I was speaking to an Olympic athlete with whom I work after his country’s national championship recently and he told me that all he could think about before the event was how much he didn’t want to be there. He was burned out and just wanted the season to be over. Yet, this athlete also said that he had a handful more competitions left in his season. Clearly, his attitude is not a recipe for a strong finish to his season.

Whether you’re ending your season soon or at some other point in the future, you will likely fall into one of three camps as far as how your season will go. First, you may have a break-out season in which you are absolutely thrilled with your progress and results. You would be perfectly content if the season ended at that point.

But why wouldn’t you want to continue your great season by seeing if you can take it to an even higher level? Gosh, with a great season under your belt, at that point, you have nothing to lose and more to gain by making a conscious decision to really dig deep and see if you can “raise your game” even further. Not only might you add more good results to your season, but may find that you have another gear in you that you can carry into the next season.

Second, you’ve had an okay season in which you’ve shown improvement, but you haven’t done as well as you had hoped. Though you wouldn’t be entirely happy if the season ended here, you wouldn’t be entirely upset either. For you, there’s still time to take a decent season and turn it into a great one. So, again, you might as well make a commitment to performing the best that as you can.

Finally, your season is a real disappointment filled with setbacks or plateaus including poor performances, unsatisfying results, and a strong sense of frustration. If the season ended here, you would be one unhappy camper. Though you may wish for the season to end—just to put you out of your misery—as the saying goes, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” With some competitions ahead, it’s never too late to not only salvage a season, but to actually have it conclude on a high note. Same as with a mediocre season so far, if you keep doing what you’ve done, you’re probably going to get the same results. Why not decide to try something new and see what happens? You certainly don’t have anything more to lose at what has, unfortunately, been a losing season.

As for the season that will lie ahead, you will fall into one of two camps. Either you are already thinking about the off-season and jonesing to hang up your gear and chill out for a while. Or, you are still chomping at the bit for the upcoming events and are committed to do everything possible to finish your season strong.

Let me assure you that if you fall into the first camp, you might as well end your season now because you’re chances of having a good end of season is just about zero. Why? Because you won’t bring the necessary drive, intensity, or focus to get much out of your training or for you to give it your all in the remaining competitions. Though there are no guarantees, your only chance to finish strong is to make the commitment to getting the most out of your training and deciding to do nothing less that going for it as the season comes to its conclusion..

How the end of the season plays out depends on your attitude and your actions between now and when you walk off the field of play in your final competition of the season.

If You’re Performing Well

If you’re performing well, my gosh, keep doing what you’re doing. You are in an ideal position the last competitions of the season for several reasons. First, because your season is already a success, the rest of the season is just icing on the cake for you. Second, the pressure is off to get results, so you can compete with reckless abandon and not care about what happens. Just trust yourself and focus entirely on what you need to do to perform your best at every opportunity. If you keep doing what has worked so far, the chances are good that you will finish strong.

If Your Performing is ‘Meh’ or Worse

If your season to date lies somewhere between disappointing and devastating, there’s one thing you should definitely not do: panic! If you panic, some very bad things will happen. First, you will shift entirely into result mode, meaning you will focus on the results you need to get to salvage your season. This result focus will cause you to feel immense pressure every time you compete. This pressure will trigger negative thoughts (“If I don’t get a good result, my season will be an absolute fail.”), even worse emotions (fear!), and so much anxiety that you will be physically incapable of performing well.

As hard as it will be, you must let go of the pressure (“Even if I have a lousy season, I will be okay.”) and maintain a process focus (“What do I need to do to perform well?”). This point in the season is the time to step back, take a long and hard look at yourself, and see if you can identify any changes that will help you get your season end well.

At times like this, your best chance is to fight. This means that, instead of having a pity party and giving up, you need to get really mad and direct that anger into all of your practice and competitive efforts. The reality is that bringing it won’t necessarily produce a good result; your aggressiveness may lead to a big mistake or a defeat. But going for it is your only chance of getting the results you want. Or, you can say, “F&%# it!, let go of everything, relax, and let your body perform without your mind trying to control every little thing. I can assure you that, whatever the outcome, you will feel much better having ended your season with a bang rather than a whimper.

Back to Basics

Whether you’ve had a stellar, mediocre, or awful season so far, there are some things you can do that may help you finish the season strong. Go back to basics. In other words, do things that have helped you perform well in the past.

• Take care of yourself physically by getting enough sleep, eating well, and maintaining your fitness;
• Revisit technical and tactical fundamentals that may have slipped during the long season (do lots of drills to keep your foundation solid);
• Make sure you’re still doing your complete practice and competitive routines that will ensure total preparation every time you perform;
• Do a lot of mental imagery of performing well. The feelings and images you conjure up will build your confidence and get you fired up (or calmed down) and focused;
• Make sure you continue to engage in quality training with a clear goal, ideal intensity, and a specific focus every time you practice;
• Lastly, and most importantly, remember why you compete: because you love it and it’s fun.

Want to make get your mind in the best shape of your athletic life? Take a look at my online courses for athletes, coaches, and parents.