I initially titled this post "Goals for this Competition Cycle", but I decided to change it to "Priorities". The natural question is "Why does it matter wtf you use in the title?"-- well, I recently committed myself to abstaining from announcing goals. The reason behind this boycott of sharing "goals" stems from some articles I came across discussing research that demonstrates how announcing goals/ sharing them with others is actually counterproductive, because it triggers what I'll just call "brain stuff" that leads to a sense of satisfaction/accomplishment without having actually achieved the goal (TED talk that gives a concise explanation).
All this aside, this post is just an opportunity for me to outline my priorities for this Competition Cycle, and what major "obstacles" I'll be facing/anticipating.
Main Challenges:
1) Prepping for the Bar Exam-- stressful, and time consuming
2) Fulfilling my Leadership responsibilities at the Non-Profit Organization I'll be joining full time after the bar exam (Innercity weightlifting)
3) Managing Stress/Anxiety (for the sake of my sanity, productivity, and relationship/s)
Priorities
1) Continue to Meditate every Morning, and commit to my morning routine (it's worked wonders for me up to this point, I need to be sure to not abandon what's worked just because I'm currently experiencing the positive effects)
2) Stay on track with macros/nutrition so that it's a slow and easy cut to my weight class-- no cramming/last minute cuts
3) Show up and be fully present for each training session, there's no benefit to stressing about bar prep, work, etc. while at training-- it'll just stress me out and hinder my training efforts.
4) Keep up with my mobility and recovery work-- a little each day goes a long way (having this programmed by my good friend and former teammate Christine Beauchamp, which makes this much easier and more manageable)
5) Enjoy the process! For everything-- Bar Prep, training, dieting, etc. I won't ever have the opportunity to relive these moments, I want to be sure that I'm fully experiencing and embracing the challenges, successes, and growth that I get to live through this summer.
