Before I left Ohio, My friend Jonathan Duncan gave me a book about sports psychology called How Bad Do You Want It.
I'm sharing a story from the book because it ripped my face off!
It starts with triathlon runner Siri Lindley — a superb endurance athlete who underachieved for most of her career.
Why?
It is written that she struggled with confidence. She carried around pent-up childhood trauma (her parents’ divorce) and raced with an aching feeling of doubt and never being good enough.
That’s a lot of pressure to place upon yourself.
Her friend connected her to an insane coach named Brett Sutton who lived on top of a mountain in Switzerland.
This dude was like a combination of Ra’s al Ghul from Batman and Pei Mei from Kill Bill.
No joke.
On Lindley’s first day, Sutton ordered her to set up her bike on a turbo trainer and do a 3-hour ride. “I just hiked a mountain to get here. I don’t have any clothes.” she protested.
“That’s OK,” the coach said. “You can wear what you have on.” (see, just like Ra's al Ghul).
That was her life on that mountain. 4000 meters swims on top of 26-mile runs on top of 100-kilometer bike rides.
Here’s the thing about Coach Sutton’s training: It was less about physical exercise and more about building belief in yourself.
Every day, she did things she didn’t know she could do and her confidence grew.
His workouts cast away the feeling of never being enough and redirected her energy to the process.
From dreaming to doing.
From dead time to alive time.
Siri went on to be the #1 ranked triathlon athlete in the world and became one of the greatest coaches in the world after she retired.
Here's the lesson: You build confidence by doing. Gradually, meticulously. Through grit, fun, and leadership. It doesn't come by wishing for it or dreaming about it.
Do it!
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