Clean Run - December 2015 - 26

And that's OK. Accept the compliment
that people think you can achieve x,
y, or z, but don't try to "wear" others'
goals for you if they're not also your
own. They won't fit, they won't feel
good, and you won't be as confident
as if you put on the goals that make
sense to you, in your life.
Ask yourself: are the goals I have for
myself really mine, or am I trying to fulfill someone else's vision for me and
my dog? If I am, how can I address
that and how can I set goals that get
me excited and a little scared? Now
what do I need to tweak to go after
those goals?

Beware the Magic Wand
Syndrome (a.k.a. the Instant
Gratification Gremlin)
Today's video training is one you
should watch whether you think you
need it or not. This one is so pervasive as to be a constant attendee at
seminars, trials, and training. If you
don't currently suffer from it yourself,
I am sure you know someone who is
afflicted. And of course, this doesn't
just strike agility life, you can find this
gremlin in any area of life you care to
look. Watch now at https://youtu.be/ZJohzeZ7TA.
Note: If you subscribe to the printed
copy of the magazine, the easiest
way to view the video is to go to
the Clean Run magazine YouTube
channel (http://www.youtube.com/
user/CleanRunMagazine) and select the December 2015 play list.

Embrace Failure
If you're demotivated because you're
disappointed or have become discouraged after multiple setbacks,
take heart. You may just need a new
perspective on failure. I have a whole
new training program coming up on
this one because I think it is crucial
to success and I know many people
struggle with it-especially when failure tag-teams with the Q/clear round

gremlin. For now, let me just say that
if you are feeling demotivated or you
are procrastinating because you are
struggling with failures, you're actually in a good place. You've probably
heard me say before that if you're not
failing, you're not trying hard enough.
And, it's true. There is a correlation
between the frequency of our failures
and our trajectory of success. You
cannot succeed without failure, so if
you want to succeed, fail frequently,
push yourself until you up your failure
rate, and paradoxically, you will also
increase your success rate.
The road to success goes through failure, repeatedly. There is no bypass or
ring road on this one, you have to go
through it. So if you're there right now,
good. You're making progress. You
may not see it, and your gremlins may
be stomping their feet and screaming that it "should" have worked out
already if it was going to, but do not
listen. Keep going, keep failing, keep
learning, keep failing more, and you
will increase your success. Failure is
your friend, your teacher, your guide. It
is not to be feared but cherished, not to
be faced with shame but celebrated as
bravery, as willingness to go beyond
what others will dare to do, as part
of the grand adventure we call living.

Look at Things from a
Different Perspective

mean ask another trainer what they'd
do-that can often be the instant
gratification gremlin as we struggle
to deal with the frustration of not getting what we want right now, so be
careful with that one. What I mean
is there may be perspectives you're
missing-a really simple one is to
look at competing in the bigger picture of your life. It doesn't matter who
you are, there is more to you than the
agility world sees. You have life and
potential outside it and you probably
have people in your life for whom agility is irrelevant to their care, love, or
respect for you. Stepping outside the
agility bubble can offer a perspective that can help you "reboot" when
you're feeling demotivated.
Gratitude is another powerful antidote to demotivation. Being grateful
for what you have and what you can
already do is huge. So what you can't
do that fancy triple pirouette turn in
front of a jump at the precise millisecond your dog needs it, look at the fact
that your dog is busting his buns for
you and look at what you've already
taught him. Look at the challenges
you've already overcome. This is just
the latest, and you and your teammate will have fun and cookies as you
overcome it, too.
My final challenge to you is to make
sure you check in with both ends of
the leash to find solutions. We are
great at looking at what our dog is doing, but not always so great at seeing
our part in that, particularly where our
nerves/self-consciousness/anxiety,
etc. are being picked up by our dog.
You are human, your dog is not a machine, and what happens at one end
of the leash affects the other. Get out
there and enjoy your amazing dog for
who he is in all him glory, and savour
the uniqueness of the relationship you
enjoy with him-time's a-wastin'! D

As we wrap up here, I want to encourage you to look at your situation from
a different perspective. I don't just

Dr. Kathrine McAleese is a qualified systemic psychotherapist who uses her training in diverse styles of therapy to coach competitors, getting them past their mental
obstacles so they can achieve their goals and get results they can be proud of. She works with clients in multiple sports from all over the world, from pre-competition to
world champions, as well as helping individuals and businesses achieve health and fitness goals; business development and vision planning. You can learn more about
Kathrine's online classes and contact Kathrine through her website www.mindtowin.co.uk and on the Mind to Win Facebook page.
26

Clean Run | December 15

http://www.youtube.com/user/CleanRunMagazine http://www.mindtowin.co.uk

Clean Run - December 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - December 2015