After being injured and out for four months, former Olympic fencer Laurence Halstead was unsure if he would be able to qualify. A sports psychologist helped him see that if he was giving his best effort in a performance, he didn't need to beat himself up if he made mistakes.

This was a breakthrough for Laurence, who had always been incredibly hard on himself and struggled to get over a bad loss or mistake. He had thought that being hard on himself was what had helped him get to the elite level, but the psychologist helped him shift to a more self-compassionate mindset, so he could find more joy and freedom in his performance.

As a result of this Laurence saw how sport could be a force for good in the world and is now a leader in his own right working as the Director of Mentoring with the True Athlete Project and working directly with leaders.

Invitations

• How can you have more compassion for yourself?
• If you’re trying your best, you don’t need to beat yourself up.
• Mistakes are part of our design. What can we forgive ourselves for?

Links

• Connect with Laurence via LinkedIn
• Becoming a True Athlete: A Practical Philosophy for Flourishing Through Sport – Laurence’s book
• The True Athlete Project
• Laurence’s Website