Appreciation isn’t soft. It’s fuel that doesn’t run out halfway through the season.

Somewhere along the way appreciation got filed under nice-to-have, as though it were decoration on top of the real work. It functions more like a supply. People who notice what is going well keep effort available long after the ones running on frustration have burned through theirs. Anger is quick and expensive, while appreciation is slower and does not empty out in March.

Check what you are actually running on right now. If your motivation is mostly proving someone wrong, expect it to thin out at the worst point in the season. Add the other fuel on purpose: one thing about training, one teammate, one part you would miss.