Great Things Lie Beyond Your Comfort Zone…It’s True. — The Soccer Mentor

With the recognition and understanding of the mental state of the football player ever increasing, the number of motivational and mental health support websites and charities has also been on the rise.

Of course, this is a fantastic thing for football. Players are humans and have emotions as we all do. Often, this is forgotten. Similarly, there’s also greater recognition of the part the brain plays in performance — in more ways than one. Naturally, players need to be quick thinking and able to make decisions to be any good at football, in reality. However, this isn’t the only role the brain plays.

Players’ mindsets influence their performance. The way one thinks can lead them to glory, or leave them, metaphorically, hiding in the shadows during a game. The mental strain on players has increased with the global phenomenon that football has become, as well as the general ‘hype’ around celebrity culture. Players nowadays can’t go far without being photographed, asked for autographs, or having eyes on them in some way.

On the pitch, it’s a lot harder than you think to play in front of 30,000 plus people each week — irrespective of how much they’re being paid! Thus, it’s easy to see how strong a mentality football players need to have.

But it isn’t just the professionals who need to master their mental game. You should too.

That’s easier to say than to do, granted. However, anybody who wants to master the mental state in football needs to, quite simply, push beyond their comfort zone.

Push beyond their comfort zone.

Sounds a little scary, or hard, doesn’t it?

‘Great things don’t come from comfort zones’.

Well, it should sound hard, and it should sound a little ominous. One of the toughest things in life is to go that one step further, and in football, you’ve got to ready yourself to do things that you don’t necessarily want to do.

Let’s face it — football, like life, presents anxieties and obstacles. Perhaps you’re getting cold feet about going to trial for a new club. Or you might feel scared of something more physical, such as going for a header against a taller player. Maybe you’re simply scared of making mistakes, and so you remain in your comfort zone by playing the game ‘safely’; not taking risks, and always doing the simple things on the pitch rather than really going for it.

But how do you actually move beyond your comfort zone? Fear or worry can be paralysing, and it often genuinely prevents footballers from fulfilling their full potential. We’ve compiled three top tips to help you move out of your comfort zone in order to grab your footballing career by the scruff of the neck, so to speak.

Find a reason to go one step further.

Normally, failing to step out of your comfort zone disadvantages you in some way. It holds you back from doing something that you do want to do — or need to do — and ultimately, you don’t become the improved person you could be if you had pushed on.

So, what’s your ‘why’? What is your reason to push beyond your comfort zone? Often, people don’t take that step because, well, nothing of major importance (in reality) will be missed out on. In this sense, it would be good to change your thought process.

What sounds like more of a ‘why’ out of these two statements?

‘Oh well, it’s not the end of the world if I don’t go to this trial. I’m not feeling it and I’m too nervous and not good enough anyway. Other opportunities will come up’.

Or…

‘It’s not the end of the world if I don’t go to the trial. But if I do, I could win a contract at a professional club. I could play with and against some of the best young players in the entire world. I could tell my friends and my kids in the future that I once played for a professional football team. I could make so many people proud. And, other opportunities might not come up’.

Which statement sounds more of an incentive to push beyond your comfort zone? No, it won’t be easy, but if you find a meaningful reason to do something, you’ll likely find it a lot easier to do. Why do soldiers go to war? Nobody wants to be shot at, but they feel like it’s their duty.

‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed about the things you didn’t do than the things you did do’ — Mark Twain.

The cliché: what’s the worst that can happen…really?

Rationalising fear is a difficult thing to do, but it’s really important to try. You may even find that just by attempting to rationalise fear, you end up believing what you’re saying to yourself. Rationalising your thoughts will also help you differentiate between imminent, actual danger, and emotional distress.

If you begin to break down your nerves, and it does appear that you’re under some sort of physical threat, then maybe you shouldn’t proceed with what you’re nervous about. For example, it’s not exactly ‘abnormal’ to not want to cliff dive with an unqualified instructor, or have knives thrown at you as part of a magic show. These fears do pose a threat.

However, if your fears are based around ‘I’m nervous’ or ‘I might not do well’, then you’re experiencing emotional fear, and it’s likely that you’re pressing it upon yourself. In this sense, you need to push through.

Redefine your comfort zone.

This is arguably the hardest but most rewarding method when it comes to breaking out of your comfort zone.

Redefining your comfort zone essentially places what you’re scared of as something that is inside your comfort zone. For example, you might feel uncomfortable about playing for a new team, but if you redefine your comfort zone, then you essentially convince yourself that you are okay with it.

You may feel safe and secure in your comfort zone, but you’re also likely feeling bored, frustrated, and many other negative emotions. If you redefine your comfort zone, then you escape that negative trap, and become free to escape your fears.

Another way to do this is by, quite simply, thinking ‘I don’t want to do it. I’m going to do it anyway’, and then standing up and moving towards the car/off the sofa/over the touchline. You’d be surprised how far that thinking takes you.

‘You may be happy in your comfort zone. But are you really happy, or just comfortable?’

Originally published at https://thesoccermentor.com on December 8, 2020.