We All Hate Losing

The kid is back, and healthy—goodness, it feels good.

I know I’m not completely out of the injury woods yet, but I’m confident I’ve turned the corner.

Days and workouts are starting to stack up again. The pop in my moves is returning, and my jumper is getting dialed back in.

There’s so much to be grateful for. But amidst this gratitude, my team and I faced a tough loss in a very important game.

We all want a fairytale ending.

We want that comeback story to culminate in triumph.

The hard truth, though, is that life isn’t always a fairytale. Sometimes, that moment of triumph comes later than we expect.

So when it doesn’t come on our timeline, we face a choice: get discouraged or get motivated.

I’ve made my decision—what will yours be?

The Heart of Consistency

I’ve found that my life is significantly worse when I spend my in-between moments scrolling through social media. It’s a tough habit to break, but over the past few weeks, I’ve been intentionally using those slow moments for quiet reflection or listening to something that broadens my perspective.

That’s when I stumbled upon my new favorite podcast: Science of Running with Steve Magness.

It’s hosted by two college track and field coaches with PhDs in sports psychology and exercise science. They dive into different aspects of the athlete experience, all through the lens of actionable science.

Now, I know it’s not basketball-specific, but the topics they cover are universally relevant to any athlete, so I promise it’s a valuable listen.

In one episode, they explored how to maintain consistency, and there was one sentence they shared that’s been rattling around in my mind ever since I heard it.

“Adaptability is the heart of consistency.”

To be elite is to be consistent, and consistent excellence is the ultimate goal for every athlete.

We often think of consistency as being able to do the same thing over and over in the exact same way. But consistency isn’t the same as "sameness."

The point they made is that consistency isn’t about repeating the same actions; it’s about navigating the unpredictability of both training and games in order to deliver consistent performance.

We set a plan, and something throws it off track.

The real question is: How do we adjust in order to get as close to excellence as possible, despite unforeseen challenges?

Consistency isn’t about sticking rigidly to the plan—it’s about adjusting the plan as needed.

How do we find ways to show up, even when things beyond our control seem determined to stop us?

This hit me hard, because often when I have to adjust my plan, I feel like I’ve failed.

But that’s the wrong mindset.

The only way we fail is if we let those setbacks stop us from continuing the pursuit.

These adjustments—whether small or large—are the key to sustainability and, ultimately, to true consistency.

So, first: have a plan.

And second: expect that plan to need adjustments.

As you continue on your journey, you’ll get smarter and more tactical with those adjustments.

That’s the path to consistency.

Focus on improving your ability to adjust, rather than trying to follow the plan to a T.

Oh, and seriously—please listen to this podcast. They dive into consistency in a way that I can’t quite capture here. They nail it.

Losing Sucks

Now that I’ve outlined the key to consistency, let me share an unforeseen experience my team and I faced this weekend.

We were up 17-4 in the first six minutes of the Portuguese Cup Semi-Final against our rivals, FC Porto. Whoever won this game was expected to go on and win the cup, so in many ways, this was the real final.

But after that strong start, we completely collapsed. I mean, we really tanked. At one point in the fourth quarter, we were down by 21.

We lost our identity and our winning spirit.

There’s no other way to put it: we broke.

I did not expect this game to unfold the way it did.

Most people in my circle consider me one of the most competitive guys they know, so, to put it mildly, I didn’t take it well.

My initial reaction after the game was to focus on all the problems we had—blame my teammates, blame my coach, and ultimately, not take responsibility.

As athletes, this is often our defense mechanism.

Losing hurts because it’s tangible proof that says, “You’re not good enough.”

Nobody wants to hear or feel that.

But here’s the thing: that feeling is often necessary.

If we can harness it, it can ignite the positive change we need—both as players and as a team.

So hear me when I say this: losing should always hurt. If it doesn’t, you should be very, very concerned.

Apathy to losing is the acceptance of average.

This isn’t us. This isn’t Atypical.

As I mentioned earlier, a loss gives you a choice:

Get motivated or get discouraged.

If we stay true to the heart of consistency, the answer will always be motivation (yes, it might take some time to get over the sting of the loss, but eventually, the motivation will come).

Motivated to make the necessary adjustments and get closer to our excellence.

Motivated to look in the mirror and take ownership of our mistakes.

Motivated to improve.

Losing sucks, but it forces us to change.

This Week’s YouTube Video

We are back with a gameday vlog!

It feels so good to be able to make these style of videos again because it means I am healthy and doing what I love.

I hope you guys like them because I sure do like making them.

I’ll Leave You With This:

Development is a rollercoaster.

The season is a rollercoaster.

Life is a rollercoaster.

We can’t control the rollercoaster, but we can control how we respond to the ups and downs of it.

Expect the lows to hurt and expect to make adjustments.

It’s all a part of the beautiful athlete experience and we are blessed to be on our rollercoaster.

Love you guys,

Live Atypical.

Trey