“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land - there is no other life, but this.”

- Henry David Thoreau

“Never underestimate the power of passion.”

- Eve Sawyer

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

- Pope John XXIII

“Imagine.”

- John Lennon
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Hi!  On the Friday before the start of this holiday weekend signifying the end of summer, I sent the below message to all of the athletes I coach. I want to share it with you as well. This message is, I believe, is a fundamental truth, not only about our sport and all that encompasses it, but about life itself.

As I look back on my career as a musician, and then my journey as both athlete and coach, this fundamental belief has been at the core of it all. I would NOT be coaching today were it not for my ability to take the concept I’m going to (again) share with you, and make it part of my everyday life. Today, I want to again remind you all, from the bottom of my heart, what this concept is, and then share some “action points” shared with me years ago by a friend (author unknown), that I hope will help you make it a reality in your OWN life.

It seems every day we are bombarded with so many negative images and sales pitches in the media, many of which want to sell us on a “quick” fix, or on some kind of short cut to happiness and success, be it financial or personal or even athletic (if you happen to read the “big” triathlon or run mags!).

In my opinion, while there are likely many different “secrets” to fulfillment and success in life and in sport, there are few as important as this one thing: maintaining a positive attitude and a sincere and deep rooted BELIEF IN YOURSELF, no matter what.

That belief, not ONLY that you can have ANYTHING you want and are worthy of it, as long as you DECIDE what that is, and never stop believing, is the most important part of your success, but it isn’t all that’s required. You need to make a conscious decision, yes…a DECISION, to believe in yourself and your ability to be and do what you want, no matter what and then take action. Turning your beliefs into reality takes persistence, practice, and non-stop determination. Affirming your belief in yourself and the fact that you are IN CHARGE of how you REACT to what happens in your life is so important in this process as well…

To HELP YOU get this Friday started right, and to help you affirm your own belief, I want to share a little “mantra” that someone who cares, shared with me a long time ago. Like all of you, I have gone through difficult phases of my life, some more challenging than others. No matter what happens, I always come back to this mantra. I PROMISE myself that I will make the right choice, to read this (and even write it) each morning as I embark upon my day. I encourage you to consider doing the same……

———–
For TODAY…..
I am in charge of my life.
Today, I choose my thoughts.
Today, I choose my attitudes.
Today, I choose my actions and behaviors.
With these, I will discover my purpose. I will create my life, and my destiny.
———–

Honestly folks, many more days than not, I sit and REWRITE these lines, unless for some reason I am unable to. Should I miss a day or two, I try to get back on the horse as soon as I can. Maybe you’ll want to modify this slightly…depending on what works for you, or what seems appropriate at the moment. Whatever you choose, I  encourage you to reaffirm this TRUTH, for as long as you like, for years…because I BELIEVE it will make a difference.

One of my closest friends (who happens to be a very smart businessman and is highly successful) told me recently that if I were to think about it, I would see that affirmations only change everything, IF they are already true.

You can’t recite this if it has no basis in reality - you can’t affirm magical things or fantasy. Rather, what we MUST DO is consciously and vigorously affirm the BEST about ourselves. You ARE ambitious. You ARE honest. You ARE hard working. You DO have goals. YOu are WORTHY of achieving those goals, and ARE WORTHY of all of the good that life has to offer. And there are hundreds of other things about you that are also true and good and worth affirming. Believe it.

What do you say: would you make a choice with me, to get started again today?

Finally…in what is a change of pace for me, I’m going to leave you with a few more quotes today, rather than using them all up at the start!

All the best, and have a GREAT DAY, and WEEKEND!!!

-Al

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“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.”

- Anne Frank

“Live out of your imagination, not your history.”

- Stephen Covey

“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”

- James Dean

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving.”

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Whether you believe you can, or you can’t - you’re right.”

- Henry Ford

Hi everyone…

I know its been a while since I’ve blogged, but it isn’t because I’ve been sitting around eating bon-bons and watching TV! I’ve been busy, busy, which is awesome when you do what I do…

For instance, last night I had the pleasure and extreme honor of meeting a group of “Team Training New England” mentor coaches at a track in West Hartford, CT.

This was a group of “leader” coaches who are working under the guidance of TTNE head coaches, Lynne Tapper and Janice Cohen.

Janice and Lynne invited me to come and spend some time with these coaches, sharing some of my coaching and training experience and passing on a few tips.  We talked about all facets of running and triathlon including strength training and core training, keeping our pelvis neutral with the right kind of flexibility training, trusting our intuition when determining how “hard” we should go on any particular training day, among many other topics.

We also reviewed a few warm up and functional strength exercises and just generally had a WONDERFUL time sharing a little of ourselves with each other.

As is often the case, I went there hoping to give the coaches something that would be of value to them, and I left having received so much more than I could ever give! How so?

I was so inspired by this great group! They were motivated and excited to learn, and each has faced so many challenges and obstacles on their path of self discovery and growth! They all embody the GREATEST that we have in this great sport! I was truly honored to be there…

If you are in New England, and are interested in doing your first or second triathlon, or just want to be a part of a wonderful group of athletes and people, then check them out!

Lynne and Janice know their stuff - they are among the best coaches I have met in this sport. They give so much of themselves. Without people and coaches like this in our sport, it wouldn’t be what it is, that is for sure.

Congrats ladies! You are doing great things. Keep it up…

For more information on Team Training New England, go here: http://teamtrainingne.com/

A client of mine emailed me recently, with a very thought provoking and important message and question…

I thought you might all enjoy seeing what she wrote, and also seeing my response to it….

This topic is important for every athlete who aspires to be the greatest that THEY can be, yet also realizes that balance is necessary in all things…

Here is what she wrote:

—————

“Here’s a list of attributes from May/June’s Inside Triathlon that they list as attributes to make it as a professional. They really speak to me and what I need to do, to be the best that I can be.”

The patience to continually work on one’s weaknesses while on a performance plateau for months on end is often the critical characteristic that defines a pro.

• How long can you keep working on your swimming for hours every week while you still come out at the back of the field?
• How long can you continue to go to physical therapy for injury, or run in the pool or do inane muscle balance exercises?
• How long can you deny yourself dietary treats normal people eat daily?
• How long can you get to bed early every night?
• How long can you sit on the damn indoor trainer in the winter?

She went on to say, “these are the hard things! Having said that, I was out on a date last night!

Coach, I have been trying to create more balance in my life by allowing myself to get involved in some other things. I noticed that Chris Carmichael also encourages that for Lance. I want these additional activities to be part of what keeps me engaged and excited in triathlon.  On the other hand, sometimes I feel like they detract me from my focus and training. Then I read about Peter Reid’s absolute focus required to become his best. I think what I need is your objective outside opinion - if my other activities ever become a detriment to my training, I want you to bring it to my attention.”

———–

Here’s what I said in reply to her. I might rephrase some of this as I read through it, but I’m giving it to you here the same way it rolled off my fingers, the first time around…

“Wonderful email! thanks! As you know well, every time we’ve discussed your re-engaging yourself in some other fun activities, I’ve been very encouraging and supportive. I think its not only a good thing - it is absolutely essential, not only for your sanity, but ALSO, ironically, for your improvement!

You simply need to have balance - you need to have alternative activities that take you away from your  training game, even for a short time, to another place, that gives you some joy and relaxation and fun. When you achieve balance, your training will IMPROVE, and you’ll find yourself getting faster, more quickly, and enjoying it more along the way…

None of that means you can get away from the essence of the characteristics you listed….which is to say, you need to be willing to stick with it through tough times, and persist, despite some plateaus….you need to get accustomed to delayed gratification and sacrifice on some levels….that is what marks any person who achieves their best self, regardless of the endeavor.

Reading my previous blog post just a few days ago, where I talk about my own history: 5 years - 22 minutes.

That’s a lot of day in-day out plateaus, injuries, reassessing strategies, experimenting with new things, frustration, brief little victories, etc., etc. , all in the interest of me finding my best self. It truly was and IS a journey - it if wasn’t, and if I hadn’t managed to achieve some balance along the way too, then I surely wouldn’t be typing this right now…

So, I don’t think you have any concerns that you will get too involved in other things. I know you too well! My job moving forward will be to help ensure that you stay focused enough to keep improving, yet also balanced enough to keep it fun! Enjoying the process is far and away the most important thing. Finish lines and PRs come and go. Yes, those results ARE forever. But what we learn, and how we grow, and who we meet and can help along the way, is what makes all the difference, and what makes it all worthwhile…

I’ve been thinking a lot about these four “P’s” for a while.  They’re Patience, Persistence, Purpose, and Path. These words just came to me, without thinking hard about it, they just seemed like the right words..

This ‘thinking’ has been largely about and because of the people I coach, and those I meet in clinics and workshops.  It is about the JOURNEY of becoming better and faster, and attempting and hoping that it will all seem and feel easier.

Training over the long term, is not linear.  You get better in spurts, and in between, there’s a lot of heartache and even, at times, desperation.

It takes a long time to get good. Nothing worth achieving will ever happen quickly, or ‘overnight.’ All cliches, I know - but in this information age we live in, with coaches and “experts” and books and podcasts popping up every single minute of the day, all around us, I would say it is pretty easy for the average person to get sucked into thinking that it CAN be easier and it CAN happen faster….

———

Patience, Persistence, Purpose, Path.

If you will stay with me for a few minutes here, and let me share a personal story…actually, this is my history….I hope to make your visit worthwhile!

Back in 1983, encouraged by some friends who were runners, I ran the Boston Marathon as a “scab” - a back-of-the-packer. In those days, you needed to run 2:50 to qualify in men’s open, so naturally there were LOTS of runners at the back who ran the race without an official number.

I finished that day in about 4 hours, absolutely thrilled that I ran the entire way.   Check out the picture, taken with my two friends Kirk and Ken, as we waited anxiously for the noontime start. That “1983″ number was a fake that someone - I have no idea who, passed out to all of the scabs….

That day, I was so excited to be out there on the famous Boston course, that once I finished I set my sights on one thing, and one thing only, qualifying for that race - being able to attach a real number to my chest and run it as an official runner. Qualifying for this race became my singular PURPOSE as a runner.

I made a decision that some might think kind of extreme, but for me, it just felt right and seemed like the right thing to do. I decided…. that I wouldn’t run another marathon again, UNTIL I was ready to give qualifying a realistic shot.

As it turned out, I didn’t run another marathon for nearly 4 years.  My first “official” marathon, was in the fall of 1986 at Marine Corp.

Yes…my commitment to the PURPOSE that was so deep (almost unbelievably so) in my heart, led me to taking nearly 4 years between my 26.2mile races.

(During those years, I was running, training, experimenting, rehabbing from every injury a runner can have, discovering I didn’t do very well with high mileage, learning, learning, learning, and eventually experimenting with some of the things that are now in Runner-CORE)

I finished that first marathon in 1986 in 3:01:20, and for the first time, I really discovered what the WALL was - because I hit it HARD, very hard, at mile 23.

Because of my deep desire to get into Boston (qualifying had “dropped” to 3 hours for men’s open), I wrote a letter to the BAA asking them - no, BEGGING them - for entry into the following spring’s race, simply because I had started the race behind 14,000 runners.

Done.  My first Boston came in the spring of 1987. I had made it.

Once I raced Boston as an official runner, it became clear to me that my true PURPOSE at that point was to see how fast I could run the marathon distance. Given everything God had given to me, what was my true potential?

Given this challenge I hit myself with, what would be my PATH?

It was simple: learn everything I possibly could, and try to figure out how to get better and perhaps, run faster than I had imagined possible.

1988 Boston Marathon

———–

I kept knocking on doors and breaking down barriers, but they never went down quickly or easily! Never.

First it was to break 19min for 5k, then it was to break 30min for 5miles, and then I took some stabs at the half marathon and 20k distances, always trying something new in training, some new exercises, mixing workouts, and asking questions of everyone I knew.  Going back to Boston every year, and breaking 3 hours, but not quite yet having the race I had hoped for.

Finding my PATH.

Finally, in 1992, I had the marathon I had dreamed about. The race truly flowed for me from start to finish - and I ended finishing in 2:39:37, a personal best and far and away, faster than I had ever envisioned I would be capable of.

In the end, it became clear that the reason for my success was that, between the fall of 1986 and the spring of 1992, I had but one singular PURPOSE with my running, and I apparently had the PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to achieve what was close to my ultimate potential.

I trained with an unbelievable focus (ask my family, they  had to live with me - not always easy!)…

…taking FIVE YEARS of day in - day out training, lots of discomfort and hard work, and a never-ending desire to learn as much as I possibly could, all to improve by a mere 22 minutes…

5 years of non-stop, day in- day out, focus.

For 22minutes.

In this information age we live in, it is easy to forget that it takes a great deal of PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to have breakthroughs in our sport.

It takes the willingness to realize our best possible achievements will never happen overnight.

We need a PURPOSE that we are passionate about, to truly reach our own best performance potential.  We need to find a PATH - and not stray from that path unless it is clearly not working.

Whatever you focus on - that is what you will bring into reality. If you are focused on finding a different way, and mixing and mashing different philosophies into your training, going by the seat of your pants along the way, then that is what you will create more of. Following a well written training plan for 12 weeks isn’t enough. Do that 10x over, and you may then finally begin to see your potential come through.

If you think it will help - when you are getting impatient and wondering if you can do it, or if it is worth it, or if you have it in you - remember my history….

5 years - 22minutes.

———–

Was it worth it?

I can only tell you that my finish that day in 1992 at Boston, changed my life forever.

I was empowered with the idea that this kid who barely could run a mile in high school was now one of the better runners in the world’s most famous marathon. The 2nd Connecticut finisher that day! Yikes. I have very little talent and am truly, no better than any of you, that is for sure.

That experience gave me the belief in myself that empowered me to overcome my fear of the water and qualify for the Ironman World Championships in 2000.

And then the belief that the things I had learned about myself, and about training, would in some way perhaps be valuable to others, and I should choose a PATH of becoming a coach, so that I could share this and help empower other people…

I would not be writing this today, if not for those 5 years and 22 minutes. Its that simple.

Stay the PATH.

Believe in yourself.

Have a PURPOSE.

Don’t give up.

Be PERSISTENT.

They call it the grind for a reason. Be PATIENT.

Nothing worth achieving happens overnight or quickly…

————-

All the best of luck to YOU, and to those runners toeing the line this coming Patriots Day…

I’ve had the good fortune of speaking to a group of newbie runners recently as part of the “No Boundaries 5k” training program hosted by the folks at Fleet Feet Hartford, and I’ve also been coaching a group of high school age cyclists who are members of the Mystic Velo Junior cycling team, as they prepare for their upcoming season of racing. These are anxious and exciting times for both of these groups to be sure, as they look forward to an exciting journey that will be both challenging and rewarding, this year and beyond!

Whenever I’m working with novice or young athletes, I’m reminded that in sports like running or cycling, that can seem so complicated at times, it is so easy to look beyond the fundamentals (such as basic skill development, basic workout execution, and most of all, keeping it fun!), to things like expensive or fancy equipment, lactate threshold or VO2 max, and perhaps even “breakthrough” workouts or training sessions that carry a certain aura or “WOW” factor with them…

While there is value in those other things to be sure, the reality is that it’s the seemingly insignificant little things that we do every day, the basics and fundamentals, which truly lead us to our greatest successes. Those little daily “challenges” that we all face give us the opportunity to build true resiliency and strength. The bigger challenges that follow as we forge ahead, give us the opportunity to make valuable use of that resiliency and strength.

Success in endurance sport, be it running, cycling, swimming, or multisport, comes down to small, simple efforts, repeated over and over again, that give us the ability to undertake the bigger, more complicated efforts. Making the most of every moment puts you in a position to achieve the very best with each day. Despite our years of experience or lack of it, or the number of ironman finishes or double centuries on our resume, we can NEVER ever forget this!

In his book, “The Nuts and Bolts of Psychology for Swimmers,” Dr. Keith Bell talks about making the most of every opportunity we have by relating it to a favorite food of mine: popcorn!
————-

He says: “I recommend you think of training as a jar full of unpopped popcorn where each kernel represents one repetition, a practice drill, or a complete (workout) day’s practice. Your best chance (your ultimate goal) is to have a jar full of popcorn. But if you remove only one kernel it probably will have no effect on your chances of future success. Certainly, there would be no visibly noticeable difference. And it doesn’t really matter which kernel you remove. Remove one. Replace it. Remove another. The jar always appears just as full. Even if you take one out, leave it out, and remove another, it is difficult to notice any difference in the level of the popcorn in the jar, especially from a distance. If you continued to remove kernels from the jar and threw them away, the removal of each one still would be hard to notice. Only as they started to add up, would the difference become clearly noticeable. But then it would be too late. You can’t put them back in the jar if you already have thrown them away. If you wanted to reach your goal (a full jar of popcorn), you would hardly choose to throw the whole bunch away at once. But throwing them away one at a time makes it hard to see any effect at all. So, the next time you find yourself faced with a decision to get after a drill or coast (or skip a session without a really good reason), just say “popcorn” to yourself. You’ll know what it means. Then, use that signal to make that opportunity count.”
————-

By doing your very best every day to pay attention to the seemingly insignificant details, you will discover and develop ways in which to positively and successfully influence the big picture - your long term dreams and goals that may seem so far off, as you sit here right now.

By making sure that the mundane and tedious tasks are taken care of, you open the door to the opportunity for some exciting, impressive and spectacular results in the near and distant future.

Meaningful achievements on any level are always composed of many, many smaller achievements. In a very real way, that simple fact is what makes true, substantial success, however you define it, available to anyone including you!

You know that in every moment of your daily life there is some small detail you can attend to, some small challenge that you can embrace. At first your gut may tell you that it isn’t that important. Stop and think, and remember the popcorn.

Start today, to make a habit of always giving whatever you can with whatever you have available to you at that moment, in a sincere and honest way, and I believe that you will be closer to the point where you can truly achieve whatever you wish for.

Of course, any discussion about dedication and achievement has to, on some level, come down to one word: SACRIFICE.

I don’t know who originally said this, but it is worth repeating and reading twice through:

Most people’s dreams don’t match their perception of the reality of what it will take to get there.

What does it take? Sacrifice.

My definition of sacrifice is to forfeit one thing for another thing considered to be of greater value. So the questions for us become, what do we value the most...and what are we willing to sacrifice to get there?

The answers to those two are worth some consideration, don’t you think??

I posted the first in a series of thoughts revolving around “busting” our excuses a while back, and thought I’d continue throwing a few more out there today for you to ponder and put into action…

What’s amazing about these kinds of self deprecating and defeating negative thoughts, is that they are so common among all of us! :-)  Depending on where we are at any point in our lives, every single one of us, from the elite at the sharp end of the race all of the way back to the average everyday athlete, at one time or another has struggled with feelings of self worth or of doubting ourselves or feeling we don’t have what it takes. From those feelings, we can lose the motivation and inspiration we need to be great and to feel good about where we are at!

Knowing we all go through some of these at one time or another, should help each of us. We’re not alone. What I have found is the most productive strategy with ANY of these negative thoughts, is to immediately STOP thinking a certain way (negative) and begin immediately replacing that negative with some kind of a positive thought or belief. Repeat it, over and over, and then begin immediately to TAKE SOME ACTION that will reinforce that positive belief, thought, or feeling.

I want to encourage you to remember that the action need not be monumental or huge. Sometimes something as simple as 5min of exercise or a single, relaxed, Yoga pose…or eating a single food that nourishes our body and mind, or spending a few minutes reading a short passage from one of our favorite books on the topic, can be all we need to right the ship and keep on keeping on, in a productive way.

What works for you?

Read on…

**

I’m overwhelmed with too many responsibilities and I”…………
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Believe me, I know the feeling.  Sometimes we ARE just so overwhelmed, we can feel like throwing up our hands or crawling into a hole and curling up in the fetal position.  While this is sometimes what we feel like, its the WRONG thing to do! That’s exactly what you must not do.

When you’re overwhelmed, that’s all the more reason to start taking the actions that will help you grow and improve your situation. When you’re overwhelmed is when you’re the most frustrated, but also often the most motivated. Now is your chance to really take action with dedication and commitment. Don’t blow the opportunity. The frustration you feel is good, solid positive energy waiting to be released. If it is not released in a positive direction, there is the danger that it will become destructive energy. Use that frustration to your advantage. You’re overwhelmed?  GREAT! Do something about it right now. Stop complaining and start taking positive action. I know, sounds harsh, but sometimes its what we all need to hear.

If you’re overwhelmed it means that there are plenty of things which can be done, things which will most likely make a difference very quickly. Pick something, anything, that you know will allow you to feel better about yourself and your situation, and start doing it right now. As soon as you get busy and take some action, your frustration will once again be the thing that starts pushing you forward.

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“I’m just an average athlete and not very experienced, and I don’t know if I really deserve to succeed”……….
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This feeling of unworthiness, because we feel like a novice or “average,” is so common, and faulty thinking! Come on now, you are just as worthy, just as valuable, and in a place that EVERY athlete or person has been in at one time or another. No one should be able to intimidate you, no matter where THEY are at in their own path of personal growth, or goodness knows, what their business card says, or how big their house is, or what their “personal best” time for Ironman is.

No one is better than you. You are the best there is. Inside you is the potential to do, or be anything you desire. No one has more than that. Some may have progressed farther down the path at this moment, but that doesn’t make them any better than you or more worthy.

If you start to take action right now, you will be working your way down that same path. No matter what anyone says, or does, no matter what your situation — personal, financial, social or otherwise — you can choose to live your life in your own way. And there is no greater success than that. But you must be the one to achieve your success. Though no one can hold you back if you’re determined enough, by the same token no one can do it for you. You’ve got to step up to the challenge, believe in yourself, and do what it takes, every day. Right now is a great time to start. You deserve the best that life, and your sport, has to offer. Do whatever needs to be done to make it happen, but most importantly, BELIEVE in you, and in the power that you possess inside.

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“I’ve already tried that”………..
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Trying is just not enough. The only way to accomplish what you want to accomplish is to do it, to do whatever it takes, to keep making the effort every day, until you achieve what you set out to achieve. If at first you don’t succeed, you’ve still learned something valuable about how to proceed. If you’ve already tried, that’s fine. Keep going. Make use of that experience. You’ve got a valuable perspective on what works and what doesn’t. Stop trying and start taking whatever action is necessary to reach the goal. Learn from the mistakes and appointments. Keep going. Start right now to really make it happen.  You can do it. You are doing it, just keep doing it!

———————–

Thanks for reading this far…make it a great day!

A client of mine emailed me the other day, and clearly was in a bit of a mental hole.  I could really sense her anxiety and knew she needed a boost, and fast.  What happened? On a whim, she decided to change her workout for the day from what I had written for her, and ventured into another longer, faster run with someone else, which at the time she knew would be challenging, but perhaps….also a lot of fun!  She knew she might be in over her head, but that didn’t stop her. Ever been there?

To make a long story short, her running pace really suffered late in the run, she bonked a little bit (due to a too fast early pace and longer mileage than she was really ready for) and just like that, as she started to feel worse, the mental demons and negative “inner critic” that has often been her nemesis, began to drag her down and attack her feelings of self worth.  Those mental demons, and negative thoughts forced her to doubt herself and any ability she might have to be ready for some upcoming goal races, and she ended up finishing a workout feeling much worse, both mentally and physically, then what she had obviously intended or hoped when she began it.

What happened? Where did she go wrong?

We all occasionally do something on a whim that, in hindsight, may not have seemed like the smartest choice to make. Most of the time, it is no big deal. We might need an extra day or two for recovery, but we usually do recover, and often are stronger for it.

Where this can turn into a bad (for our brains) situation, is when we make the choice to allow negative thoughts to take hold, and run rampant, attacking our own self worth and feelings of confidence.

My advice to you today, is don’t fall victim to your own inner critic. Don’t allow this to happen, no matter what you do, or what happens! You control your own thoughts, and only you can allow negative thoughts to take over and dominate your mind.

We have the opportunity, every second, to make a choice about what we think, and how we act.  Imagine - just imagine what would be possible for you, today, if only you could exercise positive, focused control over every thought and action that you had.

Imagine if this athlete had only that possibility!  If she did, she wouldn’t have wasted any time being angry or spiteful or envious or allow her self confidence to be damaged. She would have simply shrugged it off as a learning experience, laughed at herself, and moved herself positively forward.  She would have done the things that she knew she needed to do, and would have avoided those things that she now regrets.

Believing in oneself and then acting on that belief is a major challenge for every one of us, at one time or another! The biggest myth of all is that the “elite” among us, don’t fight the same daily battles that most of us do. We ALL fight that ‘inner critic’ that tells us we “don’t have what it takes,” or gives us a reason or an excuse not to succeed!

In what is a relentless effort to inspire and motivate you to reach your true potential, I am going to start writing some common negative thoughts that so many of us naturally have from time to time, and then follow with my coach reaction to them…so read on!

Do any of the below ‘themes’ or excuses sound familiar?

“I’m not sure I have what it takes to finish………or”…….”You see, I could never”…….

———————-

Why not? What do you mean, “I could never”? Of course you could. You could indeed. If it can be done, you can do it. Finishing an Ironman or a Sprint triathlon, or a 5k or a half marathon - regardless of the race or distance or event, has been done the “first” time by many before you, who are JUST LIKE you.

You’ve got to want it, of course. And if you want it enough, you’ll find a way to do it. “I could never” is usually said wistfully, meaning “I wish I could, but I can’t.” That’s preposterous. You can if you really want to. Free yourself from your own limitations. What do you want to do? What will fullfill the enormous potential that you absolutely have inside of you?  Certainly not hiding behind “I could never.” You are capable of truly amazing accomplishments! You can do whatever you decide you’re going to do! You can find a way. Have the courage to live your possiblities! You only go around once. Go for it, believe in you. Find the resources to help you, and take some action today to make it happen! I believe in you too! 

=======================

“I’m too busy”…………

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Just what exactly are you accomplishing with all of that busy-ness, and what is so important with that “busy-ness” that takes you away from, and not toward, the things you want the most in this one life you have to live? Simply being “busy” gets you nowhere, and let me tell you, I know from experience!

Stop being busy, evaluate your priorities, and begin today to take focused, directed, action. Anyone can be busy….so what? Accomplishments and personal growth require more than just burning up time. Accomplishment takes and demands action and results.  Start small if you need to, but start doing something today, that takes you toward what you want!

Remember, thousands of athletes and regular people just like you have daily responsibilities, and most of them manage to get the job done. Refine your priority list, throw out the garbage, and focus on what will bring you the results you desire!

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That’s it for now….more to come soon! Keep checking in….

Make it a GREAT day!  Believe!