One letter makes all the difference with these words, just like one decision changes your mindset, attitude and outlook. That decision is to stop being a victim of your circumstances or your excuses. So many times in life, the only person holding us back is the person in the mirror. Here are three ways to shift your mindset:
I’M GLAD IT HAPPENED: When you find something you struggle with, get excited about it. I’m sorry, I just hallucinated…did you say get excited about a weakness? Yes I did. Finding something you aren’t great at means you have found something that can significantly improve your strength and/or fitness. Years back, I remember working with a power lifter who squatted 650lbs, a pretty solid number. During the off-season, we were working on single-leg movements to improve his squat and this was a foreign concept to him. He didn’t understand how lunges could help his squat. We put 135lbs on the bar for some back rack lunges. He stepped out for the first rep… and couldn’t stand back up. He was pretty discouraged, but this is when I told him to get excited. I said, “You squat six-fifty, which is already a pretty damn good number, so if we find something like a lunge that crushes you, just imagine what happens when you significantly improve on this.” His mindset shifted, he ended up working to 275lbs on lunges over time, and opened his season with a HUGE personal best. Next time you find a weakness, say to yourself, I’m glad it happened. Attack your weaknesses instead of avoiding them because this is often your biggest opportunity for overall improvement.
BE PRESENT: What is your self-talk like when you are working on weaknesses? Are you just mindlessly counting down the sets trying to get through it or are you focused on the task at hand? Take a deep breath, get your mind right and be present in every single rep. When you walk in the gym, and feel great physically and mentally, this is the best time to work on things you struggle with. If you’re feeling tired, have a lot of soreness or just had a tough day, usually you’re not in the best mindset for working weaknesses.
LONG HAUL: Your strength and fitness journey is never-ending. I see so many people put a ton of pressure on themselves that they need to have a certain skill or lift a certain amount of weight in a short time frame. Strength and endurance are EARNED, and it takes time. Putting an inordinate amount of pressure on yourself will only lead to frustration. Having a sense of urgency is not a bad thing, but you also need to trust the process, stay the course and your hard work will pay off.
This mindset shift will take time to become permanent. You will have many battles in your mind. When you get to the point that you win them more than you lose on a consistent basis you will find YOU ARE CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK.
GO BEYOND better, to your very best.