These thoughts will turn into actions and you will see a tremendous change in your mindset and your life. You have to be conscious of this exercise, as it is very easy to just get out of bed and "get through another day". Remember each day is a new beginning, a fresh start, and a brand new chance to create greatness. We cannot focus on yesterday but having a good and better yet GREAT today will make for a better tomorrow.
Secondly, after a long day, when you are lying in bed about to fall asleep, finish the day with a positive thought. "I did my best today"; "I am so happy to be alive and tomorrow will be another good day"; "Good job on your effort today". Starting and ending your day with positive affirmations can be a game-changer.
Believe in yourself at all Times. You must learn to believe in yourself. Do not put yourself down or have disbelief in accomplishing a certain project, or workout, or task. No matter the task at hand, do the work necessary to succeed. If you have the action and the mindset, you will accomplish it. Believe in that and you will start doing big things.
Try meditation. Have you ever sat in a room or in your car with complete quietness, your eyes shut and focused on your internal thoughts? Try doing this for three to five minutes everyday. Do it before your workout, before you step into your office or before a big race.
Meditation can relax your mind, help get you centered and focused, and energize your thoughts. Focus on zoning out and direct your attention on your thoughts and your internal motivations. What drives, inspires and motivates you? This internal conditioning can be a supercharge in energy that you have been looking for.
Positive self-talk. This one goes hand in hand with endurance performance. During workouts and training you must create a positive self-awareness that will lead to successful performance. It's easy to talk ourselves into stopping short of the recommended distance or the last few intervals.
Continually tell yourself that you can do the mileage and you can push through the tough intervals. This will transfer over to your racing as when you are pushing and giving it your all, you will be able to push through that uncomfortable zone and have a successful race.
When those negative thoughts enter your head, turn them into positive thoughts:
- "Keep going."
- "Yes, I can."
- "I can hold this pace."
- "I can do one more hill repeat."
Your performance goes in the right direction when you think positively.
Write down all of your goals. This can be a road map to a successful training program. What do you want? A faster 5K? To train for an Ironman?
At the end of each season, you need to assess the previous season. What were your strengths? What were your weaknesses? What will be your goals for the next season? Goals are just random ideas and thoughts until they are written down. Create a game plan that you can look at everyday. If your goals are in sight every morning when you wake up, you are more likely to stay on track to accomplish those goals.
The next step is showing your goals to a mentor or coach. This helps hold you accountable to achieving your goals. Meet with that person periodically to talk about where you are at and what you need to do to stay on track.
As you work toward incorporating the six elements of this training system, you may not only see a dramatic change in your performance, but also your vitality and the way you live life.
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