People say, "Never give up," but sometimes, giving up is the best option because you realize you're wasting your time. -Anonymous
How many times has a friend, colleague, coach, or mentor told us to just give up? Those couple words are blasphemy to performers of any level, right? If someone told us to just give up, we would most likely laugh or get angry at that person to even think to offer that advice. Is there ever a time and place to throw in the towel and call it? When it comes to holding onto past performances, the way we used to be, or the thoughts and emotions that keep us from growing, we should definitely give up.
We can give up being a prisoner to our past or our future expectations. Give up the mental dialogue that leads us to feel inadequate. Give up needing to have the perfect performance to validate who we are as people. Give up the excuses for not making the choices and decisions that support the vision for who we want to be. This is much easier said than done. To be able to give up in these moments, we need to have the awareness of the choice to do so.
Understanding and being intimately aware of how our brain and body work is the beginning of this process. Over the last number of weeks, we have read and practiced mindfulness to train our minds and, in doing so, change our brains for the better. As we continue to practice, we will become more aware of the opportunities to give up, let the thoughts, emotions, and distractions pass, and be more present in the moment. We will have the choice of how we want to be. We can give up trying to hold onto everything that keeps us from being our best.
This week during your training, notice how you're able to give up and let go of thoughts, emotions, and distractions as they come up.
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