031: How Expectations Limit Performance w/ Margaux Alvarez

That moment you realise you’re actually good at CrossFit is a double edged sword. There was probably a moment where you looked round the gym and you realised that you were no longer the athlete you were when you started. Or maybe you won a comp and that changed your own perception. These watershed moments are a brilliant opportunity to rewrite your story. No longer are you an amateur, you are good at this. Be careful though, because if you’re not aware you’ll create expectations which will limit your performance. Let’s define expectations quickly. Expectations are visions of the future, not that you hope to happen, but you bank on happening. What’s the problem with that, you may ask? Well, firstly, where did these expectations come from? Was it what you consciously crafted for yourself? Or are you assuming that the people you surround yourself with - your coaches, fellow athletes, and family, now expect a level of performance from you? Implicit in this is the challenging idea “what if I let them down?” Or does this come from fear? Fear of going back to the struggle? As we’ve previously discussed on this show, fear generated beliefs are often limiting beliefs. Expectations are too unyielding to be helpful. When you expect something to go a certain way, your sense of security is attacked when the anticipated result fails to materialise. Expectations create unhelpful pressure too. Our best performances happen when we’re not overwhelmed by the amount of pressure we feel. So what’s the alternative? Aspirations. Firstly, there’s aspirations of outcome based goals. There’s nothing wrong with saying: “I aspire to get to the Semifinals. Then, we have aspirations of input based goals. “I will do everything within my control to go unbroken on the double unders.” “I will put full effort into planning my macros and recovery.” Have high standards by all means. Have hope for your future. Don’t, however, hold onto expectations which will limit your performance. Today’s guest, 7x CrossFit Games athlete Margaux Alvarez, speaks so eloquently about many things in the following show, but the theme running through this, and something she is clearly highly adept at, is observing and refocusing expectations. Alongside expectations, we also discuss: How the tragic passing of her sister changed the way she lived her life What Margaux would teach an athlete on the cusp of reaching their next level The biggest hurdle Margaux had to overcome in competition The balance of discipline and self-compassion