Without a fully developed understanding of what drives us and guides our internal dialogue, we are simply living a life dictated by the cheers and jeers surrounding us. The first principal for a Daily Athlete to define is their own personal values. This serves as a guiding philosophy to turn to in both the good times and the bad.

In other words: If you don’t see value in what you’re doing, it’s nearly impossible to push yourself to do it properly (and consistently) when the question “why am I doing this?” presents itself.

There are many paths we can take as athletes, yet no matter which one we choose we are bound to experience pain. There is the delayed pain of regret from in-action or the immediate pain that comes from challenging ourselves and pushing towards growth. One path leads to a meaningless life and the other to a meaningful one. You can decide which one you want.

Put another way: Since you can’t choose the path of zero suffering, you might as well choose the one that’s going to take you where you want to be.

The athlete that can self-diagnose in the moment is the one that will find that edge when it matters most. But it starts in the little moments. How do you respond to feedback in training? What happens when you encounter setbacks in your daily life? Where does your mind go when you’re feeling tired, upset, or unmotivated? Who you are in the little moments is a direct reflection of who you will be in the big moments.

Simply put: If you don’t practice when it’s easy, you can’t expect yourself to do it when it’s difficult.