Living with ALS often made me feel
like I was competing in the Olympics. I’d wake up in the morning and wonder how
my body would perform that day. Then lay awake at night rehashing all the
things that went wrong. The voices in my head often sounded like a panel of
unsympathetic Olympic judges arguing among themselves.
I’d mentally critique my less-than-perfect walking, my fumbling fingers, and my failed attempts to pronounce words. Now, I know it was just my inner judges running amok. And I’ll be the first to admit they were awfully hard to control.
That’s how I felt a few years ago. Since then, I’ve adopted a coping strategy and attitude that helps me get through the day. It’s a new perspective on myself — one that I learned from an Olympian!
What caused the change?
I was attending a gala event held
in honor of 16 outstanding individuals representing the World Acrobatics Society. This
is an organization my family has been involved with for many years; in fact, I
manage their website and social media. During a special afternoon session that
was part of the event, the honorees took questions from the audience. One of
the questions was, “How do you handle the pressure of competing in front of
judges?”
The first to speak up was Kent Ferguson, a champion springboard diver from the 1992 Olympics.
He said that when he dove competitively, he never thought about the judges or about going for a particular score. Instead, he always focused on creating the best aerial movement that he could achieve on that particular day.
Just then, Tim Hall chimed in. He has coached over 200 national champions in gymnastics and has earned 10 world titles. He said he tells the kids to be so good that the judges can’t complain.
When I thought about it
Although many more words of wisdom were shared that afternoon, these two statements continued to roll around in my head for the remainder of the day. By the time the evening’s banquet concluded, I realized why their words made such an impression on me.
Combined, the statements gave me a perfect way to focus my attention while taming my Olympic-sized inner judges.
First, focus on living each day by being the best self I can be on that particular day. Each day, my body may perform differently than the one before. But I need to remain confident that I tried my best. At a day’s end, my rehashing should focus on the positives that happened so that my inner judges can’t complain.
Now, whether my day is full of challenges or turns out to be smooth sailing, I have a valuable life skill to tap into. I can even imagine myself following in the footsteps of champions!
How to tame your inner judges:
- Reset your ALS mindset. Show up and
engage with others.
- Stop comparing
yourself to how you were in the past.
- Stop holding yourself to an unrealistic
standard. End each day by
creating a list of “gratitude’s.” Focus on the people, places, and things you
are thankful for.
Thank you, Kent and Tim! Sharing your encouragement with the world makes you both true champions. Through you, we can continue to learn how to live well while living with ALS.
FOR MORE ON THIS TOPIC, I SUGGEST
THIS POST
I Treat My ALS Clinic Like an Olympic Challenge
Celebrating Milestones and My Work with the World Acrobatics
Society
Explore more posts HERE
Dagmar Munn
ALS and Wellness Blog
Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.
Michael Phelps
Most decorated Olympian of all time
A version of this post first appeared as my column on the ALS News Today website
Really nice post, thank you.
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