Let me ask you a question. What is harder for you: Dealing with failure or handling success?Coping with mistakes or maintaining a great performance game after game?While everyone speaks about the importance of raising ourselves up when we fail, I would like, with your permission, to spend two minutes reflecting on a challenge that I believe is even harder… DEALING WITH SUCCESS IN FOOTBALL AND IN LIFE!WHY IS MAINTAINING SUCCESS SO HARD, YOU MIGHT ASK?Well, I remember my first game after winning the championship, as a 19-year old Maccabi Haifa FC first team player. Until that first title, I was a nobody. I had no heavy expectations on my shoulders which meant I didn’t feel the pressure of succeeding or the fear of failing.  I had nothing to lose – I played to win!But then, after winning the first championship, I became somebody. People began to know who I was.  Now it was a different story.  The media started writing about me as ‘the new defender in town.’  I will never forget the feeling I had before every game. Sweaty palms, butterflies inmy stomach.  “People know me,” I kept telling myself^.  “I can’t mess up now!”  And, there I was, a young player with a pretty impressive track record but instead of enjoying it, I WAS TERRIFIED OF LOSING IT!And so I started playing the game I loved so much, from the mentality of ‘playing not to lose.’  The results?… don’t ask! THE FEAR OF LOSING, MADE ME PLAY IT SAFE, HESITATING BEFORE EVERY PASS. In a critical league game at the 88th minute, with only two minutes left and a lead of 2:1 in our favor, I played it safe, made a mistake which resulted in a foul and awarded the opposing team a penalty kick. They scored a goal leading to a 2:2 final result and their win. I was at fault and the entire game was lost because of my actions. Period. Fast forward to today, 15 years later.  As the Mental Coach of Hapoel Beer Sheva FC first division team, it happened again.Winning the historical championship, as the mentor of my team, brought on even more pressure,  now it was about winning the SECOND championship in a row!  You see, to jump from underdog status to champions was one thing.  But from champions to dominating the league was a totally different story!So you see, recovering from a bad game can be hard, but maintaining stability in achieving high goals proves to be mercilessly unforgiving and very difficult.  That’s why when you win, it’s harder because you’re constantly worried that you will not be able to keep it up!HOW TO MAINTAIN SUCCESS WITHOUT STRESS.The question we have to ask ourselves is not just how to win.  We have to ask ourselves how to maintain stability without the stress and anxiety that our demanding career triggers for us on our journey towards achieving “sky’s the limit” goals.  So, how do we do it? It my experience there are 3 levels that every footballer goes through in his career.  Please note that only 1% achieve the 3trid and highest.  Which one are you?" and which one do you want to be?"LEVEL 1 – SURVIVOR FOOTBALLERThe survivor footballer plays the game from the ‘not losing’ mentality.  This player always avoids taking that final shot in the 88th minute because ‘not missing’ drives him much more than ‘maybe scoring’ the winning goal.This survivor footballer so badly wants his game to go exactly as he planned in his mind that, subconsciously, he starts to hesitate before every move, over-thinking and analyzing every pass.  His life becomes an ‘all or nothing, hero or zero, black or white’ existence, no gray areas..  One good pass at the beginning of the game and his confidence skyrockets.  But one mistake during the first 5 minutes send his self-esteem crashing to the ground and in his mind there’s no point in ev

Fearless Footballer Podcast

Beyond Winning and Above Losing

Welcome to the Fearless Footballer Podcast! conversations about the mental side of winning in football and life. Hosted by: Eitan Azaria, Hosted by Eitan Azaria, Former Pro-Footballer and current Mental Game Coach for professional footballers, Author of best-selling book: “The Fearless Footballer.”