Optimal Pursuit

08/01/2021

Failure is not final. Perseverance pays off!

Failing is a necessary step before you succeed. - Kyle

12/16/2020

Tonight I reflected on a recent “performance” of mine — flying solo with three toddlers—and wanted to share some insights to include specific details of my “resilience workout” 🤗

RESILIENCE: the ability to COPE with adversity, ADAPT to challenges, RECOVER and LEARN from setbacks, and GROW from the experience. I used to do endurance races (e.g., 50k ultra-marathons, marathon…

12/12/2020

What did you / are you learning in health class? I hope this program goes nationwide and is integrated into all school curriculums. Learning to be present, less judgmental of self and others, and manage stress could literally change lives.

https://news.psu.edu/story/641751/2020/12/10/research/mindfulness-practices-shown-help-teenagers-deal-stress?fbclid=IwAR2lgPUJl9l56n9U0tzht2fcpuddMMzwT6_k1jEC3fHc5MSxm-tJQtfFqjg

A study led by a College of Education faculty member suggests that mindfulness exercises could enable adolescents to more effectively manage stress.

10/13/2020

This right here is a woman who crushes the course — of Ironman triathlons, of training, of coaching, and of life in general. Why? Many reasons, but one is because she fights to keep a growth mindset. 👏🏼

Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or parent, here 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 Amanda shares some insightful wisdom that we can all benefit from hearing and putting into practice. Thanks, Amanda! 👏🏼

When’s the last time you cheered for yourself?
Sometimes I think we forget it’s good to celebrate our wins. Correct, often times I forget to celebrate the win of EACH interval. Today, in bonus mom world, tiny human woke up during my last set of intervals. I gave him some toys to play with but he wanted a little extra attention. I figured out by clapping and flexing and cheering for each interval, he would laugh and follow suit. And so, for the last 8 intervals, we cheered for each one and I finished strong.
It brought me back to some of my sports psych coaching and how our mindset can make or break us. Sometimes we need to dissect larger tasks into smaller ones and celebrate completing each interval. I often lose sight of that in my own training. Tonight reminded me of that lesson.
So, are you celebrating little wins during big tasks? How so? We clap for our tiny humans and we clap for others.... what would happen if we clapped for ourselves too?

10/10/2020

The COVID-pandemic has undoubtedly been difficult for everyone ... individually as well caused stress and strain within relationships. Here are some tips to help your child, which in turn will also help strengthen and maintain a solid relationship with them. 👌🏼

Show your teen love and care, while looking after yourself

10/09/2020

Bottom line: the better a leader is at regulating emotions, the better those around them will be.

This is one of those really, really hard things to “practice what you preach” or to “be a good role model” or to “demonstrate what you expect from others”.

But it’s imperative that we leaders do.
👉🏼 I’m talking to you: parents, leaders, teachers, coaches, athletes/captains 👈🏼

Disclaimer: I “fail” at this every single day. I try to remind myself that perfection is impossible. I won’t bat .500, or be 100% from the free throw line or three point line. But, I aim to do my best. And my best is different each day. I try to take the same advice I give to the athletes and coaches or students and parents that I work with, learn from it and be better. 👌🏼

It’s difficult to be a good parent when you’re struggling with your own emotions.

How we talk to kids about emotions has an impact on their social, academic, and psychological well being beyond the childhood years. That said, before we can teach kids to regulate their emotions, we must learn to manage our own emotions first.

Read about the five things to keep in mind to help you deal with your emotions: https://bit.ly/3cYvZMd

10/07/2020

Stop what you are doing.

Say this to yourself out loud (better yet, change the first “you" to "I” and the second “you” to “me").

To override beliefs that are not helpful to our lives, we must actively work to change them. Here's one way to do that.