I have been thinking a lot about attitude.
Positive attitude.
Negative attitude.
Most people tend to think of attitude in those two ways.
When you work with kids you see all kinds of other aspects of attitude.
Whiny attitude.
Defiant attitude.
Determined attitude.
Frustrated attitude.
Joyful attitude.
Curious attitude.
I probably could make a longer list but you get the idea.
I have also been thinking about what I can control and how to let go of what I cannot control.
My attitude affects how I am able to handle struggles and how I view successes.
I was looking back over my posts from the past year. One of the reasons that I enjoy writing this blog is completely selfish. I like having a record of my journey. My blog isn't trendy or popular on a large level but it is a great way for me to do some self-care. Writing things out helps me put things in perspective and appreciate my journey in ways I don't think I would as clearly otherwise. If my meandering thoughts encourage someone along the way that is a bonus!
My coach and I met last week and talked about my Olympic triathlon at Best in the West last month and how I felt about it. A month later and I'm still really proud of my attitude at the end more than anything else. I didn't beat myself up for not doing better. I didn't get mad or frustrated that I was almost last (beat two people). I would have done all of those things just a few years ago.
For once I was able to focus on the positive. I had pushed through being uncomfortable and kept going. I finished my race in spite of things not going as well as I had planned or trained for.
Welcome to life.
I watched many of teammates struggle with injuries and race results that weren't what they had been working towards. Everyone handles these things in their own way. But the consistent thing that makes someone able to move on to the next goal and the next challenge is attitude. Does the struggle make the attitude negative and full of disappointment to the point that forward progress, both in the mind as well as the body? Or does the struggle make the attitude one of determination, possibly even an attitude of grit?
Life can seem to hit with a storm of struggles that can make having a positive attitude difficult. I think we all have been there at one time or another.
Which is why I am happy that I was able to be proud of what my body (and my mind) was able to accomplish that at my last race.
Sometimes it becomes so easy to focus on all the things we can't do that we lose sight of the things we CAN do.
Sometimes it is easy to constantly speak out the negative or the frustrations of those struggles. If we are constantly speaking the negative that is where our mind lives. You hear the phrase "focus on the positive" all the time for good reason. When you are looking for positives, you will find them. The more often you look, the more you will find.
It's easy to find excuses on why we can't reach our big goals that we stop trying to even attempt smaller ones.
Easy to say. Not always easy to do.
I have struggled in this area for most of my adult life. For me, my self image plays a big part in my attitude. I've had to work very hard to not beat myself up for struggling, for my weight going up or for a race being slow.
The journey to becoming a healthier me has been a slow one and not gone the way I imaged most of the time.
I have learned that a lot of my journey hasn't been about become a smaller size but about changing attitude about where I am in the moment.
I still have a long way to go.
I have come so far.
Positive attitude.
Negative attitude.
Most people tend to think of attitude in those two ways.
When you work with kids you see all kinds of other aspects of attitude.
Whiny attitude.
Defiant attitude.
Determined attitude.
Frustrated attitude.
Joyful attitude.
Curious attitude.
I probably could make a longer list but you get the idea.
I have also been thinking about what I can control and how to let go of what I cannot control.
My attitude affects how I am able to handle struggles and how I view successes.
I was looking back over my posts from the past year. One of the reasons that I enjoy writing this blog is completely selfish. I like having a record of my journey. My blog isn't trendy or popular on a large level but it is a great way for me to do some self-care. Writing things out helps me put things in perspective and appreciate my journey in ways I don't think I would as clearly otherwise. If my meandering thoughts encourage someone along the way that is a bonus!
My coach and I met last week and talked about my Olympic triathlon at Best in the West last month and how I felt about it. A month later and I'm still really proud of my attitude at the end more than anything else. I didn't beat myself up for not doing better. I didn't get mad or frustrated that I was almost last (beat two people). I would have done all of those things just a few years ago.
For once I was able to focus on the positive. I had pushed through being uncomfortable and kept going. I finished my race in spite of things not going as well as I had planned or trained for.
Welcome to life.
I watched many of teammates struggle with injuries and race results that weren't what they had been working towards. Everyone handles these things in their own way. But the consistent thing that makes someone able to move on to the next goal and the next challenge is attitude. Does the struggle make the attitude negative and full of disappointment to the point that forward progress, both in the mind as well as the body? Or does the struggle make the attitude one of determination, possibly even an attitude of grit?
Life can seem to hit with a storm of struggles that can make having a positive attitude difficult. I think we all have been there at one time or another.
Which is why I am happy that I was able to be proud of what my body (and my mind) was able to accomplish that at my last race.
Sometimes it becomes so easy to focus on all the things we can't do that we lose sight of the things we CAN do.
Sometimes it is easy to constantly speak out the negative or the frustrations of those struggles. If we are constantly speaking the negative that is where our mind lives. You hear the phrase "focus on the positive" all the time for good reason. When you are looking for positives, you will find them. The more often you look, the more you will find.
Easy to say. Not always easy to do.
I have struggled in this area for most of my adult life. For me, my self image plays a big part in my attitude. I've had to work very hard to not beat myself up for struggling, for my weight going up or for a race being slow.
The journey to becoming a healthier me has been a slow one and not gone the way I imaged most of the time.
I have learned that a lot of my journey hasn't been about become a smaller size but about changing attitude about where I am in the moment.
I still have a long way to go.
I have come so far.
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