If you can dream it, you can do it! (Thu 30 Jun 2011)

If you can dream it, you can do it Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
I often receive very nice emails, particularly around the anniversary of Jenny's passing. Lexie has allowed me to share my return email to her. It tells a nice story ..

From: Geoff Eldridge
To: Lexie

7:37am Fri 01 Jul 2011

Hi Lexie. Thanks for your kind message and thoughts. Jo and I really appreciate them and your friendship.

We had a nice day yesterday as we honored Jenny's memory and reflected on her Life.

Sounds like you are having a fantastic time and it was great to have had those moments at Niagara Falls to remember your Dad there and for his parting words to come to you strongly.

Jenny and Jo visited Niagara Falls in 1987 and Jo and I were only talking about this the other day. I can remember Jenny telling me about their visit the first night we went out way back on Fri 30 March 1989. She showed me photos that were rescued from a water logged film camera (it was drenched from their Maidens of the Mist Tour in and around the Falls.

Last week I have moved back to Kirrawee where I lived with Jenny. It has been hard in many ways, but it is something I need to do. The house is exactly the same as it was when I took her to the St George Private Hospital on Tue 16 Jun 2009 (*)).

Yesterday morning as I got up and prepared myself so that I could meet Jo and my Mother at the St George Private Hospital (so we could be at the place and time where she left us (*) - we do this each year), I found flip-book of sayings on the bookshelf. She turned it each day and would put a different saying up. The one she left it on and I take it as her parting message (because we did not have a chance to say our farewells):

"If you can Dream it, you can do it!"

I would like to think that Jo and I have done this since Jenny left us, afterall as we now know, it was her parting wish for us all..

Jenny and Joanne - Maiden of the Mist Tour - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Jenny and Joanne - Maiden of the Mist Tour - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Jenny - Maiden of the Mist Tour - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Jo - Maiden of the Mist Tour - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Jo - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
Jenny - Niagara Falls (Jul 1987)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
- Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)
.. - Jenny's Meditation Room / Kirrawee (Thu 30 Jun 2011)

Emotional Preparation For The Olympic Games by Cal Botterill

Emotional Preparation For The Olympic Games by Cal Botterill

A great article and one worth reading. Here are some random points ..

Being clear minded should be an important objective going into the Games [Championships]. Once again though, it is critical to feel focused and occupied and to avoid falling into the human tendency to start overanalyzing. It has been suggested that "nothing never happens"; in the absence of a constructive focus our minds sometimes start "over-thinking" or "over-perceiving."

• Enjoy the emotional spectrum that is part of life.



• Accept and experience feelings, let them go, and channel the energy into growth and effective responses.



• Respect the power and positive and negative significance of emotions on your system.



• Manage relationships and time so that you do not become emotionally drained at key times in your life, especially when working hard physically and mentally.



• Let go of irrational beliefs and perspectives.



• Reaffirm your mission, values, and perspective.



• Live. Never have to say, "I wish I would have ..."

An athlete should be confident in mental skills going into the Games [Championships]. Responses to stress and boredom should automatically be constructive, and time and relationship skills should be crisp and effective. Creative simulations, quality training sessions, and lead-up competitions can help ensure the rust is off attention and competitive skills during the countdown.

He concludes with the following:

I would say to each of our Olympic athletes: Walk away knowing you gave it your best shot and exulted in the opportunity to test yourself in one of the most prestigious and emotional environments in the world. Accept that you can never totally control your emotions that is part of the challenge of being human. With emotional preparation, practice, and management we can often come closer to our situational potential.

Compete with passion, perspective, and preparation and be all you can be as you pursue your Olympic destiny. I wish you physical prowess, a clear mind, and an unburdened heart. Citius, Altius, Fortius! [The Olympic Motto]

Definitely worth a read. Take from it what you can for your own mental preparation.

PD's Mixed Team Pre-race Team Huddle - 2011 Nationals - Canberra (Fri 01 Apr 2011)
Willy and George - Pre-race Preparation/Rituals - Senior A Mixed 500m Final - Racice /Prague (Sat 29 Aug 2009)

Some Down Time - Chinese New Year - Darling Harbour / Sydney (Sat 06 Feb 2009)
Turning it on - World Club Crews - Penang / Malaysia (Sat 02 Aug 2008)

On Failing - Michael Jordon (youtube)

I've failed over and over and over again in my life - Micheal Jordan (youtube)
Michael Jordan on failing ..

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.

I've lost almost 300 games.

26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.

I've failed over and over and over again in my life.

And that is why I succeed.

Matthew Syed (w) in his book Bounce explains:

This may seem odd, but it is central to the belief system of most top performers. Remember the Nike advert where Michael Jordon says [the above]?

Many were bemused by the message, but to Jordan - a living, breathing testament to the growth mindset - it expressed a deep and urgent truth: in order to become the greatest basketball player of all time, you have to embrace failure.

'Mental toughness and heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have,'

he said.

'I've always believed that.'

What is Mindfulness?

What is Mindfulness?

• Nonconceptual - Mindfulness is awareness without absorption in our thought process.
  
  We are aware of what we are experiencing during the race, rather than distracted by thoughts.



• Present-centered - Mindfulness is always in the present moment. Thoughts about our experience are one step removed from the present moment.
  
  Thoughts from the past or in the future are unhelpful for performance. We are best served being absorbed in the present moment, present stroke, present feeling.



• Nonjudgemental - Awareness cannot occur freely if we would like our experience to be other than it is.
  
  Pain, and distractions are not judged as good, bad, or overwhelming, but just acknowledged without removing your focus from your paddling.



• Intentional - Mindfulness always includes an intention to direct attention somewhere. Returning attention to the present moment gives mindfulness continuity over time.
  
  Your attention will wander, continually bringing it back develops the ability to maintain focus.



• Participant observation - Mindfulness is not detached witnessing. It is experiencing the mind and body more intimately.
  
  Brings you more in touch with the feel of the water and how you are paddling.



• Nonverbal - The experience of mindfulness cannot be captured in words, because awareness is always investigating subtler levels of perception.
  
  Mindfulness involves feeling and experiencing rather than putting things into words or judging what you are feeling.



• Liberating - Every moment of mindful awareness provides freedom from conditioned suffering.
  
  'Conditioned suffering' is a harsh term for unhelpful thought processes that may invoke unnecessary fear, sadness, anger or undermine confidence.

Taken from Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, Germer, Siegel and Fulton, with words in italics added.

Just found this amongst my Sydney 2007 emails. Will find appropriate credit for the paddling tips.

Frozen - Water - Perisher Valley (Wed 27 Jun 2001)

Process - Vern Gambetta (Thu 09 Jun 2011)

Small Steps - Fingal Beach / Fingal Bay (Sun 25 Aug 2002)
Another fantastic post from Vern Gambetta (e):

Process by Vern Gambetta (Thu 09 Jun 2011):

Process, get absorbed in it and revel in it because process is the secret!

Focus on the process and the outcome will take care of itself.

To win a championship or a gold medal is a process, it is not a one off event.

You win championships and medals a little bit at a time, bite-by-bite, chunk-by-chunk, a series of small wins and forward moving baby steps.

We see the leaps and bounds in performance because they are so big and very visible but it is the small things the details that make the difference.

It is the small things executed with focus and purpose that make the big leaps in performance possible.

There is no secret; the devil is in the details executed with consistent effort directed toward the ultimate performance goal.

Don’t make it complicated.

Keep it simple and straightforward.

Make it measurable and manageable.

Focus on the process and the outcome will follow.

In my experience, Gav is the one that has pushed this line of thought in our training and racing. Thanks to Gav, I have known and have felt this even before Vern described it so succintly and brillantly in this post. Definitely another Favourite Blog Post.

Competition Anxiety by Drew Ginn (12 March 2007)

Been meaning to bring this one out for a while.

Drew Ginn on Racing Anxiety (12 March 2007)

[..] some of the strategies that I (i.e. Drew Ginn) use to prepare and deal with racing anxiety.

• Develop a routine, but be adaptable and flexible


• Take time to enjoy the build up to the race


• Go for a walk and enjoy taking in the sights and sounds around you


• Visualise the race and run through your race plan, but don’t dwell on it


• Give your self plenty of time to go to the toilet, a few times if needed


• Make sure your system is up and running on land and on the water


• A few deep breaths at specific times always helps


• Remind your self why your there and look forward to being the best you can


• Let go of the result and focus on the process that will enable you to perform

Drew indicates the Racing Anxiety post was his most popular blog post.

Somehow the following photos seem right for me.

"Visualise the race and run through your race plan, but don’t dwell on it" Drew Ginn
Boat and Oar - Cooks River / Tempe - Sat 01 Sep 2001 (picasa)
"Go for a walk and enjoy taking in the sights and sounds around you" Drew Ginn
Jenny and Joanne - Glen Coe / Scotland - Sep 2005 (picasa - from this post)
"Let go of the result and focus on the process that will enable you to perform" Drew Ginn
Geoff - post 200m Senior Open Final "letting go" - Racice/Prague 2009 - 28 Aug 2009 (picasa from here - photo by Lisa)

Change by Drew Ginn (11 Jun 2007)

Change by Drew Ginn (11 Jun 2007)

[..] When I think of change and in particular the change the is require for any athlete to go from ok to great, it is them and their coaches who take the critical steps that are all to often considered to risky.

That is what change is.

It’s taking a risk, and it’s letting go and facing the challenges that need to be confronted.

The examples are everywhere and they are ever changing themselves and with every rise and fall it is understood to be a natural part of the process.

So to all who are willing to change the rewards are without limit. If though the thought of stepping into the unknown scares you well you may as well [leave] , because there is no smooth static path.

We need to move, we need to adapt, and we need to change if we are to realise what’s possible when you take that leap of faith.

Another great post from Drew Ginn. There are lots of points in this one. I have just drawn this one out for now. A couple more to follow which seem relevant based on recent experiences.

Back to this one. Lots of changes have occured already with plenty more to come. I have always accepted change, though the first steps are always hard. As Drew says we need to let go, [..] move, adapt [..] change [.. and] take that leap of faith.

The road to Tampa2011 started today. Happy to have made a decision and it's now a risk I want to take. Not sure how far I will go, but need to start somewhere. Let the Climb begin.

[Addendum: Self-delusion and self-loathing Posted by Seth Godin just after I posted the above. Might be something in what he writes. For me, there could be a bit of both there, and probably more of one than the other :-)]

Joanne, Serge and Geoff - Wujin/China - Sun 2 May 2010