The College Transition ~ What Writers Can Learn From Athletes ~The Mental Game ~ Comp131.02

             If you’ve ever been on a high school sports team or if you just like to watch SPN, you’ve probably heard the term mental game. Henry Ford said “If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing you're right.” That is the whole theory behind mental game. Confidence and positive attitude might be just what you need to win. Yes practice and training are big factors but if a player comes into a baseball game with the mindset that they are going to lose, all the training that player has done will be useless. Mind over matter, right?                 When you watched the little kids play T-ball at the YMCA you can really see the mental game in effect. The coaches go through a great deal of trouble to make sure that the kids are not only having fun but are confident. However there is always the chance that one kid had decided he/she can’t do it. No matter how hard he tries he won’t be able to catch the ball, though there’s not much of that in t-ball any way, and when he goes up to bat he will probably miss the ball once or twice before he gets mad and just hits the stand. There really is more to sports than just being athletic.
                The mental game however, can apply to more than just sports. Have you ever had a test or even a class where, from the start you knew you were going to fail? Maybe you got a better grade that you expected but you didn’t get nearly as good of a grade as you should have. You will never reach your full potential if you don’t think you can. Obviously there are some things you need to be realistic about, you never be able to jump twelve feet in the air, but academically speaking why not shut for that 4.0. You can do it and even if you can’t what’s the worst thing that can happen?
                Now the mental game is more than just a good attitude, it’s also the willingness to try. If you’re too far away, go ahead and try to slide into home. Like athletes still train for their sport you still need to study for you finals. Be willing to take chances, thy taking the weak side of an argument just to see if you can win. Nobody is going to remember that same old play. Just like your professor won’t notice your paper out of all the papers they half to grade, unless you are willing to try something new, get a little dirty, and take and any opportunity you can to stand out. Don’t aim for first base, shout for a home run and you just might get there.