One of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal to manage your emotions as a professional athlete is to create space.

Now, what is that space that we’re talking about? What is it filled with, and how does it serve us? Remember that when we let our emotions get the best of us in competition is typically when we react.

We tend to be reactionary, so we know we have a choice of reacting or responding. We are responding as being the ultimate choice.

It’s much better than reacting. The reason being we have a little bit more control over it.

The response that we give instead of just letting it be automated. Now, to go from reaction to response, we need to have a small amount of what I call space or time, and that space or time takes that reflexive, reactionary emotion that we all have.

That sometimes does not serve us, and it gives us just a little moment to ponder what response we want to have, and when we start giving just that little bit of time, it could only be a couple of seconds.

It doesn’t; it could be three to five seconds of how I want to respond. Just ask yourself that question alone, how do I want to respond?

Is the response I’m about to offer to go to serve me?

Um, what would be the most intelligent way for me to respond? Um, you can have this conversation in a matter of seconds within your mind, and then what you do is you create just a little bit more control. You start to take something that was out of control as a.

And pull it into your control as a response. This is a super powerful technique. It’s some people call it the five-second rule. Some people call it creating space. But I will tell you that if you can start working on this, whether you’re getting to an argument with your spouse, your girlfriend, significant other family members, or just someone at a convenience store, you know, you can really start to challenge yourself even if someone cuts you off on the highway.

Challenge yourself to create a little space and fill it with one question. How do I want to respond? Is this response serving me?

Is the decision I’m about to make going to ultimately, you know, serve me well, the shorter, the better? Use this tip, and I’m telling you, you’ll notice a massive difference in your emotional mastery and, therefore, your results in competition.

Take care, guys.