Pyrrhic victories

Pyrrhic victory ... "a victory with devastating cost to the victor." One has to wonder the value of winning when, in the process, the cost is the loss of the soul.

The Box

The 2009 swimming season is upon us. First workouts for the Denison swimmers begin tomorrow and, it safe to say, that all of us are excited to get started. It's a great time of the year ... energy and optimism are running high as everyone, coaches and athletes alike, considers the possibilities. Bodies and minds are fresh and all things seem possible. Who doesn't love this time of year? It's so easy and safe to think "outside the box" in September. Right now, just about anyone can be the next "great one."

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a vivid imagination ... in fact, it's an essential part of the walk towards greatness. One can't get by without it. Where would Sir Edmund Hillary have ended up if hadn't first dreamt of scaling Mt. Everest? The longest walks don't start with a single step ... rather, they start with the idea of going for a walk and the motivation to get started. Without a strong sense of direction and purpose, we're lost.

But while thinking outside the box is critical in establishing direction and fueling our efforts, the real test begins when we realize that the dreams have to be built inside the box--namely, in reality. And this is why the road is hard. The box is where we face our limitations (physical, emotional, and otherwise) and seize our opportunities. The box is where we are confronted with our real selves and our real predicament. It's there that we have to commit ourselves to working on the things that it will take to fulfill our goals ... our technique, our power, our diet, our attitude, our conditioning, and our work ethic. It's in the box that we learn to bleed and sweat.

Ironically, acknowledging and understanding these limits provide us with the context against which we can overcome them. It gives us something to push against without which we'd run the risk of floundering in the world of fantasy rather than being grounded in the task of building a new reality. If we're serious about achieving our goals then, at some point, we're obligated to come down from the mountain of our dreams and get on with the business of working towards our goals. This is the hard part and, ironically, where the real fun and satisfaction comes from.

"We're doing all that we can."

A special blog for DA ...

"Sometimes it's not enough to do all that you can. Sometimes you must do what's required."

~ Thomas Jefferson

Nutritional Staples for Your Wolves ...

THE GOOD STUFF ... backbone, certainty, courage, daring, determination, fearlessness, grit, heart, mettle, reliance, spirit, spunk, tenacity, aggressiveness, faith, temerity, bravery, boldness, certitude, self-reliance, guts, valor, firmness, lion-heartedness, power, drive, nerve, self-confidence, hardiness, soul, spirit, honesty, integrity.

THE BAD STUFF ... fear, worry, cynicicism, self-doubt, anxiety, pessimism, whining, dejection, gloominess, despondency, moodiness, unhappiness, dishonesty, angst, distress, misgiving, insecurity, panic, restlessness, uncertainty, apprehension, doubt, name blaming, excuse making, half-heartedness, complaining, laziness, cockiness.

Just as with any nutrtional plan, ingesting too much of one bad thing can spoil the benefits of eating a lot of good things. Feed your soul with only the best things.

Feeding the fast wolf ...

For many athletes, conditions have to be nearly perfect in order to perform at a high level. More than a physiological dynamic, it seems to me that these athletes seem constrained by a psychological paradigm (read "thought pattern") that limits their performances. Is it a lack of imagination? Is it a lack of confidence? Or is it an acquired mentality that's rooted in years of self-statements (e.g., "I'm tired so I can't swim fast") that ultimately end up crippling the individual. Researchers and educators have long recognized the link between the quality of a person's self-statements and the person's consequential behavior and success level. The research is very clear that our self-talk has great power over our present and future success. One's attitude, it seems plays a large part in determining one's altitude.

Over the past 3 weeks, Denison swimmers have been exposed to some of the most challeging training that we've ever thrown at our athletes during the past 20 years. Ten workouts per week, very challenging strength development sessions, and heavy aerobic work have been the rule during the past 21 days. It's been grueling in many ways. Yet, despite all the hard work, junior John Geissinger posted some of the fastest unshaved splits we've ever seen ... 20.47 (50 FS) and 45.30 (100 FS) ... at this weekend's NCAC Relay Meet in Gambier. To put in John's swims in perspective, these times are within only a half of a stroke in the 50 and a full stroke or two of his very best times (19.9 and 43.5) that were posted at last year's NCAA Championships. Under "normal" circumstances, one wouldn't "expect" to see these kind of times until much later in the season.

What makes these performances most impressive is that it was only 6 short weeks ago that John and I had a long discussion about the power of these paradigms and their influence on our performances. In our talk, it was clear that John was being held captive by a paradigm that suggested to him that the only way to swim fast was to be rested, shaved, and emotionally primed for a big swim. Yesterday's performances suggest that John is on his way to developing a new paradigm that, ultimately, will empower him to a new and faster level of swimming.

But let's be clear about one thing ... a great "can-do, my time is coming" attitude needs to be coupled with a strong work ethic. A good attitude alone can't cover for poor physical preparation. To be sure, a "I'll swim fast" attitude is an empty cup if it isn't filled with the willingness to prepare at a level that's consistent with one's aspirations.

John's decision ... and, yes, I believe it was a conscious decision to pursue a different way to look at his swimming ... to feed his fast wolf is paying big dividends already. I'm excited to see where it takes him.

The wolf is hungry.

The research shows that 90% of all that we do is rooted in habit. This includes not only our observable behaviors but also our attitudes and the way in which we interpret and interact with the things that happen to us. Rooting our behavior in habits is efficient and allows us to live relatively efficient lives by saving time and energy. There's great economy in habits and it only makes sense that the strength of our habits is rooted in what wolf we feed most often. The stronger the wolf, the stronger the habit.

That we're creatures of habit is not news. We live most of our days on automatic pilot ... interacting with and interpreting the world in very predictable ways. The question is not whether we are rooted to our habits but, rather, what habits are we rooted to. The answer to the question has big implications for not only the kind of life we lead but also how we set ourselves up for success or failure.

It's important and appropriate to take a personal inventory of what habits we rely on. What habits (read "behaviors and attitudes") do we rely on? Are they the positive ones that bring out the best in ourselves and others? Or do we lean on the negative ones that set us up to struggle in the things that we do and pursue? This brings to mind the old saying, "if attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?"

I'm always amazed that, regardless of circumstance, the same people most always seem to rise to the top; while, others, despite their apparent gifts and advantages, seem to struggle. Could this be because one group is making the right choices and assuming a successful mindset? Are they feeding the right wolf? My experience as a coach, student-athlete, and parent tells me that this is so. Denison swimmers like Aaron Cole, Mollie Parrish, Adam Ulrich, Amy DeVito, and Darius Grigaliunas always exhibited this "can-do, my time is coming" optimism that fueled their efforts and ultimately led to their succeeding both in and out of the pool. Many of our current athletes share this same quality and I have little doubt that they'll be successful once again this year simply because they set themselves up better than their peers.

Everyday, two wolves will scratch at our soul's door asking to be fed. Which one will you be feeding today?

Feeding the wolf, cont.

The wolf that you feed will grow strong, while the wolf that you starve will grow weak. So what wolf will you feed today? Remember that the wolf that you feed today will come back even hungrier tomorrow, so choose wisely.