Well, we are moving on up! Look back at the previous secrets to the pyramid and see how we keep building, working and pushing forward. As a team, I recognize you are taking on the initiative to do more for each other. You are recognizing the little things that need to be done to help our team improve. Remember, when the little things are done right that “big” things just fall into place.
The third tier on the pyramid is an interesting one when you look at it from left to right. Wooden says that it is the heart of the pyramid. When we look at secret #10 we see that it seems to sit atop “self-control” and “alertness” nicely. The second and third tiers are linked by “adaptability” to any situation. With self-control, we have to keep our mind in check so that our actions remain sound and respected. With alertness, we need to use our mind again to remain open to learning new things and taking on the challenge to do so with a sense of purpose and eagerness.
Notice how each secret to success starts with an individual’s mind and belief system. By training our mind the body will follow- not the other way around. For this week, we discover that “conditioning” is more than remaining fit and strong on race day. It is recognizing our conditioned responses to events as they arise. In other words, our mind seems to remain trapped in “familiarity.” This can be good and bad. Of course familiarity brings comfort and security, but familiarity can also bring you down. Your mind is used to knowing bad things can happen so we create mental blocks or use the negative situation as a defense mechanism. It is or becomes bad because you believe it can or could be bad.
Think of your racing, if you have had a bad race on a particular course, you already go into a new race on the same course with conditioned mental block. Something bad has happened there before, so it may as well happen again to you now. On a weekly basis, you have had a hard week at practice and your legs are tired. You have had homework each night and you are mentally drained. Your sleep habits haven’t been perfect, but you’ve survived. You actually don’t feel THAT bad, but then coach says it, “You need to do a two-a-day before the next race.” “You need to do an eight miler” the FRIDAY before the SATURDAY meet. “You need to run the morning of the race.”
What?
Your conditioned response is: “No, not me.” “What? I need to run fast, I can’t run a two-a-day!” “I will die if he makes me run that.”
You have conditioned your mind to believe that you may fail. You may not achieve what you wanted to achieve on that given day.
What if your new conditioned response looked something like this, “Sweet. Bring it on. It will be good to see what I can do with more miles under my belt.”
Remember your goals. Remember your team goals. Remember your future goals. Do you want to feel amazing in September knowing there are so many more miles to be logged, so many more chances to improve, so many more team experiences to be had?
Wooden says this about conditioning. “Supreme physical condition accompanied by mental and moral conditioning is foremost. Performance diminishes immediately when condition is insufficient.” For each of us, physical conditioning is different. What works for some may not work for others. To train to be a great doctor takes different training than being a great teacher or landscaper or restaurant manager. To be mentally sound is the same for all. It is a belief WITHIN us all that recognizes mental, emotional and spiritual conditioning should be balanced with our physical conditioning in order to achieve success.
Spend time each day thinking about your most negative beliefs. Write them down. Turn them into a positive. Write those down. Tape them up around your room. Instead of, “I’m not going to die at the end of the race,” change it to, “I am going to look ahead and make my legs fly.” “I am going to take three deep breaths and chase the person in front of me. “I am going to be a champion.”
Train your mind. Practice positive self talk in practice, in the classroom, in your relationships. Meditate. Breathe. Visualize you being better than you are today. Imagine the possibilities!
Read the following sentence one time through quickly.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS
Now, read the sentence one time through counting the times you see the letter F.
Before reading further, do that now.
Now, how many F’s did you count?
(I counted three)
Now read it again, counting the number of times you read the word of.
Now how many f’s do you see?
This little exercise shows the power of mental conditioning or mental “blind spots.” When we were little, we were taught to say “of” like “ov. “ Our mind is trained to ignore the f in of.
Condition is defined as “characterized by a consistent pattern of behavior.”
We rely on memory instead of using alertness and understanding. If we were conditioned at such an early age to miss the “f’s” what else are we missing? How are old conditioning, familiar patterns and blind spots affecting us now?
The third tier on the pyramid is an interesting one when you look at it from left to right. Wooden says that it is the heart of the pyramid. When we look at secret #10 we see that it seems to sit atop “self-control” and “alertness” nicely. The second and third tiers are linked by “adaptability” to any situation. With self-control, we have to keep our mind in check so that our actions remain sound and respected. With alertness, we need to use our mind again to remain open to learning new things and taking on the challenge to do so with a sense of purpose and eagerness.
Notice how each secret to success starts with an individual’s mind and belief system. By training our mind the body will follow- not the other way around. For this week, we discover that “conditioning” is more than remaining fit and strong on race day. It is recognizing our conditioned responses to events as they arise. In other words, our mind seems to remain trapped in “familiarity.” This can be good and bad. Of course familiarity brings comfort and security, but familiarity can also bring you down. Your mind is used to knowing bad things can happen so we create mental blocks or use the negative situation as a defense mechanism. It is or becomes bad because you believe it can or could be bad.
Think of your racing, if you have had a bad race on a particular course, you already go into a new race on the same course with conditioned mental block. Something bad has happened there before, so it may as well happen again to you now. On a weekly basis, you have had a hard week at practice and your legs are tired. You have had homework each night and you are mentally drained. Your sleep habits haven’t been perfect, but you’ve survived. You actually don’t feel THAT bad, but then coach says it, “You need to do a two-a-day before the next race.” “You need to do an eight miler” the FRIDAY before the SATURDAY meet. “You need to run the morning of the race.”
What?
Your conditioned response is: “No, not me.” “What? I need to run fast, I can’t run a two-a-day!” “I will die if he makes me run that.”
You have conditioned your mind to believe that you may fail. You may not achieve what you wanted to achieve on that given day.
What if your new conditioned response looked something like this, “Sweet. Bring it on. It will be good to see what I can do with more miles under my belt.”
Remember your goals. Remember your team goals. Remember your future goals. Do you want to feel amazing in September knowing there are so many more miles to be logged, so many more chances to improve, so many more team experiences to be had?
Wooden says this about conditioning. “Supreme physical condition accompanied by mental and moral conditioning is foremost. Performance diminishes immediately when condition is insufficient.” For each of us, physical conditioning is different. What works for some may not work for others. To train to be a great doctor takes different training than being a great teacher or landscaper or restaurant manager. To be mentally sound is the same for all. It is a belief WITHIN us all that recognizes mental, emotional and spiritual conditioning should be balanced with our physical conditioning in order to achieve success.
Spend time each day thinking about your most negative beliefs. Write them down. Turn them into a positive. Write those down. Tape them up around your room. Instead of, “I’m not going to die at the end of the race,” change it to, “I am going to look ahead and make my legs fly.” “I am going to take three deep breaths and chase the person in front of me. “I am going to be a champion.”
Train your mind. Practice positive self talk in practice, in the classroom, in your relationships. Meditate. Breathe. Visualize you being better than you are today. Imagine the possibilities!
Read the following sentence one time through quickly.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS OF EXPERTS
Now, read the sentence one time through counting the times you see the letter F.
Before reading further, do that now.
Now, how many F’s did you count?
(I counted three)
Now read it again, counting the number of times you read the word of.
Now how many f’s do you see?
This little exercise shows the power of mental conditioning or mental “blind spots.” When we were little, we were taught to say “of” like “ov. “ Our mind is trained to ignore the f in of.
Condition is defined as “characterized by a consistent pattern of behavior.”
We rely on memory instead of using alertness and understanding. If we were conditioned at such an early age to miss the “f’s” what else are we missing? How are old conditioning, familiar patterns and blind spots affecting us now?
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