There was one key thing that was so deadly about Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, Annika Sorenstam, Serena Williams, etc. They stepped into the ring, court, and track with complete confidence and belief that they've already won... This confidence doesn't come from nothing, but purely from the hours of preparation that these individuals have put in. These brave men and women know in their hearts that they have won. All they have to do is to execute, and if a win did not result, they're onto the next and ready to pounce on their next prey.
People misperceive this confidence as arrogance or hubris because of the lack of understanding and acknowledgment of the preparation that has resulted in the overwhelming amount of this misconstrued arrogance.
I'm not here to describe how countless hours is the only possible way to gain confidence and that edge over your competitors because you've heard it enough. I'm here to explain the concept that your next competition starts when you cross the last finish line, sink the final putt, or even until the clock hits zero... It may sound ridiculous, but every single millisecond in between every competition counts.
Does that mean we technically are never not in a competition?
EXACTLY...
From the way you acknowledge and thank the refs and fellow competitors or teammates after the game, all the way to the actual shots in the next game.
For example, how you carry yourself after the competition and how you treat your family at home. What time you sleep. The good deeds you do. The food you eat. Every single thing you can think of. Even the obvious (the amount of preparation that you put in on the field/court/course or the film study/course prep)
Do not ever let your guard down and think that the only time you worry about when it comes to your sport is what you do when the clock starts and till it winds down. At the end of the day, it's all that does get put on paper... But if you want to be legendary, you better always keep your head up and know that everything counts.
The time in between the game is the only thing that counts, but the time in between each competition reflects on the outcome. Let alone dictate it...