A Winning Attitude
By: Misty Green

Now that competition season has gotten well under way, I thought it would be nice to do an article on staying positive.  The daily regimen of diet, training, cardio and work can sometimes (heck maybe even a lot of the time) drain us physically and mentally. And just maybe there are times where we feel so drained that we question ourselves . Question what we are doing and why we are doing it. It is in the times that we have to remember what our goals were in the fist place. Whether you are competing or wanted to live a healthier lifestyle or just wanted to drop a few pounds it is always important to set goals, have a way to measure your improvements, and re-evaluate your goals as you reach them.
I believe that when you are setting goals it’s always good to look at where you have been, in order to help you know where you are going. We all make mistakes, we’re human, but what makes us stronger is to take those mistakes and use them as tools to learn from. The following are a few tips that can be useful when setting goals:

1. Set realistic goals. But by all means make sure they are high enough as
as well.
2. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you truly want and is   
consistent with your values.
3. Always write your goals down and do it in the positive not the negative. In
other words, work for what you want not what you want to leave behind.       
Writing your goals down creates a list for your subconscious mind to follow.
Having a positive list helps you to reach more positive results.
4. Write your goals in detail. The more detail you have, the easier it is to visualize
yourself reaching them.
5.  Do a breakdown of daily, weekly, monthly and annual goals. This will
give you a way to measure yourself as you go.
6.  Celebrate every victory! Even the smallest ones. This will create such a
positive cycle in your life and will truly make you feel great about your
accomplishments. For example, I give myself a pat on the back for making it
to the gym and through a workout when I have had a tough and tiring day.

Misty Green

* Now that your goals are on paper, share them, but only with people who are truly supportive of you achieving your goals. Negative people and their attitudes can drag you down quickly!!! It’s very important and crucial to your success that your self talk/thoughts in your head are positive.  Also, pick a time, whether daily or weekly, to review your goals and continue to visualize yourself reaching them. This process will help your conscious and subconscious mind work toward your goals and will also help replace any negative self talk you may have had, with positive self talk. Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself, “Does this get me closer to my goal”. If yes, then you’ve made the right decision and if no, then you know what needs to be done to fix it. By getting into the routine of doing these things, it can help you on your way to achieving the success you want, mentally and physically.

I have also had many people ask how I stay positive through ups and downs. And I am no guru, we all have our down days, but here are a few things that I have found useful in keeping a positive attitude:
1. Never, never, never let negative people influence you. You know who they are
and you can usually spot them coming from a mile away. Any type of negative
talk can be damaging, whether it’s directed towards you or if they are going
off about someone or something else. These types of people will wear you
down and drain you! So surround yourself with people who are supportive.
2. Let go of past disappointments. Everyone has been disappointed at some point
by someone or something, it’s just part of life. So don’t hang on to yesterday
because there’s nothing you can do to change it. Focus on today what you can
accomplish.
3. Each day brings new chances. If you mess up one day, let it go and learn from
it. You always get to start over in the morning.
4. March to the beat of your own drum. Be proud of who you are and stay true to
yourself. You shouldn’t have to change for anyone.
5. Take the steps you need to achieve your goals day by day, step by step.
Remember that most things are a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time
to get the results we usually want.
6. Notice what’s around you. Find inspiration in things throughout your
day. There are so many people that inspire me daily and they don’t even
realize it. Also, laugh out loud. Take a minute to notice things small things that
will make you smile.
7. Live up to your own expectations of yourself.  Rely on yourself to make you
happy and be proud of who you are, what you are doing and what you have
done.
8. Be grateful for everyday and with that enjoy the moments of happiness that
come upon you.  Attitude is everything. Life is 10% of what happens to you
and 90% is how you handle that 10%.
9. Last but not least. I’m a spiritual person and God helps me through everything.
So search inside yourself and your beliefs to help you through every situation.

In closing, I want to share the following quote that a buddy of mine pointed out to me. I think this says it all and can be applied in any aspect of our lives:
Nowhere is it clearer than at this gym that the journey into perfection is forever.
You never finally arrive, never finally get it, never finally get over the top.
You only get stronger or weaker, closer or further away, you only grow or don’t grow.
The objective is to continue growing, moving forward, challenging yourself to reach beyond and replace weakness with strength.
As long as a flicker of life exists, there’s hope – hope to fight back, to rebuild, to grow, to become more, to emerge victorious in the greatest, most important battle of all-
The Conquest of Self.

So remember that regardless of what happens, whether you are competing or not. Always compare yourself to you. As long as you’re making the improvements you want to make then you are already a winner!

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