7 HABITS OF DREAMING BIG

1

VISUALISATION. There are no surprises that an elite athlete uses visualisation in their training and competition. They have played the same tape over in their heads so many times that success is the only thing that makes sense. The athlete who performs well knows what a good performance feels like, they can feel relaxed, they don’t stress, there is a smile on their face when they are performing. Visualisation acts as a reminder of all the work they have done and how success might feel like. Believe in yourself.

2

MOST athletes will have had some form of an injury through their athletic career with many coming early. If they haven’t then there will undoubtedly be one on the way. Very few seem to escape this fate and if like me, they are accident prone, then they had better get used to it. Injuries, at the time, seem like they are going to be the end, but what they can do is provide the perfect opportunity to figure out what it takes to succeed and find another way. Sometimes it can help to create a “crystal clear” pathway to how you need to recover and then prepare again to reach your dream. Every illness or injury becomes a strength that develops how you approach your training and competition. Athletes all develop different routines to help them stay healthy – ice bath, massage, chiropractic, physiotherapy, pre-habilitation exercises, assisted stretching, foam rolling, trigger pointing or whatever works for them. Get enough sleep! And eat right!

3

IT IS important for the athlete to rest. There is an old saying, which I often say to the athletes in my squad. It goes, “if you don’t have to run, walk, if you don’t have to walk, sit, if you don’t have to sit then lie down.” If you look at the animal kingdom some of the most dynamic and fastest animals are lazy. They preserve all their energy for when it’s game time. In the case of the cheetah, that means when they are running after an animal – they seem to get energy from nowhere. Rest is a huge part of being successful, but there is a difference between laziness and rest. To get the best value from training, the athlete needs to ensure they need full rest between reps. Full rest between training sessions.

4

KNOW when to put on the “race face”. When elite sprinters step on to the track there are no buddies or pals or friends. Let’s take Usain Bolt as an example. He would do all his antics before his races and put on a show but at the end of the day he never once thought he was going to lose. He was going into every race, going for blood. Know you have done the work. Manage the stress of competition and know how to lower anxiety levels.

5

ATHLETES need to have an excellent relationship with their coach. Both athlete and coach need to listen to each other and understand how each other operates. Understand the individual to know how to get the best out of each other. Once a relationship breaks down success in the sporting arena will suffer no matter how good the training is.

6

IT IS also important to be with other athletes who will challenge you. Most athletes can look back and mention who inspired them and who didn’t. This will tell you how this athlete operates and what they really want to achieve. This information about inspiration and negativity also paints a picture of the athlete and how they would like to be perceived. You learn from others both in the positive and negative ways.

7

SEEK critique over praise when looking to improve. As an athlete who is seeking to always improve, it is always important to seek feedback to consistently get a better picture of what you can improve to help you get to the next level. For example, when you seek critique on those days of training (could be up to 365 days), there are those many chances to improve something you are doing well. Praise will always make you feel good, (and it is always necessary), there is not a lot to learn from it. The learning is n the mistakes and the failures to execute a technical aspect of your sport.