The Champion’s Mind: What it Takes to Become a Professional Athlete

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Do you have what it takes to be a pro athlete?

It’s a question many of us have pondered at some point, but a professional athletic career is incredibly demanding. Every aspect of their lives is on the table and considered fair game when working towards the pinnacle of their sport. The price is high, and that price is required every day.

The reality is that not everyone who applies these principles will find success as a professional athlete. However, there isn’t a pro athlete in the game who isn’t applying the following philosophies.

PICK YOUR ROLE MODELS AND FOLLOW SUIT

When we see desirable values, traits and behaviours, we instinctively want to emulate them. Inspiration isn’t one-size-fits-all, and you may opt for multiple role models who will guide you in different areas such as training, charisma, values, and goals etc.

Remember, each of your role models has experienced various setbacks, opportunities and pathways to success. No two journeys can be duplicated. Draw inspiration from the processes they have applied to their lives to help you navigate your way through yours. Remember to ‘own’ your uniqueness; don’t lose yourself by trying to become your role models.

BE THE HARDEST WORKER IN THE ROOM

Being the hardest worker in the room isn’t what’s going to get you over the line; it’s merely the starting point. You have to walk the walk. What is setting you apart from the person next to you? What are your strengths and weaknesses, and what are you actively doing to build on them?

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” Tim Notke.

PLAN

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” Benjamin Franklin.

Planning is the blueprint to success and underpins every single aspect of an athlete’s career. Alongside an open dialogue between an athlete and their team, effective out planning is the foundation of their success.

An awareness of personal goals, competition details and injuries is fundamental to effective planning. Reviewing previous programs’ effectiveness is also crucial so that modifications can be made to best support the desired direction.

Planning affects everything: pre-season training, travel schedules, the physiological impact of different climates, availability of training resources whilst on the road, accounting for fatigue and strain, and how to get the body in peak performance condition at the appropriate time. Precision planning is critical.

TRAIN LIKE A PRO ATHLETE

Training extends far beyond the number of reps and sets you churn out during a session. To extract the most from your body, you need to support it through rest, stretching, regeneration strategies, and staying hydrated and eating well.

Treat every day like game day. That is not to say you must always exert game-day intensity – especially when fatigued – but rather, ensure that every training session receives your full attention.

As Jim Afremow (The Champion’s Mindset) said when he paraphrased 100m sprinter Maurice Greene, “Train like you are No.2 (train your talent), but compete like you are No.1 (trust your talent)“

MAKE SACRIFICES

Outstanding achievement is born of great sacrifice, and an athlete must make plenty. Time spent training, recovering and competing means there is limited time for other pursuits. Holidays are not so much of a vacation, but more of an exotic training location. This lifestyle also curtails a host of other popular social activities, including late nights with friends or special celebrations.

Be prepared for your personal life to be heavily impacted, particularly if you are close with your family or in a relationship. Trying to maintain your relationships while constantly training and travelling is a tough gig.

There are also heavy financial sacrifices required to make it to the pinnacle of the sport, related to both competition and the support team needed. Additionally, pride has to be set aside as you cannot do it alone; you will need people to help and guide you.

FUEL YOUR BODY THE RIGHT WAY

Athletes have vastly different nutritional needs from the general masses and work closely with coaches and dieticians to formulate plans to best support their needs. These comprehensive plans not only include what they’re eating but when and how often. We’re all well aware that nutrition heavily influences athletic performance – which means mindless snacking and delicious indulgences are essentially forfeited.

DANCE WITH BELIEF

Athlete psychology makes or breaks. While belief and confidence feed each other, belief takes priority. Unwavering belief translates into unshakable confidence. Genuine self-belief—as in, life on the line, prepared to make all the above sacrifices and more, and relentlessly move forward despite failures—is required.

Belief is cultivated by setting realistic yet challenging goals and developing constructive ways to handle both success and failure.

As Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills Quarterback) said “If you didn’t want to believe in me, that’s OK, because I’ll make a believer out of you.”

HIGH STANDARDS

To achieve your goals, you need to live a certain way. Once you’ve established the standard, it will set a precedent. Setting clear boundaries about what you are and are not willing to accept from yourself and others is crucial to protecting your energy. What you allow into your space will have an impact.

When you raise the bar of expectation, you are naturally willing to do more to get the results you desire, which ultimately boosts your performance standard.

Do you want to be successful? Have HIGH F**KING STANDARDS!

BE RADICALLY OPEN-MINDED

Being radically opened minded is about foregoing ego and acknowledging that you may not be seeing all your optimal choices. Recognising that you don’t have all the answers or know the best path to achieve a specific outcome is crucial to learning and effecting change. When we’re fixed in our views, we can miss so much, including some of our best qualities.

Approach discomfort or disagreement with curiosity. From this space, you can listen carefully and objectively to the reasoning behind differing opinions and work to generate the best outcome.

VISUALISATION

Visualisation is a powerful technique that will keep you focused and driven toward the end goal. Visualising where you want to be and your future success enables you to harness all five senses of hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste. It’s an efficient training tool to remind yourself of your purpose and harness your inner belief you belong at that moment.

Two types of visualisation include:

Process Visualisation – Engaging all senses, visualising every process and every step towards your future end goal. Acknowledging the road ahead!

Outcome Visualisation – Taking yourself to your desired future end goal. Envisioning yourself then and there and embracing the moment in real-time.

OWN YOUR OUTCOMES

As Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Kendrick Lamar once stated, “I want the credit if I’m losing or I’m winning, on my momma that’s that realest s***”.

Ownership creates accountability, which drives results. Owning the results requires you to set the standard and the framework for how the outcome will be achieved.

Mindset is the not-so-secret weapon of pro athletes. After an injury or poor performance, they’re determined to come back better and stronger than ever. Be it positive or negative, owning the outcome means not letting ‘it’ own or define you.

So, here’s a peek behind the scenes of what it takes to become a professional athlete. It’s certainly not all gold and glory. But did anyone really think it was?

The level of commitment and passion professional athletes have for their craft comes at a high cost, so ultimately, it comes down to a cost/value/benefit ratio that is entirely the individual’s choice.

Coach Michael

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