🧭 The One Performance Habit You Can Steal from Olympians

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Here’s Where We Are Headed Today:

• Brian Tracy on Reflection

• The Power of Journaling for Olympic Athletes

• Great Posts of the Week

• Free Mental Fitness Links 👇

The Power of Journaling for Olympic Athletes

Today, we are going to talk about the power of journaling for athletes, performers, and anyone looking to better their lives. We are going to show you how Olympic athletes use journaling to better their performance and change their self-talk, but let’s start from the beginning.

What it is and why it matters: Journaling is the practice of regularly writing down thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a structured or unstructured manner. It can take various forms, including reflective, expressive, and goal-oriented writing.

Journaling helps you process emotions, set and track goals, and develop self-awareness. For athletes, it serves as a powerful tool for mental clarity, emotional regulation, and performance analysis, leading to improved overall performance.

What do mental performance coaches say: Dr. Jim Loehr is a world renowned performance psychologist, research, and author who has worked with top-performing athletes, executives, and military leaders worldwide, and he fully believes in the power of journaling. Here are two interesting quotes of his on the power of journaling:

• “But this is what really was quite a shock to me, was that we learned that journaling was probably the best way, scripting how you want to speak to yourself in advance and reading it and going over it again and rewriting it, was the most direct way to get it reignited in your brain in the way you want. So journaling, writing is the most direct function to the executive function of the brain, to thought patterns.”

• “The most precious resource we have is not time, but energy. We are vessels of energy. And as long as we have energy, we can have an impact. And I began to realize that every time you invest energy in something, you spawn growth.”

Takeaway: These quotes emphasize the power and energy of the written word in how you speak to yourself. By consciously scripting (writing) and reinforcing positive thought patterns, you can start to build your mindset.

This is great, but how do athletes actually journal?

1. Anna Hall - She is an American athlete competing in the heptathlon this Olympics. She uses journaling to measure her performance across all events that she competes in. She has used journaling to document her progress, improve her self-talk, stay present, and block out distractions. Look at these statements below, they are amazing!

   She wrote “Today I will become an Olympian,” and she did that day!

   • “This is my event, my title, my spot. I’m going to take it.”

   • “I will fight for every hundredth, inch, point.”

   • “PROVE THEM WRONG.”

   • “ENJOY IT.”

2. Zharnel Hughes - Zharnel is a British sprinter who is competing at the Olympics this year. He uses journaling as a way to manifest his future. He writes down his goals and dreams and it helps him visualize what he needs to do to get there. In 2023, he broke the the British record in the 200m by running it in 19.73 seconds. The crazy part? He predicted the future…look below and see what he wrote the morning of the race.

This is great, so how can I make this a practice?

If you look at these competitors, journaling wasn’t a chore but a source of energy for them. It was focused writing. It wasn’t a diary talking about how they felt, but a focused writing session that helped guide them and their attention. It gave them emotional resilience, focus, and motivation when they might have been filled with self-doubt.

1. Just Start Writing - Begin with something small and attainable, like 3, 5, or 10 minutes a day. Consistency is key, so commit to a regular time and duration that fits into your schedule.

2. Be Clear About What You Want and Why - Clearly define your goals and the reasons behind them. Understanding your motivations will help you stay focused and committed to your journaling practice.

3. Write The Positive Outcomes You Want - It means be your inner promoter and inner writing champion.

   • Write the positive outcomes you want to see.

   • Write how you're going to overcome obstacles in your way.

   • Write the details about your progress and your focus areas.

   • Write the motivational affirmations that give you energy.

   Extra points for not just writing them, but also visualizing what it would look like as you write them. Look at how specific and measurable Anna and Zharnel’s journals were.

4. Focus and Commit - Stay dedicated to your journaling practice. Regularly review and reflect on your entries to adjust your self-talk, goals, and your progress.

It’s a great reminder that you are the loudest voice in your head so look to speak more and listen less.

Great Posts from the Week

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