This 1 Simple Practice Will Make You Perform Better

“Focus on the Positive”
These were the words that came from our triathlon coach before a recent ocean swim I attended. He advised our group of sixty or so triathletes that focusing on the positive has the power to enhance or even transform our experience and our performance.
I could not agree more with this advice.
I have been using what I call a gratitude practice during the majority of my training sessions for over a year now and it has truly transformed my experience.
The Negativity Bias
Our brains are hardwired to be more sensitive to negative stimuli over neutral or positive stimuli. Dr. Rick Hanson writes in his book “Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm and Confidence”, that the amygdala- the brain region that regulates emotion and motivation — uses about two-thirds of its neurons to detect bad news.
Psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, says, in The New York Times:
“Over and over, the mind reacts to bad things more quickly, strongly and persistently than to equivalent good things.”
This explains why bad experiences remain prominent in our memory so much longer than good ones do. While this negativity bias was once vital for the survival of our species, in today’s world, it serves to hinder our performance and hijack our productivity. One twinge of pain or discomfort during training can spiral into thoughts of injuries that could take us out of the game for months. Before we know it, our pace has slowed, we’ve bargained down the workout length from one hour to half an hour and we’ve convinced ourselves that we’re overtraining.
So if our brains are biased toward the negative, how do we overcome that prejudice so it doesn’t derail our training or even our lives?
My Gratitude Practice
Throughout my years of triathlon and endurance training, I would more than occasionally experience what I called a “grateful moment”. I would find myself consumed with feelings of gratitude for everything around me… for the trees, for the birds, for people, for life in general. It was similar to, but not quite the same as a “runner’s high”. It would be a mix of euphoria, joy, nostalgia, humility and grace as I would be flooded with thoughts of family, friends and all the best things in life. The feelings would often come as a wave and the most intense part of it would last for a few moments up to ten minutes. These were always my favorite training sessions and left me feeling alive and energized. Yet they were sporadic and unpredictable. I couldn’t decipher the code behind duplicating them.
Instead of searching for the recipe of perfect conditions, I decided to try cultivating these moments through intentional practice. At first it began during a long, hot, solo run that I was struggling through. I decided to repeat phrases in my head:
I am grateful to run.
I am grateful for strong legs.
I am grateful for the ground beneath me.
I am grateful for perseverance.
I am grateful for the present moment.
I am grateful to try.
As I started repeating these phrases, they had a snowball effect. I would think of more and more things that I was grateful for. I also began to have a little more spring in my step. I felt stronger. The hills didn’t feel as challenging. My pace quickened. The drag I was feeling was dissipating.
The positive thoughts were drowning out the negative ones.
The negativity bias was getting shut down.
I was finding strength and endurance through joy and inspiration rather than through struggle and pain. Soon I was looking forward to training so I could practice my gratitude. When I would reach a challenging point in my session, instead of defaulting to letting myself off the hook and pulling back on my effort level, I would repeat, “I am grateful to try” and that would give me the boost to stay strong.
My training sessions now left me feeling energized and confident. Barbara Frederickson, a leading happiness researcher at the University of North Carolina says this in The New York Times:
“Positive emotions broaden [our] scope of attention, cognition and action, and build physical, intellectual and social resources.”
In other words, positive emotions focus our mind and enhance our ability to perform. These emotions help us get into “The Zone”. This is how I began to create more “grateful moments” in my training. Gratitude and positive emotions build on themselves, create deeper focus, and a deeper sense of purpose while training. Building a stronger mind subsequently creates a stronger body as the two can work in harmony rather than fighting through difficulty.
Practice Makes Perfect
This practice works best when used early and often. If I wait to begin the practice until I start to feel sluggish or dragging, it is much harder to turn the session around than if I begin the session with the gratitude practice. As we know, the negativity bias is powerful and is always working against us. According to research, to tip the scales to happiness, we need a five to one ratio of positive to negative. By beginning the practice early, before any negative thoughts can begin, I have a greater chance of keeping those negative thoughts at bay. And if they do arise, I am already primed to override them as I have been repeating my phrases consistently.
What I like most about this practice is that it approaches improving performance from the bright side. Because of the negativity bias, fear can often impede our performance, particularly within our weak spots. By starting out from a positive mindset and focusing on the good health and strength we have just to show up for trianing, we can keep that fear deep in the background and allow the confidence and gratitude to take the lead.
Awareness in the Subtleties
After a year of practicing gratitude, I’ve learned that not every training session is transformed into a blissful state. And not every struggle is instantly converted to a record breaking performance. I have also learned that it takes a good amount of mental energy to keep the practice up, particularly on longer, more challenging sessions. The mind can fatigue just as the body can and there are some days the practice seems less than magical. Even still, any training session with gratitude practice is more enjoyable and more successful than a session without it.
The key is building an awareness in the present moment. Instead of fighting our negative feelings or pushing away the struggle, we use the gratitude to ground us into these feelings and allow them to be there. Rather than pushing through the pain, we settle into it. It’s a subtle distinction but an important one. With this distinction comes a greater sense of ease. Slowly, the harder days don’t feel so hard anymore. And the the good days begin to feel amazing.
The process is a progression. If we’re not paying attention, it’s easy to miss the results. Improvements are incremental. If I look at my year of practicing gratitude, my training has improved in many ways. I have missed fewer sessions. I have reduced the amount of fear and anxiety that might lead to skipping a session. I have increased my stamina and endurance. I have found greater enjoyment from my sessions reducing my chances of burnout. I have build my tolerance of the logistics of triathlon training (packing bags of clothes & equipment, scheduling, making meals, etc.) which is often as draining as the training itself. I have improved my ability to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones giving me a greater sense of ease and pleasure while training.
Triathletes put a tremendous amount of pressure on themselves to perform, race and still maintain work, family and friendships. Creating a mindful practice to relieve that pressure is invaluable. This practice helps remind me that I do this voluntarily because I enjoy it. It’s not meant to be a chore.
The simple words from my swim coach to “Focus on the positive” can have a powerful effect when put into consistent, daily practice. And the bonus effect of the practice is that it spills out into the rest of your life.
Give it a Try
Commit to two weeks of practicing gratitude during all your training sessions. Start with just five minutes at the beginning of each session and slowly work your way up to longer periods. Keep it simple by using any phrases that resonate with you. You can change them up or repeat the same ones over and over. Find what works for you. The important part is to really feel the gratitude. The words are there to promote the feeling. Have fun with it, be open minded, and see where it leads you.
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