was stuck in the last shot, the game had already moved on. I wasn’t present for the next rally.
It wasn’t that I lacked effort. I worked hard like the rest of my peers. It was perfectionism messing with my mind.
Unfortunately, this mindset followed me into adulthood too and into the workplace.
Perfectionism sounds noble. But often it’s just fear disguised as high standards.
For me, it was the fear of how people will look at me. It kept me stuck as I kept replaying what went wrong instead of focusing on what’s next.
The best performers understand this:
You don’t win by playing perfectly.
You win by:
🎾Accepting you missed the shot.
🎾Recovering quickly.
🎾Play the next point.
This mindset changes everything. Here’s a question for you:
Are you still replaying the last mistake, or are you ready to play the next shot? 🎾
Contributor: Kausern Hieu