A grand challenge lies before me, and there is one person more than anyone else who will decide whether I succeed or not. At birth, we shared the same name. And even now, there is no one that I know better because that person looks back at me in the mirror everyday.
That’s why I will make the following commitment: From this point forward, I will take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY both for the effort I put forth and for the results I achieve.
Any time the slightest desire to make an excuse or blame someone else enters my mind, I will kill the thought in its infancy. It is unworthy of me, and I will not tolerate it.
Only by focusing on what I can control will I pave the way for my success.
And that starts long before I ever step on the mat and see my opponent standing before me. It starts today, with the decision to begin where I am, use what I have, and do what I can to improve every day even if it’s only 1% or less.
It is not the day I compete that is the most important; it is all the days that precede it. The results of the tournament will just be a reflection of what I have done in preparation. And on that day, I MUST be absolutely sure that I have done everything in my power to prepare myself for the challenge that lies before me.
If I have that certainty, all that remains is these commitments:
- Regardless of how many people are in my division, I will see only the match in front of me. Nothing else matters because that is the match that I control.
- Every minute, every second, and every moment, I demand of myself full attention on my task. For the full duration of the match, I will drive forward, impose my will, and give not an inch. My effort MUST be worthy of my own respect.
- I will be COACHABLE. Whenever possible, I will adjust tactics to align with the cues of my coach, while never allowing my mind to be distracted from the work that must be done. And once the dust has settled, regardless of the result, I will listen not only about what I have done well but also about what I must improve.
- Once the tournament has ended, I will go back to the lab and improve on at least one thing. For that purpose, I must tape all of my matches if it’s at all possible. And when I watch myself in action, I must do so without judgment.
Overall though, my focus must always remain on improvement above all else. It is for that reason that I challenge myself. And the possibility that I may fail is something I embrace because it means that I am stretching myself and forcing myself to grow.
That’s what it means to be a GROWTH MINDED COMPETITOR.
Signed
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