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How To Keep a Positive Mindset on Long Distance Runs and Other Endurance Sports

Just One Mile: The Power of a Positive Attitude in Endurance Sports

I stumbled onto a great interview today with Katie Spotz, an ultra-endurance athlete.

Katie has raced dozens of Ironmans, 100+ mile ultramarathons, and cycled across the US multiple times. She even set world records rowing solo across the Atlantic and swimming over 300 miles up the Allegheny River in NY.

Her stack of athletic feats is nothing short of amazing.

But here’s what I really found incredible:

Katie is remarkably humble.

She didn’t chalk her achievements up to your typical “beast mode” athletic mindset.

Instead, she talked about the power of going just one mile.

You see, long before Katie became “Katie Spotz” the 2x world-record athlete, she hated sports, and she even recounted the time she struggled to run a single mile.

One day, she challenged herself to do it.

Then, over time she ran another…and another.

And pretty soon, that “one mile” became an amazing career.

This is important, because we tend to think mindset is all or nothing.

We tend to think:Either we can do it, or we can’t.Either something is stressing us out, or it’s not.Either we’re making progress, or we’re stuck.Either we’re happy, or we’re not.And that’s just not the case.

The problem is:

That all or nothing mentality often stops us before we even get going.

We look at where we are, and we see the HUGE gap between what we can do now, and what we wish we could do.

Just like there’s a huge gap between running just one mile and running a 100-mile ultramarathon.

We often see that gap and decide we can’t do it.

So we settle.We decide it’s ok to “just get through” the day,We decide pain is necessary for success.We decide we can’t have real, lasting joy.But focusing on the gap will never get you there.

Instead, we have to focus on improving, just one thought at a time.

“Every mile that you’ve done gives you confidence to go another one. All of us carry a long list of stuff we thought we couldn’t do and did.”

Because if we can shift our current thought, just a little bit, it opens the door to future change.

And that’s where the real magic is.

Because if you can change just one thought, you can change another…and another.

Pretty soon, you’ll start living at an entirely new level

–> You’ll become a better version of yourself.

Then you’ll look back and wonder what took you so long to make that first step.

Today I want to challenge you to change just one thought.

I want you to think of ONE idea you don’t like, but keep repeating to yourself.

Pick just one thought that bothers you. Then, commit to changing it .

Here’s how:

  1. First, log-in to Happiness University. Claim your free trial of our all-access online members portal.Then, follow along with the trainings.
  2. Get started with The Foundations Roadmap, where you’ll find simple daily actions to quiet your mind and raise your energy, in just a few minutes a day.
  3. Finally, just sit back and watch your natural, inner joy work its magic. You’ll start to feel better, more inspired, and more productive.If you follow these 3 steps, it won’t be long before you become the calm, confident, and happy person you truly deserve to be.

Click here to activate your free trial of The Joy Within.

Watch The School of Greatness Interview with Katie Spotz and Lewis Howes

Kyle Greenfield

Kyle Greenfield is the Founder and CEO of The Joy Within, where our mission is to help you win the fight against stress and negativity by harnessing the power of your natural, inner joy. Kyle has been teaching on meditation, mindfulness, and how to eliminate negative thoughts since 2016. He currently resides in London. You can follow Kyle on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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