Today I will try to explain and develop a topic closely related to motivation and sports abandonment: resilience. It's defined as the ability to adapt to difficult situations. When stress or adversity strikes, the resilient person experiences anger, pain, and sadness, but is able to continue functioning, both physically and psychologically. In sports, and in life, obstacles constantly arise. Mistakes, defeats, doubts, injuries and fears. The resilient athlete faces adversity, and continues to move forward despite all the difficulties that may appear along the way. He just never gives up.
Motivation levels will be negatively affected when resilience is lower and tolerance for failure is low. The lack of resilience of some athletes may be one of the reasons why they decide to leave the sport. Athletes usually don't abandon sport for a single reason; a set of variables usually arise, such as: excess pressure, lost of interest, lack of good results, or lack of enjoyment. (Trepode, 2001).
Resilience is the enemy of sports abandonment, because it helps maintaining high levels of motivation, keeps improving, and keep trying despite obstacles or negative results. it seems to me that the tattoo on the left forearm of Stan Wawrinka clearly summarizes the theme of this article. It says: «You always tried. You always failed. It doesn't matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better».
TREPODE, N. (2001). Abandonment of sport in young people. Readings: Physical Education and Sports, Digital Magazine, 40, http://www.efdeportes.com/efd40/aband.htm. Consultation [01/10/04].
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