Words are Powerful. Choose them Wisely.

The words you choose to communicate with yourself play a significant roll in performance. Too often you are completely unaware of the words, they are stuck in the unconscious on auto-play, controlling your every move without your knowledge. One of the first steps in improving your mental game is BRINGING AWARENESS TO THESE WORDS/THOUGHTS.

 

Remember:

 

THOUGHTS create FEELINGS, FEELINGS create BEHAVIOR

 

Sometimes those words come in the form of questions. Questions can be some of the worst thoughts you choose because they plant the seed of self-doubt deeply.

 

Do you…

• question your ability to complete an element successfully?
• question your consistency?
• question your ability to perform under pressure?

Questions like:

• If I land my double axel in competition….
• If I land the first jump of the combo…
• If I do a clean short…

 

The linguistic shift from a QUESTION to a STATEMENT may seem simple, however the unconscious impact is immense.

 

Questions change to statements:

• When I land my double axel in competition…
• When I land the first jump of the combo…
• When I do a clean short…

 

Changing IF to WHEN eliminates the seed of doubt, ultimately causing you to ASSUME the landing not QUESTION it! As soon as you start ASSUMING, whether you have to fake it or not, you adopt the thoughts, feelings, behavior of the athlete you want to become.

 

This is a simple step you start to implement today. Notice when you are questioning your ability and change your question into a statement. Continue to replace the question with a statement and notice how you feel about yourself and your skating. Eventually this will become your new normal, a habit that you have created that works for you, not against you.

 

Until Next time,

Keep your Brain in the Game!