Are You Just “Going Through the Motions”?

Have you ever finished a practice and realized your body was there, but your mind wasn't?

Or it's bigger than that. Get up, go to class, go to practice, go to bed. On repeat. Weeks or months fly by, and you suddenly look back and think, "Where has all the time gone?"

If you’re anything like me, you know this feeling. It's the exhaustion of “going through the motions.” It’s that sinking thought that hits you: “What am I really doing?”

How I Fell Into The Trap

As a life-long multi-sport athlete, I know the arena well. There is nothing like sports. As a kid, it was simple: I was just having fun.

But in high school, the pressure mounted. Balancing school, sports, and a social life... that’s when “it” started to happen, even though I didn’t know what “it” was at the time. The subtle instances of “going through the motions” began.

That trap followed me to college, where I was slapped in the face…hard.

I quit.

I quit sports for a year because everything caught up to me. I was completely stuck. That painful experience is exactly where my passion for sport psychology sprouted.

I eventually returned to my sport, graduated, and started my journey in mental performance. 

I went through graduate school, and now I’m here. Guess what. Rinse and repeat. Still get caught in the trap. Only now, it looks a little bit different…

Same Trap, New Face

During my last year of graduate school, I was introduced to a concept I didn’t learn much about in my classes: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT). 

My traditional training was the "gold standard"—it was all about “fixing” and “controlling” thoughts, setting goals, and using visualization—but the more I heard about ACT, the more confused I became.

(And let's be clear, this isn't a knock on my education. I'm grateful for it. In all honesty, there were probably times I was “going through the motions” in class myself. And by probably, I mean yes, there was.)

This discovery sparked a major struggle with imposter syndrome. I started asking myself: “Am I supposed to be learning about ACT?”, “Did I just waste my time in grad school?”, ”Am I the only one who doesn’t know about this?”

After much reflection, I've realized the core ideas of ACT just make sense to me. They offer a foundation I couldn't find in my other training. And then my brain immediately says: “Wait, you don’t even know that much about ACT, so how can you praise it?”

Well, that’s why you’re reading these words now. I keep going through “the motions”. Right now, that’s imposter syndrome. This is my Alternative Motion. 

Let me explain…

My Alternative Motion

The truth is... I don't have all the answers. It may seem like I’m a sport psych guru because I earned an extra degree. That’s not the case. But I'm going to try to figure it out. Or rather, we are going to try to figure it out. This journal is my process of integrating my education with my passion for breaking through the habit of “going through the motions”.

Then, imposter syndrome comes back and says, ”Who am I to teach this? So many other people are better at this than I am!"

This is where it all connects. This journal is my Alternative Motion. I value helping people, and I hope to do that by sharing my experience and expertise. I find discomfort in sharing my thoughts and opinions with the world, because I feel imposter syndrome knocking on the door. However, I am making a commitment to write this journal anyway.

I’m not going to use this space to be or do something that I’m not or slip into “the motions”. Instead, I'm humbly inviting you to join me on my journey as I learn and apply these ACT principles in the world of sports and life.

So, cheers to imposter syndrome. Let’s acknowledge it. Let’s learn. And let’s get on with our work.

Wait, so why are you here? Well, this isn’t just about me - this is an invitation to you.

An Invitation to You

This journal will not be about hacks or quick fixes that will make all aspects of your life perfect in 10 minutes. It will be an honest exploration of performance concepts seen through an ACT lens.

Topics will include concepts such as performance anxiety, building identity as a current athlete or past athlete, handling mistakes, fighting imposter syndrome, exploring values, fusion vs. defusion, psychological flexibility as a whole, etc. 

I am willing to learn anything and everything, so this journal will be a fun ride. I invite you to hop on and join me.

This is meant to be a space where we can learn together how to catch ourselves “going through the motions,” and pivot to Alternative Motions, in an effort to build a more present, purposeful, and values-driven life - in and out of sports.

Thanks for being here.

-SPB

P.S. — My 1-on-1 coaching is built on this exact philosophy - we get to learn from one another. If this post resonated with you and you're curious about how these ideas could apply to your own life or performance, you can learn about my services or schedule a free 15-minute call.