Why Athletes Lose a Lead | Stop Protecting Your Score

You're performing well. You're ahead. And suddenly, instead of continuing to compete, you start trying to protect what you've already earned.That's often when performance changes.In this Mental Toughness Moment, Dr. Haley Perlus explores a common challenge among elite and professional athletes: shifting from performance mode into protection mode when there's suddenly something to lose.You'll learn why trying to protect a score, lead, PR, or great performance can actually threaten it — and how the world's best athletes trust the strategies that got them there.Using examples from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Alexander Zverev, Haley breaks down the difference between smart tactical adjustment and changing how you compete because you're afraid to lose.You'll also learn a simple three-step reset:NOTICE. TRUST. COMPETE.Because winning matters. The score matters. You don't have to pretend it doesn't.Mental toughness is learning to care deeply about the outcome without allowing the outcome to pull your attention away from what your performance needs right now.The score changed. Did your job change?If this Mental Toughness Moment helps you, like the video, subscribe, and share it with an athlete who needs to hear it.