Believe in yourself

#thebestisyettocome2021

"One of the best feelings in the world is bouncing back. 

Bouncing back from heartbreak, “failure”, paralyzing fear, self-doubt, low self-esteem, and lack of self-confidence."

Just over two months after my first ever weightlifting competition, 

I made the decision to compete once again. 

As I prepared for my second competition, many thoughts went through my mind. 

To begin with, I have still been trying to sort out my ‘gut’ issues and this has been causing me to lose weight, strength and energy. 

Of course, life in general (adulting as I like to call it) has been keeping me and my mind very busy too.

Lastly, I did so well in my first competition, I honestly wondered if I could live up to those same standards a second time around. 

Nonetheless, I decided I’d give it a go...because you know how much I like a challenge!

This time however, I tried to alter my expectations for myself.

My main goal: be consistent and don’t fail any lifts.

I felt fairly good the morning of the competition.

I felt focused and prepared for what I wanted to do.

Unfortunately, I began warming up too early and peaked well before my first lift. 

I failed.

I failed my first attempt at the snatch.

All I wanted was not to fail, and it happened. 

I was upset, embarrassed and instantly discouraged. 

I walked away, took some time to gather my thoughts, tried to pull myself together 

and to re-focus prior to my second attempt. 

With the support of some close friends and my coach, 

I found the strength to bounce back.

My next two snatches weren’t pretty, but I fought really hard to complete them. 

And, as I prepared for the second part of the competition, with a lift I generally feel more comfortable with (the clean and jerk), I began finding my confidence again.

I ended the competition on a high note, 

getting a new PR on my clean and jerk and earning myself an unexpected bronze medal. 

When the event was over, 

I realized that I gained so much more than just a new PR and a bronze medal.

On that day and in the weeks leading up to it,

I learned a lot more about competing in a weightlifting competition (e.g. when and how to warm-up), but I also learned a lot more about myself and the importance of my thoughts.

In retrospect, I’ve realized that much of what I have learned about myself through training and competing is very applicable in other areas of my life (and vice versa). 

In life, we are bound to experience lows, 

however what matters most is how we control our thoughts

and how we bounce back when we’re down.

“The strongest factor for success is self-esteem: 

Believing you can do it, believing you deserve it and believing you’ll get it.”