Category Archives: mantra

mantra, motivation, triathlon

Motivation Monday – Excuses the Enemy of Excellence

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Have a Marvelous Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Excuses

This sounds like one of those hard core quotes you see with some huge dude flexing in the background. If you stop and think about how we use excuses, the quote rings true. We will not accomplish anything meaningful or difficult by using excuses. Excuses are how we trick ourselves into doing the easy thing, instead of taking the necessary steps toward our goal. A life of progress and propose is not filled with excuses.

I’m certainly not immune to making excuses. After I make an excuse, I rarely feel good about it, but I do it anyway. I see excuses like an ice cream sundae to someone on a diet. If they have that sundae, it will make them feel pleasure now, but it is in direct conflict with the goal of losing weight. I only mention this because I love ice cream, and have faced this dilemma myself. The mind is always going to seek pleasure, and avoid pain. If we want to make meaningful progress toward your goal, we need to put more pleasure in seeking your ultimate goal, that in the easy path offered now.

Excuses slow the learning process of excellence. We will all fail at something along our path. Failure is a lesson, until you make an excuse. The excuse will get you off the hook in the short term, but if the problem isn’t corrected, the same mistake will be made again.

Excuses lead to procrastination. We make excuses instead of doing what we really want in life. I’ll take on that big goal, after I have more time, money, experience. The problem is that time, money, experience, may never come. The enemy of excuse is action. Instead of making an excuse, take the next step toward your goal. It doesn’t matter how small the step, just make progress. When we put together enough of these small steps, excellence will be on the horizon.

What excuses can you overcome, and take that next step forward?

Do it today, and see how it feels to move toward excellence.

first triathlon, Fitness, mantra, motivation, running, triathlon

Monday Motivation – Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done

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Have a Marvelous Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Exhausted runner

“From great struggle comes great reward”

When was the last time to said to yourself, “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done”? How did you feel as you were saying it? Did you have a smile on your face? Most of those super hard things we encounter are not that difficult, it just seemed impossible before you began. It was so difficult because your inner voice was convincing you, it was beyond your capabilities. Keep pushing the limit of what is your “hardest thing”, and you will grow as a person immensely.

Keep the measure of your hardest thing relative your your own capabilities and progress. Don’t get wrapped up in comparing yourself with the achievement of others. We all have to set the bar for ourselves. Each person is just in a different place on the path.  Keep making forward progress on your own path, and keep reaching for that next hardest thing.

What is your next hardest thing?

Race your first Triathlon :)?

Run a PR 5k?

Give a speech?

Whatever it is, put in your full effort, and know you are making a break through.

mantra, motivation, triathlon

Monday Mantra – All Day Pace

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Have a Marvelous Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Girl runningPlease share it below in the comments.

This week’s Mantra: All Day

Next time you are out for a long workout, and you doubt you can hold your pace, repeat to yourself, “I can do this all day”. My pace is my all day pace. When you start to feel tired, and want to slow down, you are at 50% of your true capacity. It’s your mind telling you to slow down, and not your body. Tell you mind to get comfortable, being uncomfortable, and I am holding this pace all day.

The All Day mantra brings you into the present. Instead on focusing on how much longer you have to go, you concentrate on the now. I use this mantra often. When I’m out for a 15 mile run, and at 10 miles, I start to doubt if I can finish those last five mile. I tell myself that I can go at this pace all day. My mind quiets down, and I stop obsessing over the remaining miles, and just keep working.

first triathlon, Fitness, mantra, marathon, motivation, triathlon

Kick in the Butt Monday – Easy Days

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Easy Day

 

The workouts that seem hard now, will soon be easy, if you keep training.  Maybe you can’t run a mile without stopping, or swim a 100M without be winded. Don’t give up, keep training, and soon your will be amazed by your progress.

I’m currently training for my fifth marathon. When I look back to the training for my first, it’s a night and day difference. My first 18 mile run ended in disaster. I had never run that far, and at mile 14 both of my calves seized, and my wife had to come pick me up.  That was a hard day for me. In my current training plan I have three 20 milers. I can complete them with little struggle. I still bring my phone, in case of disaster.

What workouts used to be difficult for you, that you can now complete with ease?

first triathlon, Fitness, mantra, motivation, triathlon

Monday Motivation – Don’t Just Think Act!

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

FullSizeRender

Don’t just think, act!

I am personally guilty of not following this mantra. I will anylize and over think what I really want until it doesn’t happen. This self sabotage is counter productive and borders on insanity. I don’t know if its fear of success or failure that causes this indecision. When I break this pattern and get into action, I feel better, and my life improves. I am in a constant battle with this resistance.

I know I’m not the only one. What thing in your life are you putting off, and over thinking? I’m not talking about putting off the laundry or getting your car inspected. What is it you really want, that you can act on now! Fear hates action. Take that first step toward what you want now, and the path will open. You have to take action right now, or the resistance will pull you back into indecision.

Let’s tie this into triathlon. If you goal is to complete your first race. Sign up for a race now. Are you an terrible swimmer? Sign up for a swim lesson. Don’t have a bike. Ask a couple friends, if they have one to lend. Most problems are caused by lack of resourcefulness, not lack of resources. Fight the resistance, act now, and take that first step.

cycling, first triathlon, Fitness, funny, lastminute, mantra, motivation, running

Monday Mantra – Best Day of My Life

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Best Day

Today’s Mantra:

 “Best day of my life”

This is one of my personal favorites. If you say this to yourself, and really mean it, you can’t help but feel better. This works fantastic in races. When you are really suffering, open up a big smile, and say “this is the best day of my life.” You may feel silly saying this as snot is running down your face, and you feel like road kill. If you are healthy enough to be out doing what you love, it is the best day of your life. Can each new day be your best day? I think so, if you want it to be.

cycling, mantra, motivation, running, triathlon

Monday Mantra – “This is What I DO!”

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Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

This week’s Mantra:

“This is What I DO!”

tHIS IS WHAT I DO

I heard this mantra on a podcast over the weekend, and it resonated with me. When racing or training gets really difficult, and you want to quit, remind yourself, “This is what I do!” You decided to take on this challenge, because it’s who you are. The pursuit of this goal is part of your identity, and this is where you are supposed to be right now. It’s a great mantra to bring you back to the present, and trust your training.

Some Examples:

You’re out for a 10 mile run, and it starts pouring rain two miles in. You could turn around or you can finish the run, because “This is What You DO”

Life throws a sick child, extra work, and terrible weather at you, but you still get in your weekly training, because “This is What You DO!”

At your “A” race of the season, you are on PR pace, but starting to fade. You can slow down or you can power though. Remember all of the training and effort you put into this race. You are crushing this race, because “This is What You Do”

I run, because “This is What I Do”.

I ride, because “This is What I Do”.

I swim, because “This is What I Do”.

I succeed, because “This is What I Do”.

mantra, motivation

Monday Mantra – Everyday is a Special Occasion

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Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Special Occasion

” Everyday is a Special Occasion”

I know this sounds kind of corny at first, but stop and think about it. How often in our lives do we get stuck in a rut or routine, and life passes us by. Another birthday approaches and you think, were the hell did the last year just go? This was happened to me more and more as I get older. The problem is the older I get the less time I have on this planet. Time is the number one, precious , non-renewable resource we have. The good news is we get to decide how it is used.

Instead of getting stuck in that rut, we can choose to celebrate each day. We can be grateful for what we have. We can seek adventure in everyday experiences, instead of just going through the motions. This will take a bit more energy than just droning on like a zombie, but the pay off is immense.

Here’s a couple of small suggestions to make today more of an occasion:

  1. Take a different route to work
  2. Tell someone you care about how much they mean to you
  3. Dress up more than usual
  4. Eat lunch outside
  5. Map out a new loop for your run/ride
  6. Start something new you have been putting off until the right time

Leave a comment of something you could do to make today a special occasion.

mantra, motivation

Monday Mantra – Travelling Well

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Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Travel Well

“It is better to travel well, than arrive” – Buddha

For me, this quote takes “life is a journey” to a new level. If that journey is pursued with the same passion as the goal, then the journey is more important.

If Buddha was an endurance athlete, he would say;

“It is better to train and race well, than PR”

Let’s take a marathon for an example. You train for 20 weeks for a one day event, in hopes of setting a PR. Race day comes and you were sick the week before, the weather sucks, and you don’t PR. Was all of that training for nothing? Not if you trained with purpose, and enjoyed the process. Think back to all of those long runs spend in the fresh air increasing your well being. You persevered when your legs were screaming to stop on the way to a new distance. Every time you head out the door to train with purpose, you are travelling well.

Fitness, mantra, motivation

Monday Mantra – Happiness, It’s your Job

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Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

Happiness

Happiness is not an outside, it’s an inside job – Fortune Cookie

I received this message in a fortune cookie last week, and it resonated with me. Happiness is not something that just happens, it is a job. We are happy when we choose to be happy. When we choose to be happy, our actions follow. How you spend your time, who you surround yourself with, and what you focus on, have a significant impact on your happiness. How you make these choices is based on your decision to be happy.

Let’s tie this in to fitness, as this is a triathlon blog. Personally, I race and train for triathlons because it makes me happy. The exercise contributes to good physical and mental health. I love the triathlon community, as triathletes are supportive and always looking to improve. What I love most is signing up for a race, and having something to train for and look forward to. I may complain when the training gets difficult, but making that progress toward a goal makes me happy.