Anti-Confident

On the drive to my morning run, I found myself suddenly thinking about why I sometimes let negative thoughts override my positive thoughts. Why I let the worst of a situation override my confidence that would otherwise help me succeed.

I admit it. I am guilty of letting it happen.

What frustrates me the most is not so much that it happens but that I allow it to happen?

Late in a race or workout, my body rebels against the stress of the situation. This is when the wheels start to turn inside my head and tell me that it is okay to slow down. Why do I do it? Why do I allow it?

The only conclusion that I can come to is negative thoughts always follows the easier path. These are the thoughts that say it is okay to slow down, to take a longer recovery, or to cut the workout short. These are the thoughts that lie dormant in the recesses of my mind until awaken by the effects of the circumstances. These thoughts are the body and mind's way of coping with the conditions of the current behavior.

On the other hand, the positive thoughts are the ones that carry me to PRs in races over difficult hills or around curves of a track during workouts. Having confidence in myself and following the course of positive thinking always follows the more difficult path. Within this previous sentence, the explanation seems readily apparent to why I don't run PRs or have fantastic workout every time. Confidence and positive thinking requires real work and real effort. They require me to strive actively toward my goal.

More than one coach or mentor or teacher or expert has told their pupil that the most difficult test any of us will ever pass is the one that motivates us to positive action. Winning the battle of the mind will carry us miles down the road.

 

Sharing one thought at a time,

 

The Cool Down Runner