Overthinking is detrimental to your success as an athlete. Instead, you need to learn how to "get in the zone." How do you do that? Preparation, of course!
As a young athlete I used to be nervous wreck on race days. I was so focused on the other racers that I was not even close to being in the present moment. My mind was cluttered with self-deprecating thoughts.
"I do not feel ready for this race"
"That athlete is fitter/stronger/more prepared than I"
"I should have trained harder."
With the help of my coach, however, I learned how to think less and flow more. My coach broke the season down into two parts; regular season and race season. The regular season was focused on one thing--preparing our bodies and minds to be at peak performance. This meant we ran twice a day and hit the weight room three to four days a week. To sum it up, regular season was all about hard work.
When it came time for race season, my mindset was completely different. I felt relaxed knowing that I had done everything I could possibly have done to get ready for this moment. Great things happen when people are in the zone, the present moment.
If you have been following my blog/newsletter, you know how strongly I feel about "doing the work". It was only after putting in 5-6 months of hard work that I was able to reach those higher levels of performance and postive, relaxed mindset. It doesn’t matter what you are trying to accomplish in life, when you do the prep work, success will surely follow.
*image by Unsplash.com
