Fit Mom's Blog

I borrowed this post from Coach Al. It really spoke to me and I thought you’d enjoy it as well.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land – there is no other life, but this.”

- Henry David Thoreau

“Never underestimate the power of passion.”

- Eve Sawyer

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”

- Pope John XXIII

“Imagine.”

- John Lennon
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Hi!  On the Friday before the start of this holiday weekend signifying the end of summer, I sent the below message to all of the athletes I coach. I want to share it with you as well. This message is, I believe, is a fundamental truth, not only about our sport and all that encompasses it, but about life itself.

As I look back on my career as a musician, and then my journey as both athlete and coach, this fundamental belief has been at the core of it all. I would NOT be coaching today were it not for my ability to take the concept I’m going to (again) share with you, and make it part of my everyday life. Today, I want to again remind you all, from the bottom of my heart, what this concept is, and then share some “action points” shared with me years ago by a friend (author unknown), that I hope will help you make it a reality in your OWN life.

It seems every day we are bombarded with so many negative images and sales pitches in the media, many of which want to sell us on a “quick” fix, or on some kind of short cut to happiness and success, be it financial or personal or even athletic (if you happen to read the “big” triathlon or run mags!).

In my opinion, while there are likely many different “secrets” to fulfillment and success in life and in sport, there are few as important as this one thing: maintaining a positive attitude and a sincere and deep rooted BELIEF IN YOURSELF, no matter what.

That belief, not ONLY that you can have ANYTHING you want and are worthy of it, as long as you DECIDE what that is, and never stop believing, is the most important part of your success, but it isn’t all that’s required. You need to make a conscious decision, yes…a DECISION, to believe in yourself and your ability to be and do what you want, no matter what and then take action. Turning your beliefs into reality takes persistence, practice, and non-stop determination. Affirming your belief in yourself and the fact that you are IN CHARGE of how you REACT to what happens in your life is so important in this process as well…

To HELP YOU get this Friday started right, and to help you affirm your own belief, I want to share a little “mantra” that someone who cares, shared with me a long time ago. Like all of you, I have gone through difficult phases of my life, some more challenging than others. No matter what happens, I always come back to this mantra. I PROMISE myself that I will make the right choice, to read this (and even write it) each morning as I embark upon my day. I encourage you to consider doing the same……

———–
For TODAY…..
I am in charge of my life.
Today, I choose my thoughts.
Today, I choose my attitudes.
Today, I choose my actions and behaviors.
With these, I will discover my purpose. I will create my life, and my destiny.
———–

Honestly folks, many more days than not, I sit and REWRITE these lines, unless for some reason I am unable to. Should I miss a day or two, I try to get back on the horse as soon as I can. Maybe you’ll want to modify this slightly…depending on what works for you, or what seems appropriate at the moment. Whatever you choose, I  encourage you to reaffirm this TRUTH, for as long as you like, for years…because I BELIEVE it will make a difference.

One of my closest friends (who happens to be a very smart businessman and is highly successful) told me recently that if I were to think about it, I would see that affirmations only change everything, IF they are already true.

You can’t recite this if it has no basis in reality – you can’t affirm magical things or fantasy. Rather, what we MUST DO is consciously and vigorously affirm the BEST about ourselves. You ARE ambitious. You ARE honest. You ARE hard working. You DO have goals. YOu are WORTHY of achieving those goals, and ARE WORTHY of all of the good that life has to offer. And there are hundreds of other things about you that are also true and good and worth affirming. Believe it.

What do you say: would you make a choice with me, to get started again today?

Finally…in what is a change of pace for me, I’m going to leave you with a few more quotes today, rather than using them all up at the start!

All the best, and have a GREAT DAY, and WEEKEND!!!

-Al