Archives For sports

Can A Perfectionist Win?

May 23, 2013 — Leave a comment

Taekwon-Do National Championships 2013

Taekwon-Do National Championships 2013

I just won the Canadian Taekwon-Do National Championships.  If wining is supposed to feel so good why do I feel bad?

I want to break down this thought process because if you are a perfectionist you probably think the same way and depending on where you lead your stream of thoughts it can make or break you.

During my performance I remained completely positive and confident regardless of how it was going.  I trained myself to not let emotions interfere unless they would help.  The minute the bout was over though the self-analysis begins.  These thoughts rush in:

  • Did I do what I planned?
  • How did I look?
  • Was it convincing?
  • Did I live up to my potential?
  • Did I give 100 per cent? Continue Reading…
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Perfect Conditions Are Gifts

November 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

You ran in this weather?!

Yes I did. We should all run in bad weather. Or more generically, we should all (Insert verb) in/while (Insert adverse condition).

Why? For two reasons:

  • It allows you to say YES! If you plan on doing something but decide against it, ask yourself, why? When you say no, there is often a reason and if that reason is an excuse you should say yes.We say no and make excuses because there are obstacles we are to lazy or afraid to overcome. These include weather, temperature, money and fear. Obstacles are supposed to prevent you from succeeding. They aren’t supposed to prevent you from trying.  Obstacles are interchangeable and if you can say yes to overcoming one you can say it to the next one.
  • It gives you perspective. I see fair weather runners all the time. They are never happy running. They hate it even when conditions are perfect. I run in bad weather because it allows me to appreciate the days where conditions are perfect. We can’t always have perfect conditions and if we only practice or perform during these times those people who are willing to overcome obstacles will quickly surpass you.

The Art Of Adaptation: If used properly obstacles can make for the perfect conditions.

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Getting Back In The Game

October 29, 2012 — Leave a comment

We’re all going to strive to achieve something.  We’re all going to fail in doing so at some point.  They say it’s not how many time you fall but how many time you get back up which is what determines if you will be successful.  Without a doubt perseverance is key to many success stories.  The real question is… Continue Reading…

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Accepting Anxiety

September 30, 2012 — 1 Comment

I’ve competed in Taekwon-Do for years now.  I have been to three international events:

  • World Cup in Italy (2008)
  • World Championships in Argentina (2009)
  • World Championships in New Zealand (2011)

Now I’m heading to Brighton, England tomorrow for the World Cup again.  It is probably the largest tournament when it comes to number of competitors.

It is always surprising to me the amount of anxiety that comes with competing at this level.  I always get nervous.  I figure that it’s a good thing.  I feel like being nervous means I have set proper expectations and that I care about reaching my goals.

When it comes time to taper off training and prepare mentally not being able to distract the sub-conscious with physical training unshackles the beast.

Three days out comes the time when I need to really focus mentally and deal with these issues.  I find that this is one approach that helps:

  1. Identify your thoughts and feelings.
  2. Accept that these thoughts and feelings are natural.
  3. Mold these thoughts and feelings into motivation.

Here is how it works:

  1. I feel anxious, nervous and self-doubt creeps up.
  2. I have trained hard and set ambitious goals, I have many people who support me emotionally and financially, I am exposing my self to judgement and criticism in an environment that is potentially dangerous.  Stepping out of my comfort-zone and not wanting to let people down are very good reasons to feel that way.
  3. I use these feelings to stay sharp.  I know that every second leading up to competing can be used to relax, prepare and supports others.  I feel this way because there is a real threat of me being eliminated on my first match or being seriously injured.  It is a mechanism that signals to me mental and physically to prepare and perform.

Finally, it really helps to accept that anything can happen to anyone.  Anyone can win, anyone can lose.  Real champions and winners never allow themselves to feel safe and thus never fully suppress the anxiety that comes with competing.

Can this approach be used in different aspects of life?  I think so.  Anywhere I feel anxiety I feel like this technique really helps.

The Art Of Adaptation:  Acceptance allows anxiety to be a useful motivator.

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I Hate Running: How limiting beliefs are opportunities to improve other aspects of life.

September 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

I hate running.

This is one statement I never understood.  I have always instinctively loved running.  I was never really sure why until tonight while on a run.

I was jogging down Montreal Rd. in Ottawa when I realized what I was thinking,

I can’t wait to stop.  How long have I been running?  How much further?  I can’t wait to stop.

At this moment I had a realization.  In order to enjoy this activity I had to focus on changing limiting beliefs, focus on being in the moment and not the result or the physical discomfort I feel during a run.  This was half the realization.

The other half of the realization was understanding the real benefit of running.  I compete in Taekwon-Do.  I compete on a high level, which causes a lot of mental stress.  I actually have a lot of anxiety about even training.  I get nervous about how I will look, if I am performing at the level I should be.  If I am putting in enough effort and more.

These thoughts happen minute by minute, second to second often continuously repeating… just like when I was running.  The problem with having them about and during Taekwon-Do training is that most activities within a class or training session happen is bursts of time and short intervals.  This allows for a mental check.  On the break I can take a breath, relieved that I completed one exercise before becoming anxious once more about the next.

There is no real opportunity during a Taekwon-Do training to isolate my limiting thoughts and focus on turning them off, around or down.  I need to put 100 per cent of my focus into the exercise.

I suppose I could but it would take many, many classes to do the same amount of mental reworking I could complete in one run.  Running long distance is the perfect opportunity to push my body to that point where those limiting thoughts emerge and then maintain that pace while I (this may sound strange) separate from my physical body and completely exist inside my mind or conscious.

If you don’t like running I think it’s a perfect opportunity to give it a try.  Everybody has the potential to run and enjoy it from a physical perspective,  it’s the mind that gets in the way.

The Art Of Adaptation:  Every limiting thought is also an opportunity.

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