Bring On Adversity
Channel: Mental Toughness Trainer
Date: 11/10/2011

http://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com

Bring On Adversity 

Craig Sigl, the Mental Toughness Trainer helps a team of youth sports swimmers learn the benefits of bring on adversity and how to get a different perspective on experiencing fear in your sport.

Transcript: 
These difficulties... they are all opportunities for you guys to get better and to improve and to become more powerful.  The stuff you guys do right now in your teen years this stuff is stuff you're going to take for your whole life.  

You guys heard of Mark Spitz?  The guy who Michael Phelps broke all his records -- right?  So my grandmother used to swim at the club in Sacramento with him.  When I was a kid, she would tell us stories about this family, the Spitz Family.  And how they were just crazy about getting their kid to the Olympics.

They took him to every coach and they made him get up at 4 o'clock in the morning and do his work outs and then again in the afternoon.  My grandma used to tell me Mark hated his Dad for it and about the time he was 14 he wanted to quit.  And he resented it and he was just getting disgusted by the whole swimming thing. 

Then, of course, we all know the rest of the story because he goes on to win 7 gold metals.  And guess who he is on the podium with his seventh gold metal thanking profusely?  Mom and Dad, especially Dad, who was kind of a slave driver.   
 
Now here's the thing that Mom and Dad and coaches have that you guys don't so much.  Long term perspective.  Bigger ways of looking at things.  Right?  This is the one thing.  I have two teens too.  I have a thirteen and a seventeen year old.  This is the kind of thing adults can give you.  You just gonna have to trust them on some of this.  

Use your smarts, but this is where going into these difficult situations is really going to benefit you and get you that guidance to get you through.  You want to look at everything as an opportunity to grow.  Alright? 

So basically you want to throw yourself into challenges.  Walk around on the planet and going -- bring it on!  Bring it on!  These are just chemicals.  All this fear, embarrassment, disappointment, failure, they are just chemicals in my own body.   

For more information about the Mental Toughness Training or to work with Craig go to... MentalToughnessTrainer.com.  

Visit http://www.teenmentaltoughness.com to download FREE: 

"The 10 Commandments For A Great Sports Parent" ebook
and  "Master The Pressure" a GAME-CHANGING guided visualization for teen athletes.