When we think of detachment, we typically don't have a positive association. In fact, other words may also come to mind such as lacking connectedness, connection or emotional ties. We may even think if someone is detached that they are cold and disengaged. However, I want to challenge your perception of detachment from a performance perspective.
What brought this to my attention, was that I was having a conversation with a good friend, and comparing some events and happenings in our adult lives. After both of us looking at the differences, she described her understanding of me: detached. Was I detached? Did I detach in order to survive? While detachment may be a survival mechanism we typically consider to be "unhealthy", could it also be the very same mechanism that led me to press through adversity and highly stressful situations that may have caused others to crumble under the weight of their own emotions?
You see, the more invested we are in the outcome, the more pressure we place on ourselves, and also the more we are influenced by our own shortcomings and failures. The more detrimental a loss can become. Can detachment be a form of strategy for high performance? Do high performers possess the ability to detach their emotions from actions?
When we detach, there is freedom from emotional bondage that ties you to the outcome. Therefore, the stress from the challenge no longer has the power to control your emotions. Without that influence over your emotions, you can then perform clear-minded and in a flow state. There are
no more highs, lows, or fluctuations, and the performer can be in a steady consistent state, in dry execution without emotion. Therefore, I argue that detachment can be a high-performance strategy. Now the key, how do we train athletes to do this? More on this next time...
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