Swimmers come along all the time who seem to appear out of nowhere, blow everyone out of the water for several months in the smaller meets (earning this incredible reputation along the way), but then when the pressure is really on during the big meet, they fall apart – because they're self-esteem and inner belief do not match that of their results. Scott Volkers is the motivational coach for the Australian women's 4x200m freestyle relay team for next month's 2000 Sydney Olympics, and he seems to believe in the power of self-esteem as well. He recently handed each swimmer in his squad a poem called Man In The Mirror which was written by a prisoner on death row, which was found in his cell after his death. Part of this poem read: "When you look in the eyes of the man who is king and ask him to show you the way. If you're honest and strong and you've done everything, then the man in the mirror is OK." This poem illustrates how the prisoner 'felt OK' about himself when he looked in the mirror, and this is essential for you too.
It is very important for you to know how good you are - and also how good you can be. This is hugely important, so important I'm going to say it again. It is very important for you to know how good you are - and also how good you can be. This has nothing to do with being egotistical; these are not thoughts you flaunt in front of others, they are genuine feelings you keep hidden away to yourself.
So here are some highly important and revealing questions I want you to ask yourself right now. How good ARE you? Ask yourself this now, and then secretly give yourself the answer. Don't be modest; give yourself a truthful answer. OK, now, how good CAN YOU BE? Ask yourself this, and then give yourself the secret answer, that only you will know. The answers to these questions will reveal just how much faith you have in your own ability - and if you find that you're faith in yourself is lacking (and don't worry, you would be in a very large Club!), then it may be highly important to work on your level of self-esteem if you wish to move forward. In next week's tip, I will show you a very powerful way to supercharge your belief in yourself, a technique I have never shared or mentioned before. Don't miss this one. You see, we don't get what we deserve, we get what we BELIEVE we deserve!
There's a huge difference between the two, and this is what makes or breaks the best of swimmers. What do YOU deserve? This is (and will always be) a very important question to you, as it will always have an affect upon your swimming results. What you think about yourself is more important than what others think of you was something a poet called Seneca once said, and this is so, so true. Never let anyone else's opinion of you be more important than your own - but make sure your own opinion is going to help you, not hinder you!
The Mind controls the body, and the mind is unlimited. The best of success,
Craig Townsend