Patterns of Performance: What We All Can Learn From the Practices of Elite Athletes

Having an overarching purpose that is beyond oneself (a self-transcending purpose) is common amongst great performers in athletics. In his book, On Purpose, Dr. Victor Strecher, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, explains that nurturing a self-transcending purpose decreases the impact of our ego. When our ego is minimized, so too are constraining emotions, like fear and worry, that are associated with it.