That’s what my training partner and favorite
Block holder throughout my NCAA career said
As I was warming up before the start of my race.
“Naw,” I replied as I continued on
Jumping up and down to get my legs ready.
But let me give you some context here.
Imagine this.
It’s the 2002 NCAA conference championship
And it’s in St. Peter, MN which happens to be
Where I’m enrolled at good ‘ole GAC or
Gustavus Adolphus College if you’re one of
Those refined midwesterners
I was about to run the biggest race of my life
In front of my home crowd on the track I
Practiced on just about daily (in snow even)
Was I nervous? HELLZ YEAH!!!
You see broham, the part I left out was that
Moments before the race, my block holder
And best friend had just woken me up from
A literal 2 hour nap.
I was so excited about the very prospect of
Running on my home turf, so to speak, that I
Just couldn’t sleep the previous night.
After my first race of the day I was gassed
And decided to lay down, but I didn’t
Think I’d be deep in REM sleep
10 minutes before the starting gun.
So as I was jumping up and down trying to
Warm-up legs that felt like they were still asleep
I kept telling myself this 1 thing…
I’m excited!
I would like you to consider the difference
Between excited and nervous
What is your body like when you’re excited?
Your palms get a little sweaty
Your heart beats faster
Your stomach turns knots…
Now what’s it like when you’re nervous?
Your palms get a little sweaty
Your heart beats faster
Your stomach turns knots…
Exactly!
One of my coaches taught me that
Your body responds the same way if
You’re nervous or excited.
So whenever I start to feel a little nervous
I just tell myself that I’m getting excited.
The mind is a very powerful thing
But it has a quite a few loop holes and
Back doors that can be easily exploited
Which can lead to interesting results.
If you’re interested in learning more
About how you can “trick” your mind
Into creating success in your own life.
Click below to join my private
Facebook group Project SELFFY
Jerry “excited” Washington
