Psych Out

Our baseball coach often tells us, "Baseball is only ten percent physical, the other ninety percent is all mental." He says this because he wants us to realize that we have to be not only physically prepared, but to be mentally prepared and in a state to win. This manner of thought applies not only to baseball, though. It applies to nearly all facets of life.

Whenever I am scheduled to work and someone asks me to do something, I might tell them, "I have to work tonight." That is usually not the case though. I don't have to work. In fact, it is more truthful to simply say that I am going to work, or that I want to work. No one has to work. Ever. If you wanted to, you could never work a day in your life, but you wouldn't be very happy because you wouldn't have anything. Saying that one has to work is a mental "psych-out". By saying that you have to work, you don't look forward to working, to the reward you will get for your hard work come payday. This is why I now try my hardest to not say that I have to work, but instead that I am going to work, or that I work.

Similarly, people psych themselves out by saying that they can't do something before try, or that they don't like a certain food before they try it. I have done this myself on many occasions. Confidence, on the other hand, can foster success. If you go up to the plate planning on getting a hit, you have a better chance of getting one, simply because you have put your mind in a state that is ready to get a hit. If you go up to the plate hoping for a hit, or expecting a strikeout, you have put your mind in a state that won't get you a hit. You have psyched yourself out.

An example of my own psych-out or psych-up:

Often, I have a lot of homework. More than often, it is so much that it is challenging to finish all of it without staying up until two in the morning. Sometimes, I tell myself, "Oh wow, I don't think I'll get this done. What is the most imperative to get done first." While it is important to prioritize, I am likely going to not do the "less" important work. One thing I do that can be both good and bad, is that I set a goal for bedtime, usually 10:00. This goal sometimes ends up becoming an excuse for not doing some work. Other times, it helps me to get work done so that I can go to bed, for I value sleep more and more these days.

How do I mentally prepare for the work? If I am in an exceptionally good mood, and not tired of doing school work, I will tell myself, "OK, we're getting it done tonight, no matter what it takes." When I take this route, I get things done, even if I stay up late. This method is normally reserved for projects that I had put off until the last minute, but I have started to think that I should use it more often. Like baseball, I am physically prepared to do the work (other than when sleep deprivation kicks in, or my mind is shot from a long day at school), but I need to get mentally prepared to be productive, even if it is a challenge.