Jamie Moyer And The Athlete's Fear of Being An Imposter

I recently finished reading the book “Just Tell Me Can’t: How Jamie Moyer Defied the Radar Gun and Defeated Time.” The book examines his long and successful career pitching for different teams, most notable for the Phillies when they won the World Series. But the primary focus is what he learned during his time working with sport psychologist, Harvey Dorfman. The next couple of blog entries stem from ideas mentioned in this book. 
 
Fear of being revealed as an imposter. This is a fear that lingers in the forefront of many athletes’ mind, especially when confidence has tanked. It is more common with younger athletes with less experience because of the many other athletes who are better coupled with the fact that younger athletes fail way more than they succeed. Both of these factors strengthen thoughts of being an imposter. Professionals, on the other hand, have very few who are better along with an excess of past successful experiences to prove they are not a fraud. The strongest psychological factor contributing to an athlete reaching the professional ranks is their ability to manage fears and thoughts of possibly being an imposter. The average athlete, the athlete who does not push him/herself, and the athlete who gives up are the ones who allow these thoughts to take over and control their decisions and actions. These thoughts take the form of self-statements like “What if I’m really not that good? What if everyone realizes I’ve been lucky up to this point, What if people are talking behind my back about how much I suck?” It is easy to see how these thoughts can cause anxiety, tension, poor performances, burnout, and quitting. But sometimes it is helps for younger athletes to realize that all the superstars, at some point in their development, experienced the same thoughts. For example, Tom Brady after being drafted in the drafted in the 6th round, Lebron James before he won a title, Jamie Moyer when he was in his early 30’s and bouncing from team to team, Alex Ovechkin because he has yet to win a Stanley Cup, and Peyton Manning when he’s thinking about his post-season record. 
 
Remember these concepts are applicable to all professions and areas of performance. Teachers, business people, general contractors, electricians, lawyers, police officer… all experience the fear being revealed as a fraud throughout their career.