Our culture values getting more and more things done, as fast as possible. However, quality can often get overlooked and undervalued in the process.
I would like to talk about what I believe is the cornerstone of high performance: NOT multitasking. This concept is all about getting a fewer number of things done but doing them MUCH BETTER!!!
Here are three reasons we should help our children commit to doing a GREAT job on less things:
Confidence is like a muscle – it is developed through successful experiences. Doing a great job on a fewer number of things is the BEST way children can build self-confidence.
When children feel they are successful and their self-confidence is growing, they have far more ENERGY and excitement to WANT to stretch and try new and challenging activities. After your child does a great job on a task, watch how excited they are to try the next task!
Simple expectations executed at an extremely high level equals peak performance. In every pressure moment I have had with athletes – the crowd is going wild and the athletes are feeling nervous – I have ALWAYS helped them focus on doing one thing AWESOME. Keep things simple and watch quality SOAR in even the most pressure-filled moments.
As our children participate in swimming, we can help them utilize this concept before they start a practice, a race, etc. Ask your child to select one thing they want to accomplish and remind them to keep their focus on that one thing. THEN, when they execute that ONE THING…Reward them!!!
The concept of NOT multitasking is all about creating habits of excellence. Self-confidence goes up, energy and excitement go up, and performance quality goes up.
See you around the pool!
Yours in Swimming,
Mike Walker
