8 Steps To Success! Jessica Mah – Judo Black Belt and 5 time National Championship Medalist
Sometimes you hit those bumps in the road…and you wonder if the people surrounding you believe in you, but more importantly do you believe in yourself? If you’ve felt this way before, you’re not alone. Coming from a competitive athletic background I’ve experienced this feeling on a few occasions in particular right at this very moment. Please do not be too hard on yourself.
Negative energy is so counter productive. This is why I decided not to harvest these emotions. Instead I am reflecting on the changes that I need to make. Even if you’re only looking to get in shape I think that to be successful you need to follow the steps towards becoming a champion.
COMMITMENT: This is a huge one. Being committed is the foundation to your success. This means that you have to keep your priorities straight. If you wake up feeling lazy and would rather stay in your bed you have to push through. Get up, put a smile on your face and remember what your goals are and why they’re important to you. This will make it easier to make those everyday sacrifices. You won’t accomplish anything if you can’t overcome life’s little obstacles.
HARD WORK: Let’s be honest, nothing comes easy in life. You are not going to achieve your fitness goals without working hard. It won’t be a walk in the park but that’s the beauty of it. This is where your pride comes from. There isn’t anything to be proud of if you didn’t have to work for it. Besides, natural ability won’t get you very far if you’re not willing to put in the effort to expose it.
ATTITUDE: Your attitude is a game changer. If you want something bad enough then you will do everything in your power to make it happen. “Can’t” must be abolished from your vocabulary because it’s just another excuse that you don’t have time for. You can do anything but you have to believe in yourself.
MENTAL SKILLS: The mind is a very powerful thing. Your body can physically be pushed to its limits but only if your mind allows for this to happen. You have to learn how to control your mind and block out the negative thoughts that so easily creep in. Positive affirmations go a long way. Stop thinking about the things that you won’t do, rather think about what you will do.
PLANNING: Having goals is important although merely having goals is not enough to make them a reality. You need to have implementation intentions. These are the baby steps that you plan to take until you reach your ultimate goal. Your end goal isn’t something that will be attained over night and that’s why you need little goals along the way to keep you motivated. You also need to plan for the challenges that you’ll face on a day to day basis. Have some ideas of what you can do to overcome them.
INTEGRATION OF SKILLS: This isn’t to downplay the value of knowledge. The know how is one part of the puzzle but the other part is putting this knowledge into action. This takes great focus and determination. For example, I can read a book on weightlifting techniques and then go to the gym. The fact of the matter it is I am not going to have perfect form and lift more than everyone else because I read a book. This takes practice.
OUTSIDE SUPPORT: Self-love, self-confidence, self-motivation, everything within the self is essential to success nonetheless we all need support from loved ones. A simple “you can do it” or “good job” can have a huge impact on someone. Knowing that you’re not alone on your journey is encouraging and gives you another reason to push yourself. People care about you and also want to see you succeed. Take advantage of this positive energy!
NUTRITION & HYDRATION: This is the obvious one, however so many people seem to neglect it. Self care is a necessity. Eating well, hydrating yourself properly and getting enough sleep will greatly affect how your day goes. Everything is connected. If you’re hungry, it will affect your mood that in turn will affect your attitude and this all becomes a vicious cycle.
Finally, you have to remember that all of these things are working together. Neglecting one aspect to work extra hard at another doesn’t create the balance that you need to build yourself into a champion.
