A Loser's Limp

I read a book called Champions about an equestrian who won gold at the olympics. She described a phenomenon common to all sportsmen, the ‘loser’s limp’. It is a perspective that limits your success. The one she had to overcome was the belief that someone who had only started horse riding at forty years old could be as good as someone who had ridden all their lives. For a Carlow footballer, that I did energy clearing for, he had worked excessively on his fitness, 500 sit ups a day, to get the speed and stamina for selection. The underlying belief was that he didn’t naturally have the conformation for speed. Many people I have worked with have felt they didn’t have the backing, be it financial or encouragement, to succeed. For two reasons, a loser’s limp can be very damaging. Firstly, because it creates an ‘against the odds’ atmosphere around your training. You continually put extra strain and stress on yourself to excel that will manifest in the body as injuries or other set backs. When I’ve cleared these beliefs, the attitude you bring to training is one of ‘doing what you do best’, simply honing a God given gift that is already yours to play with. Secondly, with a deeply held belief, perspective or negative expectation, your whole unconscious focus is on it, however productive and healthy your conscious plans are. This dynamic moves you inexorably towards failure. Think for a moment if you have any negative thoughts about your pursuits. Awareness is half the battle won!