Earlier this week, as I was doing a challenging swim practice I realized that the mental game of getting through something physically challenging is scarily on par with life challenges.
1) I hear the set. Fear, anxiety, knowledge of pain and suffering to come.
2) We start the 1st repeat. I wonder if there is some way I can get out of some of the set. Fake an illness? Say something came up at work? I only have 5 seconds rest after repeat 1- I unfortunately don't have time to tell my lane mates about some lamo made-up excuse.
3) Middle of the set. Getting into a groove despite lots of pain. Surprising myself. Can I actually do this? Maybe I'll make the whole set, maybe I won't but at least I made it # x repeat.
4) Last repeat. There is no way I'm NOT making this set. Do or die. It's happening. I can do it.
5) End of set. Worked so hard, I want to puke. Feeling good. Wondering why I ever doubted myself.
This is pretty much my line of thinking with any life challenge (grad school, relationships, big decisions)- Fear & doubt at the beginning- taking the plunge anyway- improvement, tenacity, and pride. A friend recently posted an article talking about success in life. It suggested the amount of success you experience (the typical definition of success- career, relationships, good home, etc.) is not based on how much you want something but how much pain/discomfort you are willing to tolerate. Did I mention I love sports?! :-)
1) I hear the set. Fear, anxiety, knowledge of pain and suffering to come.
2) We start the 1st repeat. I wonder if there is some way I can get out of some of the set. Fake an illness? Say something came up at work? I only have 5 seconds rest after repeat 1- I unfortunately don't have time to tell my lane mates about some lamo made-up excuse.
3) Middle of the set. Getting into a groove despite lots of pain. Surprising myself. Can I actually do this? Maybe I'll make the whole set, maybe I won't but at least I made it # x repeat.
4) Last repeat. There is no way I'm NOT making this set. Do or die. It's happening. I can do it.
5) End of set. Worked so hard, I want to puke. Feeling good. Wondering why I ever doubted myself.
This is pretty much my line of thinking with any life challenge (grad school, relationships, big decisions)- Fear & doubt at the beginning- taking the plunge anyway- improvement, tenacity, and pride. A friend recently posted an article talking about success in life. It suggested the amount of success you experience (the typical definition of success- career, relationships, good home, etc.) is not based on how much you want something but how much pain/discomfort you are willing to tolerate. Did I mention I love sports?! :-)