Blame Yourself

     Based on the title it probably sounds like I'm about to write about the pitfalls of blaming yourself for failures and how it can be detrimental to your development as an athlete.  I am not.  In fact I plan on outlying how blaming yourself can be both beneficial and empowering.

     There is a primary rule within the field of fault analysis that can be summarized as "Never assign blame to a part of a system that you don't have any control of".  Assigning blame to something you have no control over will not promote any change that could lead to a different outcome next time.  Take for example a soccer player who slips on a muddy section of grass causing them to miss a shot and lose a game.  Some people may simply say "it's not your fault" or "it's just bad luck", but if you do that next time you are in a similar situation you are going to get the same bad outcome.  A more productive line of thinking would be to say I missed because I was not aware of the environmental factors, which will lead you to account for this next time and hopefully create a better outcome.  

     Do not take this the wrong way and believe that you need to berate yourself for every mistake of instance of bad luck, but simply figure out what you could have done better in that situation and resolve to do better next time.  There is ALWAYS some thing you could have done better.  In this way blame can become a positive call to action. 

     By taking on this way of thinking it empowers the athlete and gives them a feeling of control over their success or failure.  "I make things happen" rather than "Things happen to me".  The primary rule is that there are NO excuses.  Other players are not an excuse, officials are not an excuse, not even trying your best is an excuse.  There is always something you could have done better, something you could have though of, some preparation that you failed to do.  Taking ownership forces you to take action and improve yourself rather than deny blame and remain the same.  
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     Hopefully knowing this will allow you to take control and ownership of both your athletic career and all other aspects of your life leading to better outcomes.