This is a message to all you athletes and homo sapiens alike who feel like CRAP.
If you feel, “I played like crap today.” Congratulations!!!
If you think, “I feel like crap.” Awesome… High Five!
If you believe, “I’m a piece of crap.” Woo-hoo… I just stood up to give you a resounding standing ovation.
I would like to extend to you a congratulatory hug for your crappiness!
You are probably thinking I’ve flipped my lid or there is something wrong with me. While the second may be true, let me explain with a TRUE story…
Once upon a time (I always wanted throw that in a blog post), there was an Australian athlete who was Olympic swimming champion. She was born in 1938 and was the first woman to break the five-minute barrier in the 400 meter freestyle. In 1954, she won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at the age of 15.
In 1956, she broke 17 world records and was the first Australian swimmer to own world records in all freestyle distances at the same time. She continued to smash records all through her swimming career. She competed in both the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games earning two Olympic gold medals and two Olympic silver medals. In all, she set twenty-three world records and was inducted in to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1972.
Her name… Lorraine Crapp.
So the next time you think:
“I played like crap today.” Congratulations, you played like an Olympian!
Or “I feel like crap.” Awesome, you feel like a world record holder!
Or “I’m a piece of crap.” Woo-hoo, you are a Hall of Famer!
In reality, Lorraine didn’t win every race but she kept working hard to realize the full extent of her potential.
Lorraine didn’t feel happy and physically strong every day but she got up every day and started anew.
Lorraine didn’t feel confident and positive every day but she didn’t give up.
The ball won’t bounce your way all the time. Some days, it will feel like everything is going wrong and you can’t catch a break. There will be times when you feel no one is on your side. Life will suck some days. At times, you will feel like crap. Some days, you will want to lay down and give up.
DON’T!
Give yourself another chance by changing your internal message. This is not easy. It does not come naturally. It may take some conscious effort but, if you can counter the message, you can change the way you feel. With that slight change in attitude, you open the door to more possibilities and opportunities and growth.
So go ahead, be more like Crapp!