What elite sport can teach us about managing money

Alain Meyer, how do you stay calm in sports under pressure so that you can make the right decisions?
Self-management is key here. In stressful situations, you should mentally take a step back and observe what is happening. You detach from your thoughts and emotions, creating distance and a sense of calm, which allows you to consciously focus on what you need in that moment and what truly matters. We often feel stress physically: a tight chest or a tense stomach. These signals tell the brain that it needs to act. Yet in precisely those moments, it is important to calm the body in order to think clearly.
In sport, we work with breathing techniques, but also with methods such as positive self-talk, shaping your inner dialogue so that it works for you rather than against you. Improving your posture can also encourage relaxation. Simply standing up, raising your shoulders and exhaling – these are small exercises that are often underestimated. In fact, they help activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which enables us to calm down and make strategic decisions.

In elite sport, the ability to control emotions at decisive moments in a competition is vital. When are emotions helpful, and when do they get in the way?
The key word here is acceptance. In the past, the prevailing view was that all negative emotions had to be suppressed immediately. However, recent studies show that any emotion you fight against tends to intensify. Emotions such as fear or uncertainty are not inherently negative; rather, they signal that the body needs something – for example, security or confidence. By consciously accepting your emotions, you avoid wasting energy trying to get rid of them. As a result, negative emotions lose their force. This allows you to act from a position of strength, recall your action plan more easily and focus on your skills.

Setbacks are part of sport. What can we learn from athletes about dealing with defeat?
Many of the greatest athletes describe defeats as learning experiences. I also believe that every setback provides a learning opportunity. They force you to reflect and find solutions. Put another way: if you want a career with highlights, setbacks come as part of the package. Rather than trying to avoid them at all costs, you should accept that they are part of the journey and find a constructive way to deal with them.
It is equally important to allow space for negative emotions. After a defeat, it is perfectly natural to feel sad or disappointed. These emotions should be consciously acknowledged – within an appropriate framework. After responding in this way, people are much better able to act when it is time to perform again.

Success in sport often needs to be sustained or even surpassed. How do athletes handle the mental challenge of dealing with their own success?
In an environment where the focus is always on maximum performance, it is crucial to keep things in perspective – and that includes success. After a major sporting achievement, it is perfectly acceptable to take a break or pause for a moment rather than constantly striving for more. In professional sport, you should not define yourself solely on the basis of goal achievement. That’s why I advise athletes to remain aware that, alongside sport, they fulfil many other roles. They are also spouses, friends, parents or children. This helps create alternative perspectives and a sense of balance.

From a sporting perspective, what matters when it comes to setting goals?
On the one hand, goals need to be realistic and measurable. You should ask yourself what is currently achievable and sensible in your everyday life. On the other hand, it is equally important to allow room for dreams, as they are the greatest source of motivation. The key is to strike the right balance between these two poles.

In sport, major events and important competitions are a regular occurrence. How do you prepare for the moments that really count?
People tend to want to do more than usual in special situations. We experienced this with the Swiss national team when we reached the quarter-finals at the last UEFA Women’s European Championship. In sport, there is the concept of the optimal performance zone: peak performance is most likely when you are operating at a moderate level of stimulation. Before an important match, players are usually already more nervous than usual. In such cases, it can be counterproductive to push them beyond that optimal midpoint with even more intense preparation. Usually, the best approach is not to change anything at all. That said, a certain level of tension is essential to maintain focus.

Discipline and perseverance are key factors in achieving sporting goals. From a sports psychology perspective, how important is training?
Very important. Scientific evidence clearly shows that regular repetition is a key driver of success. When we repeat a pattern often enough, the likelihood of being able to access it in decisive moments increases. In this sense, we are constantly training almost everything: if we are frequently anxious, we are unknowingly conditioning ourselves to respond with fear in certain situations. Conversely, if we repeatedly tell ourselves that something is achievable and that we will find a solution, we naturally adopt a more positive mindset.