People tell me it rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest. I tell them there are a lot of sunny days, the air is fresh, and the scenery is second to none. This past April was one of the warmest and driest Aprils in history, and yet some people complained about the four days straight of rain we had in May. Is the cup half empty or half full (I know, an engineer would say the cup was bigger than it needed to be!)?
When driving in the rain, are there certain parts of the track that are more slippery than others? Sure. Which parts do you focus on the most? Where there is a lack of grip, or where there is grip? Do you focus on the lack of grip, or the grip you have?
Could it be that by focusing on where there isn’t grip, that’s where you go? And then your confidence level drops, while the amount of fear you’re experiencing goes up? Is that helping you relax, or is it making you more tense, resulting in less ability to sense the grip since your body is tense?
What if you focused on where there is grip, what would that do for you? Think about that for a moment.
Okay, let me tell you what I think you should do: Focus on the grip you have, not the grip you don’t have.
It seems to be part of human nature, or how our culture trains us to think: We focus more on what we don’t have, rather than on what we have; we focus on the negative, rather than the positive.
When I ask drivers to tell me what they do well, they struggle to answer me. But they have no problem whatsoever telling me what they need to do better.
Here’s my challenge to you:
- First, take 10 minutes and really think about all the things you do well as a driver. What are your strengths? I bet you have more than you admit to.
- The next time you’re on track, use your strengths. Focus on what you do well, and do more of that. It doesn’t matter what you could do better, just do more of what you do well (and don’t tell me that you don’t do anything well — there are things you’re good at). When you use your strengths, you may find that you don’t have time to do what you don’t do well).
- Then, search for where the track has more grip, and not only drive there, but appreciate it. Enjoy driving where there is grip. And yes, this applies equally to when the track is dry and when it’s wet. Oh, and use the grip! Some drivers will drive at the same speed on the slippery and grippier parts of the track, so you have to deliberately drive faster where there is more traction.
- Finally, be more accepting of yourself and your driving. We all make mistakes, we all want to improve, we all do things well, and sure, there are things we don’t do well. It’s okay.
Let me leave you with some of what tennis legend Roger Federer said during a commencement speech:
“Perfection is impossible. In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. But what percentage of points did I win?
“Fifty-four percent.
“In other words, even top ranked tennis players win barely more than half the points they play. When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think:
‘Okay, I double faulted… it’s only a point.’
‘Okay, I came to the net and I got passed again… it’s only a point.’“Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN’s top 10 playlist — that too is just a point.
“Here’s why I’m telling you this. When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world. And it is. But, when it’s behind you, it’s behind you.
“This mindset is crucial — because it frees you to fully commit to the next point with intensity, clarity, and focus.”
Leave behind where the track is lacking grip, or what you need to improve. Focus on — and use — the grip (and your strengths).
