Is there something missing in your ‘mental toolbox’?

Racing season has sprung upon us, and you may be arriving at races thinking, “Geez, I am not ready for this,” or “Man, I wish I had trained more,” or even “This is gonna hurt.”

If so, there IS something missing from your toolbox, and that ingredient could very well be summarized in one word: Commitment.

Commitment is when you believe 100% in what you are doing, you know why you are doing it, and you know, for sure, that it will happen. Your goal may not come to fruition on your time, but it will happen. You can picture commitment on a pyramid, with its building blocks being realistic goals and persistence. Commitment is the happy child of setting those realistic goals and of persistence through hard work.

I love this quote by US Olympian, Patti Sue Plumer:

“Workouts are like brushing my teeth: I don’t think about it; I just do it. The decision has already been made.”

When you are truly committed to something, you understand that there is no other option. There is no other option but to do the workout, whether it is snowing in April, whether you got to bed a little too late the night before, or whether you have a big meeting coming up later that week.

In addition to racing season, this is that time of year when many begin to lose sight of their New Year’s Resolutions. It is also a season of sacrifices for many Western religions. If you’re Christian, this is a time when more discipline than ever is required to hold your fast; or Jewish, when Passover marks the strictest form of fasting until, 365 days from now, this time next year. This is a tough time of year. Thus, you need to make sure that your mental toolbox is full of all the tools you need to move you toward your objectives.

By ensuring that commitment is in your mental toolbox, nothing can keep you from your goals.