Greatness Starts and Finishes with the Mind

The mind is a powerful thing. All too often the strength and weakness of the body gets all of the glory and the blame, but this is perhaps not entirely fair. The mind is what controls the body; it is the difference maker. Inside the head is where the real magic happens.

There are moments every day that provide opportunities for us to become mentally stronger, both in sport and in life. Mental toughness is something that is talked about a fair amount, but most people don’t spend much time training it. Our minds have a genetic baseline, but where it goes from there is largely under our control. The greats are not simply born mentally superior to the rest of us; they have molded themselves to be this way.

Build it

Everything you need to be successful is already inside of you. I promise you, it is. You already have all the components for greatness; the key is how to unlock them and reach your full potential. We all have a bit of brokenness inside of us, but we aren’t “broken.” We don’t need to be fixed; we need to build ourselves.

Take an honest evaluation of yourself. Then if you are comfortable, have a discussion with someone you trust. How do you respond when faced with adversity? How have you reacted to specific challenges in your life? Establish a baseline of where you are at. The goal is to improve upon that and become a better version of yourself.

I know that sometimes I am overcome with emotion when the going gets tough. It feels paralyzing sometimes, and it makes me want to give up. My husband, on the other hand, is very logical and detail oriented. He understands me, and he allows me the time to get some of my emotions out. We then sit down together and discuss the situation. Talking with him makes it so much easier to find solutions for what needs to be done moving forward.The next time I’m faced with a challenge, I try to find a better balance between letting my emotions get the better of me and thinking rationally.

Fear of Failure

People routinely give reasons ahead of time for why the outcome is the way it is. The outside world can never truly know their talent because it’s impossible to measure when 100% effort is not given. We need to remove all of the obstacles for why we didn’t perform. Sometimes we simply are not good enough, and that’s tough to admit to ourselves.

Failure is scary, and nobody likes it. This fear of failure can be so strong that we never fully commit. We procrastinate or avoid challenging situations that may not bring us success. We set unrealistic goals for ourselves so that we have a good excuse for failing. We tell our family and friends that we probably won’t do well so expectations are low. We are constantly worried that we’ll disappoint other people or believe they will think less of us.

We need to undo this self sabotage and change our attitude with failure. The only failure in life is not giving your best. Every single day. We give our best each day in order to become the best possible version of ourselves. Performance will take dramatic leaps when you can change your relationship with the idea of “failure.”

I love structured training for this very reason. I “fail” many workouts. I’m simply not strong enough yet to complete them. But not hitting all the targets in workouts gives my coach and me so much information about the work that needs to be done moving forward. If you are not occasionally “failing” in life, you are limiting yourself and your capabilities.

Competition

Competition can be one of the scariest experiences because it is directly comparing ourselves to others, but it also brings out the best in us. Even if you are terrified and hate it, you will be better in competition. Mental toughness will bring you more confidence in sport. Not being afraid of failure will allow you to perform unshackled. Only then will you know your true potential.

I have a love/hate relationship with racing. After years of overdoing it, it sometimes brings me a lot of anxiety these days. I don’t want to return to a downward spiral. My family, my coach, and I put our hearts and significant time into training, and I place a lot of pressure on myself to perform well in competition because I want to make sure the hard work is worthwhile.

I have a lot of thoughts running through my head every time I hit the start line. I continually remind myself that I belong there, and that this is just another chance to better myself. I try to shut out the thoughts questioning whether everybody else is faster than me or where I’m going to get dropped.

Support

Mental toughness is something that I’m constantly working on. Self confidence does not come naturally to me. It helps me to surround myself with supportive people.

My husband is with me every day and knows the struggles I face. His unconditional love gives me permission to feel emotions and work through them. Knowing he is always going to be by my side lessens the fear of failure.

My coach, Alex Coh, gives me opportunities nearly every day to work on my mental strength. He pushes me harder than I’d ever push myself. He also believes in my abilities more than I do. I think it’s incredibly powerful to have an unbiased person in your corner who can assess things such as your history and numbers, and assure you that you CAN do it. All it takes is a little heart and self belief. When the defining moments come in races, I’m able to remind myself that I’ve dug deeper in training, and I’m capable of withstanding this as well.

My team, NeXT eSports p/b Enshored, is also crucial. We have so many national champions and experienced riders on our team that it gives me confidence knowing I’m surrounded by greatness. If they can do it, why can’t I? They are just normal people who have struggles as well. The team maintains a positive, encouraging atmosphere, and this makes it so much easier for me to be this way too.

Find your Motivation

Sometimes we need external motivation in order to be mentally tough. For me, that is my kids. They are old enough now to clearly understand my life, and I want to make sure I’m setting an example of resiliency.

My daughter, Grace, is 6 years old, and she is a fighter. It makes me proud to watch her try new skills on her bike, play with new friends, go on rollercoasters for the first time, and practice activities such as skateboarding, reading, and swimming over and over again. She gets outside of her comfort zone routinely. She wants to better herself. She always gets back up when she falls down, and she tries again, even if it is while she is crying uncontrollably. Nothing, absolutely nothing, brings me more joy than watching her grow into a strong, irrepressible young girl.

At some point, life is going to hit Grace hard. She is going to have bad experiences at school or in sports. How is she going to react when this happens? My hope is that because of the example that my husband and I set, she will continue to demonstrate her mental toughness and use these circumstances as learning opportunities.

Mental Training

So what can we do to train our minds?

Focus on what you can control-It can be overwhelming thinking about all of the aspects of life that are out of your control. Try not to let the stress accumulate. Instead, focus your energy on what is within your power.
Consider the Outcomes and Plan Ahead-Feeling prepared can help reduce anxiety. Consider all possible outcomes and come up with a plan A, B, and C. Life rarely goes as planned so prepare yourself as well as possible, but then be mentally ready to adapt to the situation.
Be present-Focusing on everything that is still to come can be crippling. In the same way, remembering all of your past failings can leave us feeling less than confident. You are where you are. When you are in a race or hard interval set, think only of what needs to be done in that moment to guarantee your success.
Redefine failure-Failure is a part of life and is simply an opportunity to learn. The only way we reach success is by failing over and over again, each time acquiring new skills, and growing stronger and more intelligent.
Think positively-Avoid negative self talk or self sabotage. There is a saying in mountain biking: “Look where you want to go.” It’s the same in life and in sport. If we think we are going to get dropped in a certain part of the race, we probably will because we give ourselves an excuse. But if we picture ourselves pushing through the pain, there’s a chance we might surprise ourselves.
Remember who the f*** you are-We have all faced obstacles in life. It is what makes each of us who we are. Use these challenges to become more resilient. You are capable of going through hard times and coming out better for it. Don’t focus on the bad times, but keep them in the back of your mind because they can be powerful reminders of just how strong you are.

Conclusion

The next time life gives you the chance to be mentally strong or give in (my guess is it will be sometime later today!), think hard about how you are going to react. You are capable of greatness; only you know what that means to you though. Make your own success in life. It truly is up to you…and your mind!