Mental Attitude and Preparation
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
By: Paul Anderson

Excerpts from Secrets of My Strength

Tell A Friend About This Article

No one really knows just how powerful the mind is.  I have seen people, who practice the power of positive thinking day after day, and who give me some convincing reports concerning its value.  In my own life I have experienced some of these things that are amazing, and especially baffling to the person who doesn't realize what great power he has stored in his brain.

Click here to purchase the book

The athlete not only must condition his body through proper exercise and diet but also the force that controls the body must be properly trained.  This can be proven day after day just by observing records.  When Roger Bannister finally showed the world that the four minute mile could be broken, it seemed that many others who had been tottering on the brink of such an accomplishment, were then able to duplicate the Roger's  sterling performance.  To achieve this goal, what did Roger Bannister possess that others did not?  It had to be more than just his stride, endurance, and finishing speed. There must have been something more.  It was his mental attitude and the discipline he took in preparing to achieve his goal.

The same goes for all those who lead the way in any sporting event.  There must be something extra there, to give the participant that exceptional competitive spirit, and the idea that he can be the first one to make the accomplishment.

To achieve the ultimate, from the psychological part of weightlifting or using weights to reach potentials in other sports, I will say that first and foremost, we must have a very good image of ourselves.  We must feel that nothing is impossible for us to accomplish in the sporting world.  We then must set our goals, and not have them as mental blocks, which can easily happen, but to feel that we are very capable of reaching them.  In an immediate way, our mental attitudes can work for or against us: whether we have a positive or negative attitude.  If one approaches a barbell and has a negative attitude, surely he is not going to be successful in the lift.  This is the same with approaching a golf ball or cocking the arm to throw a baseball or football.  We must have a positive attitude about what we are going to do and accomplish.  This is both true in training, actual competition, and in life.