We all have those days, right?
You wake up early in the morning. Your body’s tired and sore from the training & lifting sessions the day before. You have the option to snooze your alarm. You really don’t feel like getting up to put your body through another grind.
It’s not a great feeling! But luckily, this happens to everyone… even me! It would be so much more comfortable just to stay in bed and get that extra 15, 30, or 45 minutes of sleep. But is that what’s really best for you? Is staying in bed really helping you achieve your goals and dreams? Or are you just you convincing yourself that the “extra rest” is better for you than the training would be?
I bet it’s the latter. Like I said, I’ve been there!
Don’t fool yourself!
Last week I said you can always do more. Your body’s so much stronger than you think. And your mind’s even stronger than that! You can endure more, you can push yourself more, and you can grind more than you ever thought possible.
But what makes you want to put yourself through all of that extra work?
The two main forces, or traits, that allow you to push yourself outside your comfort zone to that “next level” are…
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Desire
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Self-Discipline
Desire’s that strong feeling you get when you go after something that you really want. This can include anything from making the best team in your club, becoming a starter, or even making it to the pros. This is the fire that ignites your action and hard work. It carries you along your path of pursuit. Once you find your desire, then you can begin moving towards your goals.
Next, and just as important, is self-discipline. Remember when I was talking about either staying in bed or getting up and crushing your dreams? Yeah, that’s when self-discipline really comes into play. After you have identified your goal, self-discipline will play a crucial role in helping you achieve it. I define self-discipline as doing something when you don’t have to or don’t need to. Self-discipline is giving 100% effort towards your goals, all the time, regardless of whether you ‘feel’ like it or not! Self-discipline looks like getting an extra weight session in before training. It looks like treating every play at practice like it’s the last play you’ll ever have! It looks like staying after practice when you’re sore!
One of my favorite quotes that relates to self-discipline is, “The only workout I regret is the one I didn’t do.”
Don’t hit snooze on your alarm clock. Don’t stop early. Don’t stop when you’re tired or when you’re sore. Keep going, keep pushing, & keep grinding through the pain, the fatigue and the soreness.
You only get one chance at this, so make it your best!
“OPTIMIZE YOUR MIND FOR YOUR GRIND”
Brandt Bronico
Charlotte FC #13
#BloggingBronicosBrain
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