A Promise to Myself
Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood, Director of Sport Psychology
I had an athlete who read a book and from that, they learned about the idea of a Champions Letter. A Champions letter is a letter that you write to yourself about what it will feel like when you accomplish your goal. When you win, you will act this way and walk this way and feel this way about yourself. Once that letter has been written, you are asked to take a look at it and think about what that means for you right now. Rather than waiting to win to live like a champion, why not start to live that way everyday right now. Why not start to do the things you think champions do so that you can give yourself the best chance to accomplish your goals?
I spoke with Kelsey Wog about the idea of writing a Champions Letter, and she decided that rather than write a Champions Letter, she would like to write a ‘Promise to Herself’. She wanted to write a letter that helped remind her of how she wanted to live each moment of every day. Her Champions Letter is below. She knows that if she strives to live her moments this way and continues to be honest and learn throughout her journey, that she has already won. She reads this letter each week and reminds herself of what it means to have the courage to become the best version of yourself.
What would your ‘Champions Letter’ be? Or what would you say in your ‘Promise to Yourself’?
A Promise to Myself
I promise myself everyday…
To live in the moment and take each day as it comes
To put my whole heart into every stroke I swim in the pool, and every exercise I do in the gym
To not be afraid to jump out of my comfort zone and push myself
To be courageous and take risks, fully commit myself to them
To learn from my mistakes and move forward
To recognize and accept all the good and bad feelings I may have and know its ok to feel them
To allow myself to dream Bigger than I can imagine, and not limit myself to a goal
To believe that I belong with the best in the world, and believe anything is possible
To not be afraid to fail while putting forth my best effort
To trust myself and my abilities in times of stress and anxiety
To love myself no matter the situation and know my family loves and supports me unconditionally
To smile at the pain and emotion of training, and feel honoured I get to experience it
To be a great team mate and bring the best out in everyone
To help those who need support, and accept help from those who offer it
To be strong and relentless in the pursuit of my dreams and let nothing get in my way
And to love and embrace every second of this incredible journey
So that when it comes to race day and I touch that wall, I am going to feel proud of what I accomplished no matter the outcome, because I know that I did everything in my power to be the best possible Kelsey I could be in that moment.
~ Kelsey Wog, Swimming ~
