Mindset Training is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

In the modern world, we have become slaves to convenience.

By a click of a button, you can have Amazon deliver goods to your mailbox in mere days.

A few swipes later and Uber Eats can deliver a 4 course meal right to your front door.

Taking 10 minutes to put a list into an app and Walmart will deliver groceries within hours.

If you need to know something, a quick search into Google, YouTube or TikTok can produce a myriad of results to build perception and knowledge.

With a brief look at our human history, it is incredible how much we have evolved (and at times it should be celebrated)!

However, there has been a thought on my mind lately.

What if all of those conveniences went away?

No more cell phones, TV, delivery services, cars, microwaves, search engines, social media, and other gadgets that make life “easy”.

Think about that for a moment - if we were to be stripped of all the conveniences of the world, what would be left?

It would be you, your family and friends, left to your own resourcefulness, insight, and thoughts.

What a crazy thing to think about - and before all of the amazing inventions of our world, this was life.

It was a simpler time, where people became energized by spending time in nature, hunting for their own food, and enjoying each other’s company with no screens attached.

We have become conditioned to rely on things outside of ourselves to find happiness, comfort, and validation.

Even down to the shoes on our feet, we have found ways to make life easier and cushioned.

But reality is, most of these conveniences are glorified distractions for what’s really going on in your life and in your head.

Being left to your own feelings, thoughts, and struggles can leave you feeling vulnerable - this thought alone can be incredibly intimidating and scary for most.

The loneliness, unworthiness, and comparison of not being able to "Keep up with the Joneses" in a challenge most of us wrestle with.

In life we want the sprint - the quick fix to make all our problems go away.

But if you have anything worth working for, it’s going to require pain, sacrifice, and energy invested to become better.

Through the sacrifice and pain is where you can find inner happiness in your strength, comfort in your ability, and validation of your skills.

I can’t help but be inspired by the athletes competing this summer in the greatest sporting event of all time - the Olympics.

The lineage of the games dating over 3,000 years ago, athletes are essentially doing the same thing as the world’s first Olympians - training for YEARS to compete in competitions that last just minutes.

Olympians don’t get paid millions, they aren’t highlighted during the Olympic off years, and are required to put in the work while the stadium lights are off.

Olympians understand their journey is a long game - the choices and effort they have invested for the past 3 years are now surfacing for the world to see.

While training, they put themselves in incredibly hard and uncomfortable positions to grow and become stronger. They understand the work they put in must match the caliber of their dreams.

Although many of us will not have the opportunity to compete for our country at the Olympics, we still have the opportunity to partake in the long game for the betterment of our own lives.

Training your thinking, your mental routines, and systems is not easy - this type of work also happens while the stadium lights are off.

One meditation practice will not make you a monk.

One rep of a Reset Routine will not make you an indestructible competitor.

One page written in your journal will not create clarity in every aspect of your life.

These practices must be done multiple times over to reap the true benefits of building mental fortitude.

Training any skill has to be met with ordinary discipline, desire, and execution.

Ordinary actions stacked over and over (and over and over) again is what produces extraordinary results.

Mindset training is a marathon, not a sprint.

It’s using declarative knowledge (knowing WHAT to do) AND procedural knowledge (knowing HOW to do it and executing with deliberate practice) to build skills.

Mistakes will be made, blunders are abound, and there will be scores of slip-ups on the journey to mastery.

When a misstep happens, it’s a choice to turn your ‘L’ into earning - that’s what learning is.

The energy we have daily is finite. The choice to use your energy for the tasks that matter most is important.

Learning to manage your energy is better than managing your time.

We all have the freshest and most vibrant energy typically when we wake up.

The first hours of your day are crucial and should be reserved for the skills and tasks that require the most focus.

How you create your own momentum in the morning can dictate the rest of your day.

Training your mind and routines to complete a hard task first thing can help make things easier throughout the day.

Starting the day with a run, a cold plunge, or tough workout creates an environment of discomfort and pain.

Starting the day with a mediation, journaling, or visualization practice creates an environment of quiet clarity.

Both of these examples are different kind of “hard” that require discipline, desire, and execution.

I challenge you to commit to something for the next 7 days - something that will push you to be better, something that will stair-step you to your dreams.

I challenge you to complete this task within the first hour of waking.

Make arrangements to create an environment to complete your task.

Even with a 2 year old early riser, I do what I can to wake up and get my workout in before his sweet eyes open.

You are the creator of your life. You are the creator of your destiny.

You have the power to put the reps in consistently to build your skills and become the best version of yourself.

Training your mind and your skills is a marathon, not a sprint.

Reframe your commitments to participate in the long game, so eventually you can look back on your progress and say

“Yes - I DID THAT!”

In the moments of overcoming “hard” is where you can truly meet and find yourself.

It’s a place to build self-trust and confidence.

What will be the “hard” that you commit to for the next 7 days?