Visualize the Win

I believe perception determines the outcome life’s obstacles. One could address issues with a raunchy attitude, or he or she could look at every moment as a chance to learn something new. Usually those with the positive outlook have the upper hand.

“Visualize the win,” my wrestling coach would to always tell the team. At that moment in time he was referring to the wrestling match, but little did I now, our coach had given us advice that could carry us through life, as well. It was the year 2005, my senior year of high school and my last year of wrestling. The season was coming to an end, but our team still had to compete in the county team-tournament. Normally, I wrestled at 145 pounds, but since this was a big match Coach asked me if I could drop down to 140 pounds. Five pounds doesn’t sound like much to someone outside of the sport, but when a wrestler only has seven percent body fat, there isn’t much more weight he can lose. I took on the challenge though. I did it for the team.

With only a week before the team-tournament, I knew I would have to work hard to achieve my goal. I began eating much less – half a bag of animal crackers from the school’s vending machine for breakfast, the other half at lunch, and an apple for dinner. At wrestling practice our team covered the thermostat with ice to make the room even hotter. This allowed us to lose more water weight through sweat.

By mid-week I had enough of this lifestyle, but for some reason “visualize the win” popped into my head. As the rest of the week unrolled, I kept visualizing the image of me weighing under 140lbs at weigh-ins. I thought of that while I was walking to school, while daydreaming in class, and while lying in bed at night. When the end of the week arrived, I had become accustom to my dieting habits.

Thanks to my perseverance and positive attitude, I weighed in at the tournament at 139.8lbs. Our team won the country championship for the second year in a row.

Since then, I’ve been living a pretty sweet life. Of course, I still have my problems, but it’s my attitude that allows me to work past them.