“You think you know what it’s like and you think you’ve played under pressure, but you haven’t.”

These were the recent words of professional golfer Rory McIlroy, who just won the PGA Tour Championship last week and has his sights set on the Ryder Cup this week. Great champions and high level athletes seem to have a very unique perspective and relationship with this emotional-biochemical-physical-body-reaction thing we call pressure. It’s the mindset approach and optimization that allows these champions to be aware and respond effectively that makes all the difference in their performance.

Pressure is very real and exists for all of us. It stems from thousands of years of evolution of our brains seeking to protect us; essentially, from failure. As an Olympian, not throwing a javelin far enough may result in a silver or bronze medal; as a caveman, it likely resulted in a lost meal, injury or even death. Unfortunately, our brains haven’t quite caught up to that evolutionary safeguard, which today, can significantly impact how we perform in high-pressure situations (likely not involving saber-toothed tigers).

As Dr. Justin Anderson (Sport Psychologist and Founder of Premier Sport Psychology) puts it, “Pressure just is. It’s there. I don’t define it as good or bad. If you’re playing in a pressure situation, it just means that it matters and that you’ve likely done something pretty great to get there. At the end of the day, pressure is just context; the task remains the same.”

Think about it this way: If we put a board on the ground and asked you to walk across it, would you be able to do so without touching the ground or falling? You likely very well could. Now if we were to raise the board 5 feet off the ground and ask you to walk across, would you? You might be more hesitant. You likely could do it, but at a risk of falling. What if we raised it 10 or 15 more feet off the ground? Would you walk across the board then? At that point, you probably wouldn’t dare walk across – rightfully citing injury or fear. But why not step up to the challenge when the bar has been raised? The board is the same width as it was before when it was sitting on the ground – it’s simply the context that is different. The difference is the pressure you feel to perform, and to perform well (i.e., without making a mistake).

We can anticipate pressure and we know that it will be there at the Ryder Cup. What we see in this particular setting that is unique for many golfers is that golf, which is traditionally an individual sport, will now become a team sport. In addition to the pressure they likely already feel, the golfers will now feel a team aspect: a pressure to perform well and a responsibility to the team. What they do now matters not just for them, but for others, too.

The key for any athlete in dealing with pressure is really pretty simple, and might even seem counter-intuitive. The key is not to try to make pressure work for or against you in that moment. If you’re focusing on what to do with the pressure, then you’re distracting yourself from the task at hand and instead putting your attention on the pressure. Instead, think about what your job is in that moment, for example; first driving (finding a target on the fairway and getting the ball there) and then putting (rolling the ball on a specific line to fall in the dead center of the cup). That’s it. Think, “Regardless of how I feel, regardless of the pressure, regardless of the context, I want to put the ball on that line.”

And that’s where the mindset training comes into play. At Premier Sport Psychology, we work with countless professional golfers on how to sharpen their ability to focus on simply the task at hand. When they do that, the rest begins to fall away – leaving only a single task for them to accomplish and pressure left to deal with itself – or even better, their opponents. Those who work to optimize their mindset and who know there will always be pressure are the ones who not only compete, but also succeed at high levels.

With the Paralympics just days away, there have been multiple stories regarding the living conditions in the Olympic village. News of trash fires and flooded rooms darkened the first impressions of Rio heading into the Olympics. Conditions were so bad that the USA Basketball teams are stayed on a luxury cruise ship. Obviously, conditions are less than ideal for these athletes. Should this affect their play?

Seldom is the case that conditions will be perfect for you during competition. For outdoor events, playing conditions are subject to the weather, with the wind, rain, and even snow becoming a factor. Away teams travel on cramped buses or sit for hours on a long plane ride, while the home team sleeps comfortably in their regular beds the night before. For every athletic event out there, there are just as many things that can go wrong. It is easy to get discouraged under difficult circumstances or blame a poor performance on the conditions. However, there is always something you can do about it. You can always control how you react to it.

John Wooden famously stated, “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” You will never be able to control how your sport plays out, but you are always in control of your actions. If it’s pouring rain during your competition, a constructive way to respond is to accept the rain for what it is and determine how you can play your best even though you are soaking wet. While others are complaining about the wet conditions, you can focus on the game and what you need to do to win.

Another common distraction is when things go awry leading up to competition. Similar to the disturbing events leading up to Rio, things can go wrong before you get to the contest site. Your transportation may break down. Heavy traffic might delay your arrival. You, yourself, might be someone who typically misplaces your gear. These scenarios may increase your anxiety or distract you from you pre-performance routine. However, if you can accept the present conditions and make best with what you have, you can maintain a high level of play under difficult circumstances.

Perfect conditions rarely happen in athletics. You cannot control what happens around you. If you wait to act until the situations are perfect, then it is likely you will be waiting forever. However, if you accept the adversity that surrounds you and react accordingly, you will be much better off. Megan Kalmoe, a member of the US Olympic Rowing Team, understands this. In a recent blog post of hers, Megan eloquently stated that she “would row through [expletive] for you, America.” We all know the water conditions are poor, but how does dwelling on that help our athletes succeed? As Megan says, it does not help. The competitors who can focus on their performance, rather than let themselves be distracted by poor conditions, are the ones who will give themselves the best shot of winning medals in Rio.

What you choose to focus on is in your control. If you focus on the adverse conditions and wait until If you decide to focus on your behavior, instead of the adverse conditions that surround you, your chances of a better performance will increase.