I don’t know about you, but 2020 was the fastest and slowest year of my life! Here we are. 2021. Welcome, I hope.
My biggest take away from 2020 was a reconnection to the concept of “less is more”. I first started saying this when I was learning downwind surfing skills. After years of working way too hard at chasing every wave, I eventually started to understand that I needed to actually back off so that I could catch more waves. Once I caught a wave, I needed to ride that wave, focus on steering and let the ocean do more of the work. This became a great a-ha for me. Less is more!
During the pandemic, I’ve found that I needed to reapply this concept to my life. Yes, there’s a lot less going on. Less spending money, less running around, less travel, less training, less work, less driving, less contact with people. Some of those things have been harder to manage than others, especially not being with people, but having less things going on has also made room for more meaning in other areas of daily life.
More time in nature, even if it’s just right close to home. More time reading and listening to podcasts. More time for self-reflection and developing as a person. More learning and growth. More personal connection through video calls. More intimate conversations about what’s important to me. More connection to my body and time to heal lingering injuries. More silly solo dance sessions.
I don’t know each of your personal challenges, but I can imagine they have been immense at times this year. I know that there are a lot of people for whom the pandemic has made life hectic and insanely busy and it’s been a really tough year for each of us for different reasons. And, I genuinely hope that as 2021 starts, you can find your own ‘less is more’ to help ground you and keep you going.
Without Races On The Horizon Where’s Your Focus?
It’s January so many of us are setting goals. Goals around health, weight loss, relationships, going to bed earlier, working out regularly, finding a job, building a business, eating healthier, a race to train for. You know what I’m talking about.
Goals can be tricky things though, as often the results are out of our control. If, for example, if I focus on my race result, I can have my best day ever and still end up disappointed because I’m not in control of other people and who shows up or how they perform on the day. I can also have a bad race, like when my training load leaves me flat on race day.
In outrigger paddling, we also have the added element of ocean conditions, where skill can trump everything. And during a pandemic there is even another layer to this, because if I set a particular race as my goal I can’t even count on it, since races keep getting cancelled or going virtual.
Focus on systems and habits and the rest will happen
Rather than focusing on race goals, my preferred focus is on building systems and habits around the daily process of training. I like to think of the daily path as my goal, and the race as the fun extra bit at the end.
This way, my results are actually the daily steps I am taking in my training process. This can be especially helpful when things are not going the way I want them to in a race. I can take on an empowered viewpoint, focusing on the details of my habits, remind myself that I am following a system and not get caught up in comparing myself to others. Our paths are not the same! This gives me the chance to feel satisfied with my race results instead of disappointed, which leads to more motivation to stick with my system.
I’ve noticed that my relationship with sports has changed so much over my 17 years of competitive paddling. These days I am all about enjoying the process and creating systems and habits that are engaging and fun to follow, and letting the rest happen.
Here are some of the systems and habits I focus on
- A strength training program that is paddle-specific, challenges me and has a lot of variety. I like lifting weights because I like feeling strong when I paddle. The result is more muscle which leads to faster paddling.
- Practicing flying my ama deliberately at the beginning and end of every session on the water. I do this at the beginning to get connected with my canoe and wake up my balance and finish with a playful ama fly just for fun. The result is a rock-solid brace stroke which stops me from a huli in the ocean and gives me confidence in all conditions.
- Making time to paddle downwind with friends. I like paddling in the ocean because I am innately attracted to being on the water and I like sharing the experience with my friends. The result is the improved downwind skill set which comes with more time on the water.
- Logging my training. I feel so proud and motivated when I look at my training log. I also get perspective when I forget that I’m following a plan, doing what I can and that it’s enough. The result is that I train a sustainable amount for my life, which makes me stronger.
- Setting aside time for self care. I pull out all my tools: rollers, spikey massage ball, tennis ball, lacrosse ball, yoga strap, hypervolt, yoga block, etc., put on a podcast and spend time on self-care. The result is a healthier body and mind that perform better.
When I focus on systems and habits I get to:
- Watch myself grow and change over time with belief and trust in myself.
- Be present in the moment and make adjustments as I go.
- Assess where I’m at, knowing the steps I’ve taken and go forward from there.
- Feel proud of what I’ve accomplished because I know I followed my process and did my best.
For whatever reason, we are conditioned to see the new year as a fresh start. Why not start 2021 with a process-oriented system, with habits that focus on your well-being as an athlete and as a whole person.
Let the goal set the direction, but the system and the habits be the focus.