How Well Do You Deserve to Perform?

It’s kind of an odd question, right? It’s not often we think of our performance as something we’ve earned. The reality is, whatever level you’re at, most of your competition is more or less as talented as you are. You might have an edge in some areas, and they might have an edge in others, but it’s not those slight differences in talent that are going to make the difference over the course of a full season. What’s going to make the difference is your ability to stay consistent in the areas that matter most.

So, what areas matter most? Wins? Your goals against average? That might be what consistency looks like to someone outside the game, but those things are very circumstantial. Winning or losing a game is ultimately not just up to us. The areas where your consistency matters most are the ones that you have complete control over. Are you practicing with good habits and challenging yourself every time you’re on the ice? Are you preparing your body consistently in the gym? Are you sleeping well enough? Are you eating the right things to fuel your body? If we act with purpose in every area we are in control of, consistency will be the result. As always, the inverse is true as well. If we’re only practicing good habits some of the time, only taking care of our body in the gym when we feel like it, or not staying disciplined with our sleep or our diet, then the results we’ll see on the ice will reflect that inconsistency as well.

So, ask yourself the question again: how well do you deserve to perform? Are the daily decisions you make lining up with your desired result?