Brain Games

What if we decided how we want to feel in this moment, then figured out what thoughts would generate that feeling?

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A funny thing happened to me this morning…

I was browsing the confirmation document for a trial I’m attending this weekend. I’ve been feeling a little stressed about getting out to the trial in time (it’s in Milwaukee), and having to sub Ember in for Rue (this wasn’t in the plan!). My normal coping technique for this type of stress is to get out my trusty calendar and plan each day. Something about going through the act of knowing exactly what time to get up in the morning, what time I’ll run, where to build in buffer time, helps me to feel I have the situation under control.

But this morning, my normal tactic was derailed before the train even left the station. You see, it’s a two ring trial, and due to the number of entries, they are splitting the competitors into groups. For this event they decided to split the groups by height class with 24” and 20” dogs in two different groups. For some reason I totally did not anticipate groups, and certainly didn’t expect my dogs to get split into different groups. (For those who don’t know, this means that Fin could be running 24” in one ring while Ember runs 20” in another ring, requiring me to constantly check between rings to make sure I don’t miss my run).

My immediate thought was “Fuck!”. My brain started spiraling and going into damage control: “Ok check the schedule and see if the two groups overlap”. Fortunately, they don’t so if everything runs on time, I shouldn’t have any conflicts. But in the process of looking at that I realize the first run of the first day is Snooker, and it’s Ember first. “Fuck. Fuck!”. This is my baby dog who’s only competing because I missed the refund deadline to pull Rue. “She’s not ready for that. I hate Snooker. Why can’t we start with Speedstakes?”

At this point, my brain is in full on meltdown. My gut has dropped into my stomach. I’m feeling trapped and panicky. I feel like we’ve failed when we haven’t even packed for the trip yet, let alone run a round.

It’s funny what our brain can do to us. How one simple thought can leave us feeling defeated before we’ve even started. Many people assume that those feelings will go away when they’ve done x thing….when they’ve gotten out of Novice, made a podium, or gotten on to a world team. I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. I’ve accomplished all of those things, and a stray thought in a bad moment of stress has me freaking out like this is my first ever trial.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…champions are made in your mind first. All the training in the world, the coolest distance skills, the best running dog walk will not save you if you don’t believe in your ability to succeed…as you are right now….in this moment. Not some future version of you that is ambiguously “awesome”, but believing in the current version of you with all the skills and flaws that you have at this moment.

Fortunately for me, it was only a brief moment before my rational mind asserted itself. “Wait a minute, Snooker is good for you. It means you can make a plan that plays to Ember’s strengths and sets her up for success. It’s also good she’s going first so you can get your jitters out then focus on Fin. And hey, you’re running two dogs. You knew there would be conflicts, and really this schedule is pretty generous, it could be so much worse.” With those simple thoughts, my panic subsided, and I started to feel like I had this covered. Like I’ve done this before (because I have).

It’s funny how our brains work. How our thoughts can generate feelings. What if instead of constantly reacting to our thoughts, we re-engineered the picture? What if we decided what we wanted to feel in this moment, then figured out what thoughts would cause that feeling? How do you think you’ll feel when you accomplish that thing (that title, that podium, that team)? What if I told you you don’t have to wait to feel that feeling? What if you could feel that way today? What can you accomplish now?