Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected.
Shawn JohnsonRead
To have any doubt in your body is the biggest weakness an athlete can have. There are times when I physically can't get myself to go for a skill because I'm thinking, 'My knee hurts really bad.'
Interpretation
Doubt can undermine an athlete's performance and confidence in their abilities.
In this quote, Shawn Johnson emphasizes the detrimental impact of doubt on an athlete's performance. The mental struggle often stems from physical discomfort, which can create barriers that prevent athletes from fully engaging in their skills, illustrating the interplay between mind and body in achieving peak performance.
In practice
During a sports motivational talk to encourage young athletes to overcome their fears.
Retiring was scary and it was tough to give up gymnastics, but so many great opportunities have come from it that I never expected.
Gymnastics has made me strong. I feel like it broke me down to my lowest point, but at the same time, it has given me the greatest strength anyone could ask for.
Be motivated by something beyond simply money or glory.
Everybody has barriers and obstacles. If you look at them as containing fences that don't allow you to advance, then you're going to be a failure. If you look at them as hurdles that strengthen you each time you go over one, then you're going to be a success.
Never try to be better than somebody else. But most importantly, never cease trying to be the best you can be.
When you hire me, you hire a nut who is going to work 24 hours a day for you and never, ever burn his audience.
Don't ask for the task to be easy... just ask for it to be worth it _x000D_ Don't wish it was easier... wish you were better _x000D_ Don't ask for less challenge... ask for more skill _x000D_ Don't ask for less problems... and for more wisdom _x000D_ It's the challenge that makes the experience. _x000D_ Life and it's colour and meaning and adventure for you is this collection of experiences. _x000D_ To wish them away is to wish your life away.
When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter either. Then willpower will be no problem.
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