Last weekend, I listened to Jim Millhouse speak for a couple of hours on different topics related to sports psychology. Two main things I took away from his talk were the importance of both focus and visualization for athletes...really this is applicable to any facet of life. These are two things that almost all people who are great at something possess. I have always thought that I am a pretty focused person, but he kind of talks about focus in a little different way...focus in that you are 100% concentrating on the task at hand and not the outcome. This is certainly something I'm going to be working on this year. This is not an easy thing to do, but if mastered it will raise a person's game to a very high level.
I have tried to visualize before races and think it definitely helps. Now, I have a couple cues to refer to that should help thanks to Dr. Millhouse. In training and in racing I often times try to visualize myself in key races, but I also try to emulate athletes who are masters of their sport. For the swim I tend to imagine Ian Thorpe, for the bike I go with none other than LA, and finally for running Bekele . These 3 are top athletes of all time in their sport.
Something that goes along with all of this is belief in yourself. This is related to all aspects of one's life...not just sports. Really, nothing is unachievable if you truly put 100% of yourself into something. Sure, you'll make mistakes and fail...that's part of life. I know I'm where I'm at today because of a lot of failures. Yet, I don't regret a single one of them. Often times it takes a bit of failure in order to kick yourself into gear. Hopefully, as you start this new year you don't doubt yourself...because if you don't believe in you who else will?
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