I am 30 days out from my big race of the year, The Old Six Day where I am signed up for the 24 hour option. In this race, one runs as many miles as possible in 24 hours. My personal goal is to run 120 miles.
A few years ago, as I got closer to my biggest race of the year at that time, Ironman Maryland, my mindset coach, Bruce, had me write a letter to myself. It was written pre-race and would be something I opened up after the race. In that letter, I reflected on my race experience and the physical and mental experiences that went along with it.
Mindset and performance coach, Joe Jardine, of Reset Performance Coaching also recommends this practice.
I did this 2-3 months out from my race. I emailed it to Bruce and asked him to print it and mail it to me to open after my race. I didn’t want to go back and keep re-reading it and save it for that time after my race.
When I got done with my race, I opened it back up and read it to myself. Much of what I had wrote down, if not all of it, had come true. I actually wrote about the experience in my book.
This upcoming race of mine means a lot to me. Training has been memorable. I have my eyes on a particular goal. I enjoyed the mindset experience the last time, so I decided to do it again.
Perhaps next month, I will share it with you.
My message to you is to encourage yourself to do the same, regardless of what your goal is.
Maybe your goal is to gain weight.
Maybe your goal is to lose weight.
Maybe your goal is to improve in a particular lift.
Maybe your goal is to accomplish something professionally.
What would you say in your letter to yourself when you have accomplished that goal 6, 12 or 18 months from now?
It would probably mention consistency in the little things for a long period of time. It likely wouldn’t say that you were perfect for a week, then gave up because you made one mistake.
The likelihood of attributing your success to a “hack” probably wouldn’t be there.
It would probably mention working through some adversity and being persistent despite obstacles. It likely wouldn’t mention that you had a smooth and effortless road as you strived to accomplish your goal.
It might mention showing up on the days where you didn’t feel like it. It likely wouldn’t mention that you waited for the mood to strike to work on your goal.
It might mention patience when it seemed you were doing everything right and nothing was happening.
My encouragement for you today: write that letter to yourself.
How did it feel to accomplish your goal? You can describe how you felt physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.
What did it mean to accomplish that goal? What is the significance of it in your life?
What did you have to do to accomplish that goal? What change did it require you to make?
These are just some prompts to get you started!
I hope you consider adopting this practice and I’d love to hear how it worked out for you : )
Sincerely,
Your friend in wellness and fitness,
Coach Candice : )