08/29/2026
“Does winning care?”
A coach I have worked with for a long time—and someone I respect a great deal—asked me that recently.
He has always understood and supported mental performance, which made the question even more interesting.
I have thought about it a lot.
The answer is Absolutely Not!
Winning does not care how hard you worked.
It does not care how much pressure you were under, how talented you are, what happened last week or what you intended to do.
Winning does not care whether you were anxious, distracted, frustrated, tired or afraid. Winning does not care about your triggers or your self help coping skills!
But you have to believe!
The high achieving athlete and team has to become insightful enough to understand themselves.
The coach has to care enough to develop people—not just demand outcomes.
The team has to trust enough to hold one another accountable.
The culture has to care enough to prepare for the moments when talent is no longer enough.
Self-awareness matters. Self-regulation matters. Belief matters. Communication, accountability and the ability to respond under pressure all matter.
Mental performance is required to win consistently.
But winning does not care about your mental performance.
It simply reveals whether you developed it well enough to access what you needed when the moment arrived.
Does winning care?
No.
That is why you have to.
Achievement > Relief
DonovanMentalPerformance
