The Athlete’s Mindset

“What’s the X factor that makes great athletes great? It’s not speed, strength, endurance or genetics. It’s the mind. Greatness is largely mental — and anyone can move closer to it by using the tools that have turned athletes into legends.” -Ryan Flaherty, the founding host of Trained, a Nike podcast.

The Athlete’s Mindset is something that has been instilled in me literally since the day I was born. And it is something that I have used and carried with me throughout my life to help me navigate through obstacles and push myself to become more. When I opened my gym, DRIP Athletic Club, I knew that “The Athlete’s Mindset” had to be incorporated and had to be the foundation on which my business was built upon. As Ryan said above, The Athlete's Mindset is truly the X factor and I believe that it can truly separate someone from the pack if embraced, practiced, and applied consistently. With DRIP Athletic Club, I want everyone to feel and learn this mindset when they walk into my gym and to carry this mindset even after they walk out of my doors and back into “life.”

So, what traits and characteristics did I gain from sports that I instill into DRIP Athletic Club and life? Self-Talk, See-it be it, finding your purpose, be gritty, GRIT, getting obsessed with the process, owning it UNAPOLOGETICALLY.

Self-Talk. We have all heard that what we tell ourselves and HOW we speak to ourselves is so important. It’s something we have to be mindful of because the things we say to ourselves can be what we truly become or believe. As an athlete, if you were to talk into a game telling yourself, “I’m going to miss every shot this game. I suck so bad. That player is way better than me. I don’t belong here.” That is ultimately what is going to translate into our performance and energy.

And this is the same when it comes to a workout and when it comes to life. The worst thing you can do is set yourself up for failure before even trying, starting, or seeing the outcome. We must value our words and realize the impact they truly have on us, mentally. Learning how to

speak life, positivity, and love into ourselves is the most important thing we can learn and practice. See it, be it. Putting self-talk and vision together. Envisioning our best self and speaking that into existence is how you shift from being average to great. How can you achieve greatness if you don’t even know what that looks like to you? Believe that you can accomplish great things and work towards that. But, also give yourself grace and be realistic. We often envision the most perfect scenarios and forget that life is...life. Learn to give yourself grace and don’t expect PERFECT. Learn to plan for outcomes that didn’t look exactly like what you may have envisioned and have alternative paths around obstacles.

Finding your purpose. What's your “WHY?”. This is so important, if not the most important thing out of all of these characteristics. When motivation dies, your “why” and your purpose is what is going to keep you going. Your why has to be so strong that even on your worst days, thinking about this person, thing, or situation will keep you going. Everytime a great athlete steps onto a court or field, I guarantee that their “why” is at the forefront of their mind. That is what ignites greatness. Remembering your why can push you through a workout you didn’t feel like showing up for or get you to sit down and accomplish a task that you’ve been putting off for months. What’s your “why?” 

Be gritty. GRIT. I love this characteristic and it’s the one trait that I learned from sports that I'm most grateful for. I call it having that “dog” in you. Having that “go get it no matter what’. It’s the “I’m going to outwork any and everyone in the room.” The “I WILL NOT quit and I WILL finish no matter how hard it is.” I learned this trait from always being the underdog and having to compete and prove myself on the court. Now, I don’t use it for making a team or claiming my starting position for the next game, but for showing up and putting in the work, day in and day out, even when I don’t feel like it. Understanding that there’s a million other people out there doing what I do, but thinking “what’s going to separate me and make me and my business different.” Not giving up even though I’m tired and had the worst day of my life. GRIT is about seeing the bigger picture and taking little steps toward that, day in and out. Pushing through regardless of circumstance or obstacles.

Getting obsessed with the process. Whew. One of the hardest things to practice. Learning how to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Practicing patience and understanding that a million little actions add up to the final product. Or, when it comes to fitness, it takes showing up hundreds or thousands of times and pushing through a million hard workouts just to see one ounce of progress. It's hard. It's unforgiving, unrewarding at times, but learning to love the process even when it seems like you're not getting back what you put in, is the key. Because there is a bigger picture and God is working out all the pieces for something you can’t even see or imagine. Learning to trust and love the process, even when it's hard, is what takes you to the next level in the gym and life.

Owning it. Unapologetically. Accepting and owning that, this is ME. This is exactly who I am, exactly where I am in life, and I accept this and I own this. I compare myself to no one , I compare my journey and my process to no one, and I own all of me. I'm 30 pounds overweight but I OWN it. I'm not the best defensive player on my team and I OWN it. I'm not the strongest in the gym, but I OWN that. I'm not exactly where I want to be, I'm not perfect, but I WILL be where I want to be one day through hard work and consistency, But just because I'm not where I want to be right now, does not discount or make where I am any less valuable. Every stage and every step of our life, physically and emotionally, are important and they matter. Learning to step into EVERYTHING that you are and owning it makes you unstoppable.

These are all traits that I learned directly from sports and being an athlete. I truly believe that everyone should play sports, even if your goal isn't to be a college athlete or in the NBA. Sports have a special way of teaching very important life lessons and tools, and I am grateful that I can try to instill these characteristics into people, via fitness, in order to elevate people’s mindsets and positively impact lives. It's truly all come full circle and I hope that each and every person that steps foot in my gym or that comes around me can feel or pick up on all, if not just one, of these amazing traits. Through the workouts that I deliver, through the community I am building, through the positive words I speak, with God, may I touch and elevate lives.