Are you Talking to yourself or listening to yourself?

I look back on my early days in triathlon and realize I was so excited that I didn’t know better! Every workout was going to be fun! Every race was exciting and the promise of doing something new was invigorating!

Then came the longer races and what I felt was drudgery of long workouts and the pain of racing. Had I known then what I know now I think those middle years would have been very different.

One of my favorite questions in sport (and in life) is, “Are you talking to yourself or listening to yourself?”

Examples of Listening to your self:

“I’m tired; I think I’ll sleep in.”
“Isn’t this workout over yet?”
“Skipping one workout won’t be big deal.”
“I just don’t feel like it today.”

Examples of Talking to your self:

“I feel good today!”
“When I finish this workout I’ll have achieved something before I even go to work.”
“I’m going to crush this workout!”
“I’ve trained for this and now I get to race!”

There is a very different “feel” to the voice in our heads that we listen to versus when we are talking to ourself. Noticing that voice that you’re Listening to and shifting into Talking to yourself creates a very different feel to the day, the moment, the workout.

Be aware of that voice and think, “Am I talking to myself or listening to myself?” And then, if you’re listening, start talking and see what a difference it can make!