Why is the phrase “I am Strong” so powerful? Take a few minutes and write down your thoughts.

After you have completed that, I would like you to go over the next few questions and answer those as well.

1) What does being strong mean for you as an athlete?
2) Why is being strong important?
3) In what ways do you need to be strong when you are training?
4) If you are not training, how do you need to be strong?

Let’s look at how your experience as an athlete would be if you were not strong? During that time, we are also going to discover some reasons as to why “I am strong!” is such a powerful thing to be able to say about yourself as well as the many different positive meanings that it has.

Example #1:
If you did not work out or train as often as you currently do, would you still be successful in your sport? I think the obvious answer is NO. When you condition or work out while training, you get physically stronger and the base of most sports is physical strength. That right there proves that you are physically strong because without it, success would be limited.

Example #2:
If you were not able to ever mentally push through pain while you were training, would you be as tough as you are now? Let’s face it, we have all trained with some part of our body being sore. Sometimes it feels great because you know that if you are sore, you worked hard but other times you can’t wait until the training session is over so you can rest. Being able to push through pain is something that makes you different from unsuccessful athletes. If you have “just sucked it up” before, then you have shown how determined you are to accomplish your goals. Being able to focus on your goals instead of your sore muscles proves that you are mentally strong.

Example #3:
Have you ever been working on something for so long and just kept failing, and then all of a sudden you got it? It worked because you were strong enough to stay determined to succeed. It shows emotional strength to be brave enough to allow yourself to make changes to your training in order to become a better athlete. In this case “I am strong” can also mean that you are willing to succeed. That is such an important trait to have as an athlete. If you were not determined to succeed you would not be the athlete you are today.

All of these examples show how “I am Strong” can have many different meanings. By saying it, you are not only creating reminders that you are physically strong, but mentally and emotionally strong as well. It shows that you are willing to improve and are determined to succeed. It is such an uplifting and positive phrase.

So next time you are feeling a little sad or disappointed in yourself, remember that YOU ARE STRONG. You have worked so hard to get this far, so you may as well keep on moving forward.

“You are your own most powerful motivator and critic. Which will you be?”

-Coach Brittany-