A Winning Attitude
A winning attitude starts off stage in the preparation of a show. How you prepare, what you do, what you don’t do and the people who help and inspire you to get to your goal. It continues after the stage.
So many competitors get lost in the “competition” of it all. As you prepare, you start to watch other competitors and we compare ourselves. One of two things happens during the phase…we either get discouraged or we think we have this in the bag and we are for sure going to win or beat “that person”. Right here is where we can get off track. I have been there and I have seen it in others. Believe me, it is difficult to keep it “real”when you prepare for any fitness show. Our carbs are low, we are working hard and after all, we are in a competition.
I can tell you many stories of the after the show blues and disasters. One thing for sure is that after a show, take from it something that you can work on next time. It could be physical or it could be mental, but challenge yourself with something that you learned. For me, I have won a few, but I have lost many and I always keep photos and a journal of what I did to prepare and note what works and what doesn’t. The relationships you make leading up to a show and the lives you will touch with a great attitude will go far in life. Calling judges after a show demanding a recount or with claims that you should have done better will only make “YOU” look bad. We are on stage competing against ourselves…to be OUR BEST. What the judges think is relative to who is standing next to you, the angle they view you at and what they are looking for that day. The better we know ourselves on the inside, the better we can demonstrate our true selves on stage.
Here are a few scenarios I have experienced through the years of competing (10 years); I have been told I was too lean, too stiff on stage, lack of presentation, needed a few more days for the diet to kick in, needed more makeup, needed to be darker, my hair was in my face to much. You name it, I’ve heard it. If I took those comments too seriously, I would be depressed. Instead, I take the comments with a grain of salt and I work on what I can.
What you do or say to other competitors along the way can be crucial to your success as a competitor and in the industry in general. I have learned along the way what to do and say and what NOT to do and say. This world of competition is very competitive and it’s a small world. Believe me, what you say WILL get back and it may not be translated as you intended, so be extremely careful what you say to or about another competitor. I try to be uplifting to everyone, after all, we need it, don’t we. If you have time to talk about someone else, you have time for another hard workout.
The last thing is that we are never really “there”. If you talk to the leading competitors in the fitness industry, how many would tell you they have “arrived” and their physique is right where they want it? I would guess, not many. We all need a challenge a new goal and most of us love it.
If bad things happen to you, let Karma have it. The world has a way of leveling out the good and the bad. Don’t be “that girl” who isn’t friendly, not helpful, full of herself, instead be the one who people remember and say “she is so nice.”
To be a winner, we must act like a winner.
This post was written by
Laurie Delaney – who has written 1 posts on WPM Women.
Laurie has been an ACE certified Group Instructor and Personal Trainer since 1993 and holds speciality certifications in Yoga, Pilates, Core Synergetics and as a Clinical Exercise Specialist. She has been a fitness competitor since 1999 and she still competes today in the Figure Division, though with a dance background, she first began as a Fitness competitor.
Share this:
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
