Excerpt from:

Bully Proof: The Gift of Self-Esteem

by Chris Leigh-Smith

Illustrations by Sabrina Niebler

…continued….

We Give Words Power – Part 3 of 3

Always Second, Never First

The Power of Positive Thought

I trained harder than most of my fellow runners, sometimes twice a day. Even though I worked extremely hard and loved to run, I always came in second or third place, never first. When my races were over I almost always knew that I could have run harder or given the race more effort. I knew that, for some reason, I was holding back. One day, my coach gave us a talk on “weeding the negative thoughts out of our minds.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been telling myself before every race that I was not fast enough or fit enough to win; maybe I could come in second, but not first. I put my coach’s words into action the very next race. It was an 800-meter race and I paid attention to my self-talk as it drew near. I did not tell myself that I had to win or be the best, for I have no control over that. I did weed out all my limiting thoughts, like “I am not good enough, not fast enough, and not fit enough.” I replaced them with powerful thoughts of feeling light, quick, strong, and loving to run. It wasn’t about winning the race; it was about performing to my highest potential.

It was my best race ever, for at the finish line I knew I had given my all. I came in first place that day. Since then, I have completed many races and have felt great about my efforts and accomplishments regardless of my placement. Now I use this skill of clearing negative or limiting thoughts from my mind all the time.

I’m older now, coaching kids in track and field. I still weed the garden of my mind and teach that skill to anyone who wants to listen.