When Plans Unravel

(Article written for City Fitness - September's national newsletter).

Life is good. The road is ahead of you and you have your sporting goals being reached with those special training sessions each day. Sometimes however things may not go to plan. If this happens, then stop and assess ''Why'.

In my opinion, a balanced way to view life is to see 'Success' as something you achieve. (Opposed to 'Success' and 'Failure' being who you are). In the context of that sentiment, here are a few thoughts.  Some learnt the easy way, and some the hard way...

Be objective:
Making mistakes, pushing too hard, and not giving yourself enough recovery time is fine - As long as you make that mistake once. Learn and you will get better.

Visualise:
Picture your goal being successful. See it, hear it, feel it. Then note where you are now. What do you need to do for this goal to really happen?? Reassess what you really want, how you want to get there, and who will be in your support team. It is very likely that something was missing or there was an inconsistency existing with your goal and the plan to get there.


You define your outcomes - Your outcomes do not define you:
So while reaching your goals is very special, it does not make you more important than anyone
else...and conversely not reaching those goals doesn't make you inferior to anyone - You are still unique and special.

A few tips - The body...
- Take a break.
- Assess if you were doing too much. (Were you cooked from not recovering??).
- Reassess the training program. (What really caused the issues??).

A few tips - The mind...
- Avoid thoughts / comments like "These things happen".
- Focus on what you can control, and how you can manage your circumstances.
- Surround yourself with positive people, and use your support network.

Find what is not right, change it, and enjoy the experience of coming back better and stronger.

Finally - We usually start out pursuing a sport because we enjoy it. If it's no longer fun, then do
something else. Not always an easy decision, but you will come back when you are ready.




Link to City Fitness article located here...

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