The 3 P’s to Finishing Your Challenge

Have a PURPOSE: Why are you training? “I want to lose weight” is a goal, not a purpose. A father struggling with diabetes who tells me, “I want to be in my best shape when I dance with my daughter at her wedding” is a purpose. Find a purpose to your training, and go to that purpose everytime you train.

Have a PLAN: What is your plan, your road map, to finishing your challenge? If you jump in your car and want to go to Los Angeles, but have no idea how to get there, then the chances of you reaching your destination quickly and safely is pretty much slim to none. Have a written plan that you can stick to and record your results so that you know you’re moving towards your goal.

Have a PARTNER: If the best in any industry, whether professional athletes, world leaders, or A-list actors, have coaches to be the best at their craft, then what makes you think you can be successful all by yourself? Get yourself a partner, a coach, a trainer, someone who is not your friend, but a person who will hold you accountable to your goals and get you results. 

Turning it On and Off

You’ve put in the training and ran the miles. Physically, there is nothing more left to do. But, are you mentally prepared for your big race that is fast approaching?

Learn from martial arts competitor and performance coach, Erik A., how to focus your energy on calming your nerves and build your game day confidence.

One of the greatest tools I learned in competing at an international level is what I call “turning it on and off”. I’ve utilized this tool anytime I’ve had to bring out my peak performance and go from 0 to 100 on the spot, whether in competition, or in an interview, when having a difficult conversation, or giving a presentation.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Find “your moment”: Recall a time when you achieved something great. Remember everything about that moment – What it looked like, what it felt like, who was there, what it sounded like, even what it smelled like. Fill each of your senses with that moment.
  2. Find your trigger: Find a physical action that represents that moment. Maybe it was putting your hands in the air in triumph. Maybe it was shaking your client’s hand for your first big sale. Maybe it was kneeling in prayer in thanksgiving.
  3. Use that physical action to trigger your best right when you need it. So many people are unable to sleep or eat the days leading up to a race or big event because they have all those butterflies. If you have a game or race, find a time and a place right beforehand where you can go through that physical trigger so you can recall all the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of your moment.

Now you’re ready to run your best race, because you’re mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually at your best, and you haven’t wasted all that time expending nervous energy. Whenever you find yourself waning during your workout, use that physical trigger again to give yourself a little extra mid-game boost.