Running Lesson: Positivity

         Buddha said, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” The incredible power of positive thinking is the simplest lesson running has taught me over the years. Simple does not mean the easiest. Unfortunately, many of us have been conditioned to regard confidence as arrogance and that positivity is idealistic and not compatible with the realities of life.  I submit that these unfortunate lessons could not be further from the truth.  To any of my “realist” friends, I realize you might take issue with this sentiment, and while I do appreciate your pragmatism, I believe that we can truly influence the outcome and events of our lives through our minds.  Part of being positive is an unwavering belief in yourself and your ability to impact the world around you.  All greatness in the world has come from people believing in themselves and believing that their dreams are great. We all possess the potential for greatness thanks to the amazing power of our brains. Sometimes we have to remove the learned and conditioned barriers to believing in ourselves before we can access and project greatness into the world.

            I had a lot of issues with greatness while running in college. I always believed I was talented, but I was scared to death of not being as great as everyone thought. I remember vividly the panic of not believing I was good enough. To deal with this complete lack of personal positivity, I started seeing the sports psychologist at Tennessee.  Even though I would not fully benefit from it until many years later, taking this step to understand these fears and self-doubt was one of the most important game changers for me.  The sports psyc spent many hours with me on positive visualization. He would have me sit with my panic and turn it into positivity by articulating my goals and visualizing myself achieving those goals in the face of all possible adversity. Had it not been for running, I would never have been exposed to such a debilitating lack of personal positivity at a time when I had the perfect tools to change my mental state.

            Think you are great and you will be great. Visualize yourself setting your PR in your peak race every time you step out the door to put in the hard work to achieve that goal and watch it happen. I like to use Brian Tracy’s advice to say, “I like myself” 100 times a day. When I do this small exercise, this simple but incredibly positive message sinks deep into my subconscious. When I repeat this simple message to myself, I only seem to think and make choices that are in the interest of achieving what I am capable of.  It makes the pursuit of my goals athletic and otherwise so positive. It makes life fun, leads to less injury, and makes all other goals in your life come true. Take all your set backs with a smile knowing that every set-back is put there in your favor. The Universe works in your favor always. Believe and watch magic happen.

            Think positively. Think about your goals happening in the present and you will become the runner, mom, dad, co-worker, person you want to be. See its simple.