Why have I put a toilet in my surgery?
Jennie Finch is a gold medal winning American softball player and is known as one of the all-time greatest female pitchers. She knows what it takes to perform at the highest level when dwelling on a mistake can ruin a game or even a season.
Jennie told us of how a sports psychologist was brought in to help her and the Arizona Wildcats team on their way to winning the 2001 World Series. This psychologist introduced a little toy toilet into the dugout and every time a player made a mistake, or struck out, they would come into the dugout, grab the loo and flush the vexation away.
In that moment, when things don't go to plan, we have to move on and refocus our attentions to the most important thing right now, which in softball or in the middle of surgery, is what you’re going to do next. Dwelling on a missed opportunity, a mistake or finding something unexpected only serves to distract you in that moment.
Of course, after the game, Jenny and her team would analyse what went wrong, why it went wrong and how they could do that little bit better next time but in the heat of battle, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the next time she walked back out onto the field, she performed to 100% of her potential without distraction.
Something not gone to plan?
Flush it, and move on.
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