Dear Athlete, Letter #4 - Your Journey

Dear Athlete,

Senior year of high school, I had a mental coach who told me to write down three wins every day. They could be anything. Getting through a run without stopping. A good day at school. Giving someone a compliment and watching it make them smile.

Those small wins carried me through my spring season that year.

It wasn't until I finally built up the courage to sit down with her and say what was actually going on in my head, that I wasn't confident in myself, and it was starting to affect how I performed, that things started to shift.

She told me to stop looking at the big picture and start looking at the small one. One moment at a time. Not a million moments all at once.

She didn't fix anything for me. She just helped me navigate it.

That's the most important thing I learned from her: no one else can fix it for you. She was there to help me find my way through, not to walk the path for me. You can't hand your own journey off to someone else and expect them to do the work. That part has to be yours.

Thanks Coach Sydney, I never told you how much your small check-ins helped me.

—Mackenzie, Founder Dear Athlete