What do you say to yourself when you wake up in the morning? Are they words that get you pumped for the day to come, or do they make you want to pull the covers over your head and try again tomorrow? If you relate more to the latter, one of the most talented professional swimmers in the world, Katinka Hosszu, has some encouraging words for you… In an interview, Katinka gave us a look inside her head before she competes. She says, “Races are settled before swimmers even enter the pool.” But how? In a world where performance and ability are everything, how could an outcome — especially in the sports world — be decided before the physical act? Katinka says, “It depends what kind of mentality you go in with. I do believe that. It’s about how ready you are … after that, the race is going to happen exactly [as you imagine.]” Katinka has something important to teach us about leadership mentality and visualization; the outcome of the rest of your day can be predetermined before you even have your first cup of coffee. The effectiveness of your presentation is decided before you show the first PowerPoint slide. The words you use and the attitude you have before completing a task, or starting the day, are important. They have the ability to make or break you. Your mentality matters. [bctt tweet="Your mentality matters." username="dukematlock"] When I was pastoring, I had a routine when I was alone in my office before I walked out; I fixed my mindset on positivity before I interacted with others. Now that I travel to speak, I have affirmations that I read as I’m waiting to go on stage; reading them to myself helps me avoid distractions and self-doubt when I walk on stage. Katinka has a similar method: “When I walk out, I don’t even see the crowd,” Hosszú says. “I don’t even hear anything. I usually listen to music, so I’m already in my zone. I have my lane, I have my black line, and that’s it.” What’s going to keep you in your lane today? Maybe you need to listen to things that motivate you while you’re getting ready — whether it be an audiobook, podcast, music, etc. Maybe you need to start speaking life to yourself first thing in the morning, or before you do something important in your role. For me, I have a list of personal affirmations written in the notes section of my phone so I always have access to it. If you had to write a list of affirmations for yourself, things that were going to get you pumped up or motivated, what would your list have on it? Write some down and see what happens when you read them aloud during the crucial parts of your day. If you need some inspiration for what to say to yourself, take some pointers from this 4-year-old: [youtube id=”qR3rK0kZFkg”] Remember, the race is decided before it even starts! So choose a winning mentality.
LIKE THIS POST?
Sign up to receive my posts via email and get a FREE copy of 21 Actions to Jumpstart Momentum!
[activecampaign form=3]]]>