Perform at your best at the things that matter most to you. At the Growth Equation, we are dedicated to bringing you pragmatic, no-nonsense information, tools, and practices to help you cultivate sustainable and fulfilling success and excellence.
Noah Lyles is the reigning 100m world champion. This gives him the title of fastest man in the world. Recently, at the Olympic Trials, before getting into his block, Lyles pulled out something from his jersey to flash at the camera. They were Yu-gi-oh cards. If you're like me and have only the faintest idea of what those are, they are Pokémon cards, a game filled with mythical creatures that you go to battle with.
Whereas many of his competitors adopt a stern, almost menacing approach, where they look ready to go to war for real (not with cards), Lyles looks like he's having a blast. This isn't by accident. After claiming victory at the trials, he said: "Usually I don't feel the pressure because I'm just having fun. All I've gotta do is be me. I constantly tell kids, be yourself. If people see me as being corny, shoot, I'm corny. Guess what? I'm winning while being corny."
Meanwhile, around the same time and across the country, coach Paul Maurice was trying to claim his own title with his team, the NHL's Florida Panthers. They were on the brink of winning the Stanley Cup. They needed to win one game, as they were ahead of the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in the series. Then it all started to fall apart. They lost three games in a row, and suddenly found themselves mere inches away from an unprecedented collapse: it would be the choke job of the century.
Yet even as they were giving up their three game lead, Maurice said, "What you want is your team to look a certain way. We have an identity... we play with freedom." When asked how winning the Stanley cup will change his life, he replied, "I hope it doesn't. I hope l'm learning to live my life well enough that the trophy doesn't define how I treat people."
The Florida Panthers went on to win game seven under gobs of pressure in the championship. Often, when it comes to sport, we hype up the alpha competitor: the person with the fierce, win at all costs approach that is more rip your head off than anything else. For some people, that can work. But far too often, we try to mimic and adopt that approach when it might not fit who we are. The more I'm around elite performers, the more I think we all should strive for what Lyles and Maurice both get at with their respective attitudes. You've got to do whatever puts you in a place where you are free to perform. And often, as Brad has said before, that comes from being yourself and going all the way. When we do that, we are more likely to approach instead of avoid challenges, to have our emotions expand our competitive world instead of narrow it and constrict us. For some, that might be playing out of joy. For others, they might need a bit of anger or aggression. But more than anything, it's about toeing the line in a way that is aligned with who you are and what you value.
When we try to mimic someone else, it causes us to default towards tightness and protection. That's because we are protecting a facade. And when we are in protect mode, we play not to lose, to not be exposed or embarrassed, instead of playing to win. Performing under pressure is often about lightening the load. To do that requires being comfortable with who you are and pursuing success in a way that aligns with your unique temperament, motivational drivers, and values.
For some, such Michael Jordan, that might mean finding fuel in anger. But for others, it might mean pulling out some Yu-Gi-Oh cards before running faster than all but a handful of humans in history.
Quick Hits: Everything You Need to Know About the "Second Wind"
On today’s episode of FAREWELL (Apple/Spotify), Steve and Brad break down the science of the “second wind” phenomenon. Here’s a quick primer:
1. Fatigue isn’t just in the muscles—it’s in the central nervous system. Our nervous system has a “central governor of fatigue” that protects our body from injuring itself. That central governor might make it feel like we’re working 10/10 when it’s really an 8/10. Which is also why you might catch a second wind close to the finish line: once your nervous system knows you’re close to safety, it allows you to tap into that extra in reserve.
2. Your brain is always balancing perceived effort vs. motivation. If the perceived effort is greater than our motivation, we slow down. But if our motivation outweighs the perceived effort, we speed up. This is another reason we catch a second wind. When we get closer to the end of something and we’re eager to finish, our motivation surges and so too does our energy.
3. If you want to catch a second wind, shift your focus… In those moments where effort seems higher than our motivation, we lose focus. Our brain starts looking for a way out. “Maybe I should just give up,” it might day during a race, or, “My legs really do feel like trash.” In those moments, shift your focus away from the factors signalling disaster to something external. Latch on to the person ahead of you and just concentrate on staying on them.
4. …or say to yourself, “Eat, drink, keep going.” This is what IRONMAN world champion Mirinda Carfrae would say during the marathon portion of her races. Why? Well, catching a second wind is complex, involving both physiological and psychological factors, some of which we understand, many of which we don’t. So her job was just to put herself in the best position to catch it, which meant doing what she needed to do to stay in the race and hope that the second wind showed up.
A moving essay on the trials and tribulations of being a parent.
A fascinating study on the first man to run under 2:10 for the marathon and longevity. At 27, Derek Clayton had a Vo2max of 69. At 49 years old, it was 68. At 77, it was still 43, a level that is about what an average 20-something year olds level would be.
Some more of our writing that is related to today's main post:
Perform at your best at the things that matter most to you. At the Growth Equation, we are dedicated to bringing you pragmatic, no-nonsense information, tools, and practices to help you cultivate sustainable and fulfilling success and excellence.
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