An MVP's Take on "What If It All Goes Wrong?”
- Julie Jones
- Jun 17
- 5 min read
My friend Nathan LOVES the Knicks. During the final game of the NBA Championship, his wife sent a text that said he wasn’t moving…he was barely breathing as the clock ticked to 00.00. Then…the joy of a long-awaited championship for the East Coast guy who has been a ride-or-die forever!
Then…she said, “So many good ideas for Tips this week!” And, boy, was she right!
Let’s start with MVP Jalen Brunson! I could write a whole month of Tips from his comments throughout the playoffs and his post-game thoughts!
But this was my favorite! "You're allowed to think about the worst possible scenario, but you've got to go out there and do something about it.”
This might be one of the most misunderstood ideas in mental performance!
We've been told time and time again to "stay positive," "don't think negatively," or "don't let doubt creep in." But what if the goal isn't to eliminate negative thoughts? What if the goal is to use them?
I recently heard a similar conversation on Dr. Michael Gervais' Finding Mastery podcast with Canadian Olympic beach volleyball medalists Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes. As they discussed preparing for the biggest moments of the Paris Olympic Games, they talked about intentionally exploring what could go wrong. Not because they wanted to be pessimistic, but because they wanted to be prepared.
They weren’t all about the exercise!
Who wants to sit around before the biggest game, presentation, interview or conversation of their life and think, "Well...here are all the ways this thing could completely go to S&#@!"
But there is a huge difference between worrying about what might happen and planning for what might happen.
Worry loops. Planning moves.
This is where the work of psychologist Dr. Gabriele Oettingen comes in. Her research on WOOP, the process of moving through our Wish, Outcome, Obstacle and Plan, shows that positive thinking alone often isn't enough. In fact, simply imagining success can sometimes reduce effort because our brains experience a little bit of the reward before we've earned it.
Oh, and not into “wishing” for what you want? Then change the first “W” to WANT. It sits with me better, too!
Instead, Oettingen found that the most effective performers do something called mental contrasting. They imagine the goal they want to achieve and the obstacles that might stand in the way.
WOOP works like this:
Wish (or Want 😉) What do I want?
Outcome: What is the best possible outcome for this situation?
Obstacle: What could get in the way?
Plan: If that happens, then I will...
That last step, the plan, is where the magic happens.
Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer calls these implementation intentions. They are simple if-then plans that connect a predictable challenge to a predetermined response.
If I get tight before my at-bat, then I will take one deep breath and lock my eyes on the pitcher's logo.
If I make a mistake, then I will reset my body language before the next play begins.
If I feel overwhelmed before a presentation, then I will slow my breathing and focus on delivering the first sentence.
Research has shown that these implementation intentions dramatically improve follow-through because they reduce the need to make decisions under pressure. You don't have to figure out what to do in the moment. You've already decided.
You simply execute.
But here’s the part no one talks about...
When the pressure actually arrives, your brain will often try to talk you out of the plan.
The breath will feel too simple. The routine will feel too slow. The cue word will suddenly seem ridiculous.
You'll want to change your mechanics, overthink your strategy, or do something…anything...different.
Why?
Because under stress, your brain shifts into protection mode. The systems responsible for threat detection become more active while the parts of the brain responsible for planning and self-regulation become less efficient.
Michigan’s Dr. Ethan Kross, in his work on self-talk and the inner voice, describes how our mind often starts acting less like a coach and more like an overprotective attorney, making arguments for why we should abandon the current course of action.
The voice isn't trying to sabotage you. It's trying to protect you.
The problem is that "safe" and "successful" are not always the same thing.
Dr. Michael Gervais often reminds performers that you don't do what you intend to do under pressure. You do what you've trained yourself to do.
That distinction matters. As we’ve discussed over the past few weeks, pressure doesn't create habits. Pressure reveals them.
The best performers don't rise to the level of their intentions or the occasion. They fall back on the level of their preparation and habits.
There is another important lesson here. We can’t expect pressure to make us believe in our plan. We must expect pressure to make us question it.
This is normal. In fact, it might be one of the clearest signs that you're in a moment that matters.
But normal isn’t what we want to be! So, the key is learning the difference between abandoning a plan because of fear and adapting a plan because of new information.
Pressure will try to convince us that our plan isn't working. Data may tell us to adjust it. We must learn the difference.
We must not let our emotions rewrite the plan. We will be much better off if we let evidence refine it.
This is why I spend so much time with athletes and teams building routines, cue words, reset breaths, communication plans and pre-performance habits.
The goal isn't to create a script that guarantees success. The goal is to create something solid enough to return to when your emotions are trying to pull you somewhere else.
We often define confidence as believing nothing bad will happen. But maybe confidence is something different!
Maybe confidence is knowing you've already thought about what could go wrong...and you've already decided what you'll do when it does. Wouldn’t that be awesome?!
The best performers don't rehearse perfection. They rehearse their response to adversity.
So, this week, take five minutes and try this:
What do I want?
What is the best outcome?
What could realistically get in the way?
If that happens, what will I do?
Then write one simple if-then plan.
If I start to spiral, then I will come back to one fact, one breath, and one next action.
If I get frustrated, then I will look for evidence outside the story I'm telling myself.
If I feel doubt creeping in, then I will trust what I've practiced instead of what I feel.
High performers realize that the “if” in an implementation intention should really be a “when”…because pressure is coming for you if you do ANYTHING you care about!
And Jalen Brunson is right. We’re allowed to think about the worst possible scenario.
But we don't stop there!
We visit it. Learn from it. Make a plan for it.
And then go do something about it!!!
He and the Knicks certainly did! Some of their obstacles presented themselves…and they kept going…right to the top!
Manage the moments!!
Julie
Julie Jones
Mental Performance Coach
SSB Performance
juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946
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