Hi,

I got comments of appreciation and people relating ell to my first two master athlete posts, so I continue the theme this week ...

"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰."

This one hurts because it is 100% true. We simply can't. And reassurance that this is "normal" does nothing to ease the pain of loss (or the pain in our back and knees).

But masters level athletes are still athletes and that athletic mindset can be applied to this emotional challenge. 

If you have been in this community a while, this process should be familiar and hopefully be a great example of how to extend these steps to different challenges.

𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴. (It always starts with noticing ... not reacting). Before you get caught up in the negative emotions and act on them impulsively, I invite you to notice the pain in your heart, the sadness in your chest, and the automatic thoughts that arise. Be an observer of these human experiences. 

And then tell yourself, "this is what people feel when they lose something they love." Show compassion for yourself and validate your experience. You 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 feel this way. There is no need to stuff it or cheer yourself up. Create space for your experience. And know that you are not alone in it. 

Then decide how you want to respond. 

Quitting, giving up, insulting yourself, and ruminating about what you used to do keeps you stuck in your grief. Comparisons to your peak athleticism will only bring you down and distract you from what you can do today to be your best. These responses don't move you in the direction you want to go. They don't work for you. 

You live in today. In the body you have right now. With the real challenges of limited mobility, tightness, or decreased strength and endurance. Practical acceptance of this is needed to perform your best.

What can you do to maximize your potential today? In previous posts I suggested many things that you control like warm-ups, stretching and scaling movements. You can take these actions 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 the difficult thoughts and feelings that you noticed previously, as long as you do not invest in them. 

Ultimately you are still an athlete. Athletes want to play and do their best. You have had a career of overcoming adversities. This aging body is your current challenge. 

What can you do to be the best athlete you can be 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺?

Be consistent with your athletic identity and commit to those performance enhancing behaviors in the moment to better enjoy your continued sport participation. 

If you'd like to join other masters athletes developing this confidence and mental toughness, go to www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺."

Yes, it is very hard. In fact, I don't think balance is even realistic. 

We want to be great in everything we do: as athletes, as parents, at work and in other categories. 

But true excellence takes time, and there is not enough time to excel in all areas. 

If you divide up the time in a "balanced" way, you're likely to be average in most, and good in a couple things. 

I guess that is one way to define greatness. Good across many domains.

But if you want to be truly excellent, sacrifices in other areas must occur. This may include time away from work and family to train. 

So I encourage you to look for "harmony" rather than "balance." 

Harmony suggests you divide your time in appropriate proportion to your values. This may go up or down depending on the time of year. 

For example, you might prioritize time with family during the summer when kids are out of school. Then in the Fall, focus on training for that race at the end of the season. Winter can be spent with an emphasis on a work project. Spring might be an even split.

The key is to respect the time it takes to excel in anything. Don't expect yourself to be able to do it all. That unrealistic demand will only hurt your happiness and performance. 

Be intentional with how you prioritize your time, and know you can rotate that investment each season. 

You can find harmony in your training with other high achievers inside Success Stories Membership at www.dreddieoconnor.com/membership



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Dr. Eddie O’Connor

www.DrEddieOConnor.com

DrEddie@dreddieoconnor.com