Do you ever talk to yourself when you're working out? If so, what do you say? Is the voice you use encouraging, or is it critical? Do you coach yourself, or do you beat yourself down?
When I trained for my first triathlon almost ten years ago, my mantra was "I am an animal--nothing can stop me!" Whenever I started feeling exhausted--mentally or physically--during a workout (and the race itself), I repeated my mantra to myself. Meanwhile, I tried to silence the voice that was saying things like, "Damn, girl, you are a SLOW runner!" or "I am SOOOOO tired; I want to quit!!"
I got an e-mail from Jen last week, and in it, she shared her mantra: "I AM machine!!!!" (or maybe it was "I am a machine." I can't remember.) Sounds like her voice is encouraging and supportive. Yay, Jen!
Lately, I haven't needed my mantra because I've been enjoying my workouts so much; truthfully, my workout time is one of my favorite parts of my day. Instead, I've had to develop a mantra for work ... in particular, my writing. I have an extremely negative voice when it comes to my writing, and it, paired with my lack of productivity recently, has made me dread the times I've set aside to write.
For example, yesterday I woke up with a nervous stomach. Why? Because I'd set aside the day for writing. And my negative voice was already saying, "Katie, your writing is never going to be good enough for publication. Just quit. You know you're not going to come up with any good ideas today. Just quit."
But I managed to prove my Negative Nellie voice wrong. I did get a bit of writing done. It's still in that crappy first draft stage, but it's coming along.
And I think I've got a new mantra for my writing days. It's not especially creative or motivating, and it may not even be a mantra since it's just one word (one noun, to be precise), but I think it's what I need.
Here it is: Momentum.
If I can just get on a roll, so to speak, with my writing, I think I'll be able to squash my negative thinking and meet my deadlines. I'm trying to build momentum right now, so that I don't dread my writing days. We'll see how it goes. Momentum. Momentum. MOMENTUM!!! I am an animal--nothing can stop me!!!! ROOOOAAARRRRR!!
And, on a completely unrelated note, here's nifty fitness website I ran across today: http://www.shapefit.com/exercise.html. You should check it out.
5 comments:
Hello,
Speaking of momentum, I did manage to workout every day ...7 in a row...this past week. A record of consistency for me. Nothing difficult....walking, weights, dancing! The rumba makes for a fun workout ....variety!!
EllenE
Wowie, zowie! That is fantastic! Congratulations!! Do you feel fabulous???
"Momentum" is a great mantra; I'll have to try that when I get discouraged or I am frustrated at my inability to do something I think should be easy. I start beating myself up about what I eat,though, more than my levels of activity. I may have to use a mantra for trying not to put more junk food in my mouth. At the moment, when I eat horribly I console myself that I can get back on track "tomorrow" and continue to eat whatever it is that I should not be consuming. Maybe I need to use "Today" as my mantra!
Katie, I think Momentum is a great way to think about a number of things. Just getting started is the hardest part. The encouagement you give helps motivate others to try new things. Just remember that your written words encourage people because you are good at writing. You are a born motivator.
Hi Coach Katie,
I have read your post several times....never doubt the power of a positive word....
love ya,
mom
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