These past few weeks I have been glued to watching some amazing professional tennis. Whether it was seeing some of the world’s best compete in the Australian Open or attending first rounds at the Center One Open in Charleston SC, I have seen some of the best battles – some surprise losses in early rounds, others advancing to the finals and just a few moves on to win the tournament.
And if you are anything like me, you are a bit fascinated by the entire concept of competition – especially professional competition. Wondering what separates the winners from the losers? These are amazing athletes – talented, well-trained, and highly skilled, and they surround themselves with experts and coaches to help them reach the top of their sport.
Yet, year after year, competition after competition, it just seems to be a few of these athletes who make it to the final rounds, and even fewer who win the titles and stay at the top. Why? What is it about these athletes?
If all things are equal – talent, fitness level, age, and training – what separates the winners from the losers? And can we tap into what they are doing to help us get better in our roles and exceed our goals?
Meridith's New Keynote
THRIVE: Mentally Fit, Powerfully Resilient, Competitively Strong
Become a next-level leader by helping your team navigate today's mental health challenges.
What Does It Mean To Be Mentally Fit?
What separates the winners from those that fall to second or third place? What makes one person who seems less talented edge out and beat the others in the race? It comes down to one thing, one thing only: mental fitness. The belief and understanding they are going to win.
Could mindset really be that important? Yes – it is! Working on your mental state as much as you work on your skills and physical condition will put you in the best position to not only achieve your goals but win no matter the competition.
So, what exactly is mental fitness?
I can sum it up in just three words – clarity, awareness, and commitment. You master these three you will be mentally fit and strong. Sounds so simple right? Well, it is – just not that easy.
You not only have to master all three but be able to dig deep and access them when it really counts. When you are under the most pressure, feeling the most stress, and when you have the most self-doubt playing out in your head.
Let me give you an example.
My husband and I are weekend athletes, we play a lot of sports, and we are mediocre at them all. We play golf, ride mountain bikes, play tennis, fly fish, and shoot sporting clays just to name a few. Now, while we spread our talents too thin to be really good at anything, we are competitive, and we love to train. And truth be told, I am in much better shape than my husband. He would admit that too.
When we are training, I always win. Yet even though I train twice as hard, and I am a good deal younger than my husband, the moment training turns to competition my husband wins every single time. Every single time. He can ride more miles, climb much bigger hills, he can sink more putts and bust far more clays than me. Why? Mental fitness – he has the clarity, the awareness, and the commitment. I have some work to do!
4 Powerful Strategies To Become Mentally Fit
So how do you become mentally fit, how do you work to improve the most important factor in helping you achieve your goals.
Watch Your Language
Affirmations, self-talk, and messaging that the desired goals have already happened is the foundation of building a strong mind. You, we all, are wired for negative thoughts, and you have to actively work on creating a positive mindset.
Study and Learn
Education, information, and practice will ensure you are making progress and improve your confidence. The more prepared you are, the stronger your mindset will become.
Expect and Engage Failure
Shift your paradigm when it comes to failure. There is so much to learn and gain from making mistakes. You will learn so much more from the areas where you came up short or missed the mark. Learn your strengths, weaknesses, and identify the areas where you need to grow. Failing, identifying your growth opportunities, working on them will ensure you make progress and progress will increase your confidence.
Follow the Role Models
And last but not least, my favorite. Look to your idols, role models and mentors, and to their lives and history. Know what you will find there? So much failure and missed opportunity, combined with a desire to improve, commit, and ultimately win.
The path to great success is a strong combination of skill set, physical condition, and mindset – no matter whether you are competing on the world stage or trying to land the biggest deal of your life. Invest in all three and you will not only exceed your goals, but you will also turn all of this uncertainty to your greatest competitive advantage.
