587. A Sure Fire Way To Fail Miserably

Austin lays out what he thinks is the universal reason athletes execute poorly, at every level from LeBron to a nine year old: self consciousness, performing while monitoring how it looks to other people. He frames the alternative through the image of a tree that cannot eat its own fruit. You are meant to produce something others can use, and when you self serve you consume from the environment instead of adding to it. He tells the story of a professional basketball player stuck in his head about his shot selection, and how redirecting him toward defense and making his teammates better took the pressure off. The practical move when you are too far in your head is to go external: help somebody, teach somebody, name who you are playing for.