This is one of a series of emails I send to my team. These are meant to motivate swimmers and athletes alike. Enjoy!
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"In training everyone focuses on 90% physical and 10% mental, but in the races its 90% mental - because there's very little that separates us physically at the elite level". - Elka Graham.
We are elite. We have been training for months at a level that few people are at. But we can always get better. We can always become stronger. We just need to believe that we can.
This week's motivation is all about mentality. We are very physically strong, and we will continue to work on that. But we definitely need to be stronger mentally. And that starts with you. You have to believe in yourself that you can do it. At every single dual meet this year, I had at least one of you come up to me and tell me why some race was not going to end well, AND YOU HADN'T EVEN SWUM THE RACE YET. How can you know what you are going to swim before you get in the water? None of you are psychic, that is for certain. So it must be your mindset. You are nervous, you have a little ache here and there, and you worry too much. You don't trust yourself to swim fast. You don't trust your training, and so you don't believe that you are going to have a fast swim.
So how do we get past that? First, it starts with the desire. The desire to get faster, the desire to be the best you can be. You have to feed that desire, and keep telling yourself that YOU WANT THIS. You want to win, you want to swim your best time, whatever you want to do you have to mentally say to yourself every day: "I want this. I want this more than I want to breathe. So I am going to go for it, and no one, especially not myself, is going to stop me. I can do this. I have not been training for months to let my stupid brain get in my way." Most swimmers are able to swim personal bests at any meet they go to. ANY MEET. Now if you immediately think "Oh that's not me," WELL OF COURSE NOT IF YOU ARE THINKING LIKE THAT!!! You have to believe in yourself. Start with that desire, and know that you have what it takes to fuel that desire, and achieve it. So now, you have to go out and chase that dream. Let the desire fuel you. Every practice, every meet, believe in yourself, that what you are doing is helping you to become a better swimmer.
So don't look for excuses about why you can't swim fast. You can always swim fast. Even if, "my shoulder hurts," or "my back hurts," or "I didn't get enough sleep last night," you can swim fast. Tomorrow is another 6am practice people. This is an opportunity: you can either be negative, whine about everything and how you're SOOO TIIRRED... :'( .......
OR YOU CAN RISE UP AND SAY "I AM BETTER THAN THIS. I DID NOT GET UP AT 6AM TO BE A QUITTER. I GOT UP AT 6AM BECAUSE I AM NOT A QUITTER. I WANT TO GET BETTER. I WANT TO GET STRONGER, AND HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO DO JUST THAT." If everyone came into practice with that mentality, you all would be unstoppable.
Our minds are the masters of our bodies. We all know how to swim fast. I've seen you all do it many times. You just need to break down those mental blocks, and focus on what's important to yo, and pursue it with all your might, your strength, and your passion. Be mentally strong. Don't let bad circumstances, negative thoughts, or other people's negative thoughts, stop you from succeeding! And if any of you are thinking a single negative thought at this second, after reading all this email, then give yourself a bit 'ole mental slap in the face, and tell yourself to buck up. Don't let those thoughts bring you down for one second. You are all strong, passionate, tough, gifted people. The only person that tells you otherwise is yourself. Give yourself another mental slap in the face and focus.
So here are some more tips on how you can become mentally stronger:
For races: visualization. Take some time and think about your ideal race. What will your turns be like? What will your start be like? How fast will you be going? Think of every detail possible, and visualize yourself swimming that perfect race. Do that once, or even twice a day. That way, when you get to Conferences, it will be like you have already swum that race, and you just have to swim that same race.
For every day life: Believe in yourself. Stop making excuses. Look for the positive. It is everywhere if you take the time and look for it. Often-times we focus on the negative because it's seems so big, like when you've pulled a muscle, or have a HUGE paper to write and you don't want to. The positive will always out-weigh the negative if you look for it. Think instead about: how wonderful it will feel to get the paper finished, how nice it is to sit, stretch, put some ice and heat on that muscle, and focus on relaxation. How great it is that all this is making you a stronger person. Pain is temporary. That positive mentality can last longer, make you stronger, and help you out of many rough times.
And finally, SMILE MORE!!! Put out some good vibes, make positive thinking a habit. Your brain is the master of your body, and if your mind is happy, your body will be happy.
So team, from now until Conferences, STAY FOCUSED!!! Focused on your goals, on your races, on staying positive, and on being mentally strong. If any of you have any questions, or want some more tips on how to make staying mentally strong a habit, talk to me. I would love to listen and help out.
And finally, a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlBEqVBN02A
A friend of mine who's a body builder showed me this one. Arnold has some good stuff to say, so listen and pay attention. Also pay attention to what they eat: do you see soda (pop)? do you see cheeseburgers or lucky charms?? No, you don't. Fuel your body right guys! Fuel your mind, fuel your body.
GO BEARCATS!!!
Stephen Clendenin
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