Pre-game Jitters
How to prepare for a big moment.
I’ve always loved competitive sports. In high school, I competed on the basketball, volleyball, and track teams. In university, I competitively trained Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
I was always anxious the night before a big event, and no stranger to the feelings of racing thoughts, a pounding heartbeat, and wobbly limbs.
Enter pre-game jitters.
Over the years, I learned that pre-game jitters are a mechanism to prepare your mind and body for the moment. And to manage the jitters, I’ve developed a toolbox of mental models to help reframe my thinking.
Today, I use these mental models to prepare for critical moment such as:
An impactful presentation at work
A chat with someone important
A job interview
A big talk
These are not only useful to manage nerves, but to enhance performance as well.
Six mental models to curb your pre-game jitters:
Lions vs cows
Visualize the moment
Engage your imaginary coach
Truly believe you belong
Let go of the reigns
Access your alter ego
Lions vs cows
Preparation begins long before the big event. How you practice and train in the months leading up to the moment is critical.
Don’t work like a cow, grazing on the field all day. Nobody can consistently work 80-100 hour weeks and produce high quality work. Instead, work like a lion.
Lions hunt once every several days — they give it all they have. Then they rest, in anticipation of the next opportunity.
In the digital information age, we’re not meant to engage in long periods of monotonous work. Find opportunities to sprint and bring your intensity to 110%. Then fully rest, and repeat.
During the colder months, I hibernate. I’ll do a sprint of reading, writing, teaching, creating, building as much as I can, spending ~30 hours a week working on side projects. Then, when it gets warm, I’m out and about - throwing events, going to parties, meeting people for coffee, and having more fun.
Visualize the moment
Studies show that when we visualize an action, the same brain regions are stimulated as when we physically perform that action. Our thalamus (reality-making process of the brain) can’t distinct between inner and outer realities.
Use this to your advantage.
Michael Jordan references having always visualized himself taking the last shot of the game – long before he was bestowed that responsibility. He constantly pictured himself in the biggest moment, making the biggest shot, and when his time came, he was ready.
I’m no Jordan, but the night before a big presentation, I’ll visualize the perfect scenario in detail. It’s helped me get through nerve-racking moments.
Engage your imaginary coach
Your imaginary coach can be your parent, mentor, role model, friend, or actual coach. Imagine the person is there, completely behind you and convinced that you're going to crush it. They want you to succeed. They're rooting for you and offering you the advice and support you'd expect.
Many times, I’ve used this to technique to get me through public speaking engagements. It’s simple, but effective.
Truly believe you belong
If you have a figurative (or literal) seat at the table, it’s because you earned it. There’s a reason you’re there.
To conquer self-doubt, you’ll need to remind yourself of your prior accomplishments and hard work — the experiences that got you to this moment.
A helpful exercise is to keep a running list and routinely celebrate your achievements.
I have an email folder titled ‘Kudos’ to include thank you’s and notes of appreciation. Every Sunday, I’ll note down the week’s accomplishments, both big and small. And if I start to lose confidence, I’ll review these lists.
“Remember that you belong in any room that you enter.
— Shonda Rhimes (TV producer, screenwriter, and author)
Let go of the reigns
Fighters Floyd Mayweather (boxing) and Marcelo Garcia (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) are both known to be extremely calm before a bout. The reason? They have the confidence in knowing that they’ve done everything possible to prepare for the moment.
There’s a saying: “Practice Analytically, Perform Intuitively”
When training, be methodological, rigorous, and systematic in your approach.
But, when performing, rely on your intuition. Trust that your muscle memory and gut instinct will provide the outcomes you worked so hard for.
Before an important interview, I’ll enjoy a meal with a friend, and recognize that I’ve done all I can in the prior weeks of preparation. Same thing before a presentation — no note cramming or final reviews. Instead, I’ll get to know the audience and be present in the moment.
Access your alter ego
Early in her career, Beyoncé was known to be shy and reserved. She created an alter ego ‘Sasha Fierce’, that allowed her to access a level of confidence she didn’t yet believe she had.
Other performers have done this too: Adele, with her ‘Sasha Carter’ persona, Rowan Atkinson, and LeBron James also talk about this.
You don’t need to build a completely different identity, but it’s helpful to ask yourself: “Who is the type of person that could achieve that goal?”. Perhaps it’s an overconfident version of yourself — or a more humble one.
Then go be that person.
At first, your original self and your alter ego may seem like two disparate entities. But eventually, they’ll blend together
“I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until, finally, I became that person. Or he became me. Or we met at some point along the way.”
— Cary Grant (actor)