When I wrote this week’s journal activity it was a Saturday and I just got back from a run. It was 78 degrees this morning and 82% humidity! Needless to say I came back drenched in sweat. Days like this can be a challenge for me mentally because I don’t like the humidity. I can often catch myself saying “this is bad weather for running.” But is it? Is it really “bad”?

As I was processing through those thoughts on my run I was reminded of a book I read a few years ago called “Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers” by Tim Ferriss. Tim Ferriss has a podcast called “The Tim Ferriss Show” and this book is a summary of what he’s learned from people he has interviewed on his podcast. Today’s journal activity is going to be based on a thought shared by Josh Waitzkin about THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE ON A RAINY DAY on “The Tim Ferriss Show” and summarized in the book.

First, a little background on Josh Waitzkin. Josh was a chess prodigy as a child, winning the US National Junior Chess Championship twice. The movie “Searching for Bobby Fischer” is based on his childhood. At an early age he quit playing chess because he became obsessed with winning which robbed him of the joy he once felt playing chess. He then went on to become a World Champion in tai chi and a black belt in jiu-jitsu. So, the guy has been a world class performer in multiple areas in his life.

Now that you know a little about Josh, let’s dive into the excerpt of his interview on “The Tim Ferris Show” that I want you to consider for your journal activity for this week.

For many of you the issue may not be RAIN, but we all assign the words “good” and “bad” to certain aspects of our sport or activity and to things other than just the weather. What impact would it have on your performance and life if we could change the story we tell ourselves in these instances?

JOURNAL ACTIVITY

I would like you to think through for your sport or activity. List out as many situations, places, workouts, competitions, etc as you can that you typically label as “bad”.

When done go back through your list and focus on 2 or 3 that you want to be very intentional about reframing. Reflect on what impact it will have on your performance and life if you reframe these 2 or 3 items. Write out what the new story you would like to tell yourself in these instances.

EXAMPLES:

1. It is going to be a bad day, we have to play against _________.

   1. REFRAME: Today will be a challenge because we get to play against ______. They will require us to be on top our game which is exactly what we need to become the team we are capable of becoming.

2. It is going to be a bad day, it is so windy outside.

   1. REFRAME: Today is a beautiful windy day. We will need to make some adjustments because of the wind, but I am going to use it to my advantage today by accepting it while most of my competitors complain about it.

3. It is going to be a bad day, I didn’t study for my test.

   1. REFRAME: Today will put me outside of my comfort zone because I didn’t study for my test. It is an opportunity to find out what I really do know about this subject. I can still give my best effort in this moment.