“Nothing will hold you back more than a negative mindset”
I suck.
I’m weak.
I’m a loser, a failure, a phony, and a coward.
I fell short…again.
I let myself down…again.
The workout wasn’t perfect.
The plan fell apart.
I skipped too many runs this month.
I ate like crap, drank too much, and I feel like I suck.
I hate my body and I can’t stand looking at my failure of a face.
Maybe my goals are out of reach.
Maybe I’m not the person who has what it takes.
Let’s take a second to talk about complete self sabotage.
There’s a fine line between holding ourselves to a higher standard…
And completely ripping ourselves apart every chance that we get.
Here’s the deal…
We’re not perfect.
We’re going to mess up.
We’re going to fall short.
We’re going to feel insignificant.
Every run is not going to be perfect.
You’re going to miss days.
You’re going to fall short to plan.
It happens, it happened, let it go.
Here’s what matters…
You keep a positive mindset.
You keep turning wounds into wisdom.
You keep smiling, you keep grinding, and you keep moving forward.
I’m “not ready” for my 50 miler on Saturday…
Not ready when I think about ‘my expectations’ of where I should be right now had everything gone perfect.
But what if…all the work I did do, counts for something?
What if…I focus on the small daily doses of progress?
What if…I quit saying “I don’t know how I’ll finish.”
and I start saying “There’s no way I’m stopping.”
This isn’t a cop out for training properly.
It’s a release from the high pressure we sometimes put on ourselves.
Showing up in a negative mindset is a sure path to suffering.
Remembering the work, the grind, and the suffering already endured, gives us a chance to show up and be great.
On the big day, whether it’s a 5k or 100 miler, show up ready in the mind, keep smiling and keep moving forward.
It’s your day where nothing else in the world matters…
Not your job.
Not your family, not right now.
Not the past mistakes or the future wins.
Time pauses on these days, for us and our race, and it’s just 1 foot after the other.
Check out my 15 minute episode where I share my feelings leading up to this 50 Mile Ultra Run.
Chad Shipley 