Perseverance!

It is always easy to stay motivated when things are going well. This is true for everything! Here, talking about orienteering, it is applicable in numerous ways. Currently, I’m unfortunately on the other side the equation: it is pretty hard to stay motivated when things are not going great. Well to clarify: that may be an overstatement, but its not going stellar. The orienteering that I have done during the past few weeks, I may have been lost more than I have been found! This is always hard on the mind and motivation.

Here comes the mental reframing and perseverance that needs to happen; especially when Canadian

Champs are a week away.

When things are not going great, I tend to think more about the expectations I place on myself and why I am not meeting them. THIS IS NOT HELPFUL! Even when I realize that I am not helping myself, it is hard to change the attitude. So here comes sport psychology. Stay in the moment. Focus on the process, not the result. These are key to overcoming the lack of motivation and frustration.

Focusing on the process, and staying in the moment, for me, capture the idea of completely letting go of any expectations you have of yourself. Thinking instead about the technical aspects, the physical aspects and the real reason why we orienteer: to have FUN!

When things are not going as planned, focusing on the basics gets you through and back to the enjoyment of sport. Coming into Canadians, this is my biggest goal. I will focus on the basics and just have fun getting out there. Happy orienteering! J

p.s. Thanks for the Ottawa Orienteering Club for putting on some great events that I could take advantage of!