Speaker 2: [00:00:00] For this episode, I wanted to go back in time and find the most useful mental strategies shared by professional and high caliber athletes who have been on the show. I want to provide some context about why I love interviewing athletes. I used to have a YouTube show where I interviewed chefs and what I find fascinating about being a chef is the same thing that I find fascinating about being an athlete for both of these careers.

Speaker 2: You dedicate your entire life to your craft. So whether it's the ability to craft a beautiful meal in a beautiful restaurant, or. Send a ball flying at 175 miles per hour down a racquetball court. The mental approaches that develop in these environments are ones of resilience, commitment, and gratitude. In this episode, you'll hear a small snippet from three powerful athletes, and I'll dive [00:01:00] into how they can translate into your life or your business.

soleil-rain_2_09-06-2024_142132: Hi Adam,

adam-manilla_1_09-06-2024_132133: Hey, Soleil.

_1_08-08-2024_161639: Hi, Jenny,

jenny_1_08-08-2024_181638: Hello.

Soleil: Hi, Linda.

Linda Melone: How are you, Soleil?

Soleil: Hi, Erika.

Erika Manilla: Hello.

video1817824343: Hi, Eddie. How are you doing today? I'm doing good. And you

Speaker: Welcome to another episode of Sweat Strategy and Success. This is the go to resource for anyone who wants to become the best version of themselves both personally and professionally. I'm Soleil Raine, a marketer and passionate storyteller, and my mission is to share the untapped stories of brilliant minds shaping health and wellness.

Speaker: Discover inspiring stories and actionable strategies for growing your business and cultivating a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

Speaker 3: Let's start with one of the approaches that dictate my personal life very heavily, and something that I often see not just from Eddie Ogamba, NFL free agent, but from successful people from all over the world. Here's what Eddie has to say about [00:02:00] discipline versus motivation.

What was your life like as a child living, growing up in Ghana?

Um, it was very different. I didn't grow up as a typical kid. Um, so growing up on a refugee camp is really tough. So I went to school with what's the shoes to uniform and like one notebook, like paper, basically. Um, but it was very different. I used to have to walk my house for water in the morning just to like, you know, have water to shower and stuff like that.

And, um, like never ate every day. I wonder if you've seen the kids on, on Feed My Starving Children. Um, I was that kid, you know, you can see my rib cage and my bones and my body, and I had a little belly too at the time cause I was malnourished. Um, but. All of that really taught me to appreciate things a little differently than, um, a lot of people in general, you know, and it's like you, you think [00:03:00] you have it bad, and then you take a step back sometime, and you're like, oh, wow, I'm truly blessed, you know, so, um, life was tough.

Life was really tough, but it just taught me a lot about. Patience, perseverance and being disciplined , you don't got to be motivated, but you do got to be disciplined to be able to show up and do the same thing over and over and again.

Speaker 3: Eddie touches on a few wonderful points just in this small snippet, but the one that I think that can translate into everyone's life

Speaker 3: is the theme of discipline over motivation. As you heard in the snippet, Eddie grew up in Ghana in a refugee camp. He had a very different life compared to how kids in the United States grow up. But despite growing up unsure of where his next meal was going to come from, Eddie is one of the kindest and calmest people I know.

Speaker 3: In his story, he talks about how he strives to join the NFL as a kicker, and despite his childhood being difficult, he shows up every day. He showed up every day [00:04:00] then, and he brings that same attitude to his life today. Whether it's rain or shine. Eddie shows up to train for his goal of becoming a kicker in the NFL.

Speaker 3: I'm going to take a really quick second to pause, and I want you to think about what goal you are trying to reach right now.

Speaker 3: Have that goal in mind? When was the last time you worked on it?

Speaker 3: Now, here's the hard part. I don't want you to have any feelings towards this. No guilt if it was six months ago, or pride if it was yesterday. It simply is. When it comes to building habits, detaching emotions from the task itself can be a game changer. Often we tie feelings of guilt or pride [00:05:00] to whether we complete a task, making it less about the action and more about how we feel afterwards.

Speaker 3: This emotional attachment can cloud our judgment, and if you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or even overly confident, those emotions may influence whether you take an action or avoid it altogether in the future.

Speaker 3: The best way to approach these tasks towards reaching your goal is to view them as neutral. It's something that you simply do. Because it's part of your routine, like brushing your teeth, or making your bed. And by removing the emotional weight, you take away the mental debate of, Do I feel like doing this?

Speaker 3: And shift into automatic mode. This approach frees you from relying on the fleeting motivation, and makes the behavior part of your identity. It's something that you just are and do. And when your habits are no longer dictated by emotions, they become intuitive, [00:06:00] natural, and far more consistent, giving you better results in the long run.

I can tell you this, Eddie doesn't wake up and think to himself. Should I train today? For eddie And if you listen to this episode You understand this as well training is just part of his daily routine.

Speaker 3: It's just part of who eddie is And if for some reason he doesn't do it today that day You know what? He's gonna wake up and do the next day That's right. He's gonna get up and he's gonna train because that's just part of who he is. He doesn't have an emotional attachment to training. If you are considering building discipline into your daily routine, and you think that this would be helpful towards reaching your goal, which I really think it is, as I mentioned it's something that I do.

Speaker 3: I'm very consistent. If there's one thing that I can say about myself, it's that I'm consistent. And I show up. If [00:07:00] it's not today or tomorrow, it's the next day. If it's a week from then, it doesn't matter. I will show up and get tasks done in order to reach my goal. And one of these is this podcast. I really, I don't post every week.

Speaker 3: I would like to post every week, but honestly, life happens. Life gets in the way. And we don't always get to reach the goals of doing something super consistently. But, I'm consistent enough to know that if I didn't post for two or three weeks, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to be able to reach my goal if I decide to sit down and record another podcast tomorrow.

Speaker 3: And so, being consistent is getting me towards this goal of what I would like in my life. And so if this is something that would be helpful to you, here's an actionable task that you can start doing. Discipline isn't about sheer willpower. It's about building systems that set you up for success.

Speaker 3: If you start small, by [00:08:00] creating micro habits that align with your goals, instead of saying you'll work on your business tomorrow for an hour, if you could see me right now, I'm putting air quotes around business, because that's a big word. I'm going to start my business tomorrow. What does that mean? Right?

Speaker 3: Instead, try committing just five minutes today of working on a specific task that involves starting your business. So, maybe that's making a new connection today. Maybe that's going into Canva and building your logo. Maybe that's Writing down who your audience is maybe that's doing research into who your audience is The hardest part is starting And along with this remind yourself daily I am someone who shows up Even when it's hard Because most importantly, you're building the life that you want for yourself.

Speaker 3: You're building the future that you're looking forward to and the [00:09:00] actionable steps that you're taking every day.

Speaker 5: Before we continue, we are going to take a quick break,

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Speaker 4: This next mental approach has everything to do with framing. When you see a challenge arising in your life, what is your immediate reaction? For me, I usually distract myself in some way so I don't have to make a decision. And this is because I have often looked at my [00:10:00] problems as something bad, rather than a possible opportunity. When Adam Manilla, professional racquetball player, decided that he was going to quit his career in engineering to become a professional racquetball athlete, he knew getting into this niche field would be difficult because the sport was declining.

Speaker 4: But, he went ahead and did it anyways.

adam-manilla_1_09-06-2024_132133: I, Graduated, uh, college with a engineering degree. And when I moved out of college, I came to the Bay area and actually worked for my older sister. And she worked at a company that basically helps startup companies, um, come from an idea stage to, you know, being able to be bought out by an investor and so forth.

adam-manilla_1_09-06-2024_132133: And so I kind of learned some of the framework and one of the main takeaways they had all the time was. do something you're passionate about [00:11:00] and, and the world's biggest problems have the biggest opportunities. And so, you know, I look at my sport and I look at the challenges that goes through and racquetball used to be real big in the, seventies and eighties.

adam-manilla_1_09-06-2024_132133: And that's kind of when it really got moving. Um, and we've start to seen a decline in our sport. And but what resonated while working at the company that I did was, you know, the biggest problems have the biggest opportunities. And when I look at my sport, I have a lot of that.

Speaker 4: Adam took the problem, my sport is seeing a decline, and instead of dismissing his dreams and goals to pursue a professional career in a sport, he saw it as an opportunity. So often we look at our own problems and challenges as just that, a problem or challenge. But how could you reframe the problems you encounter to become opportunities?

Speaker 4: Is there a way?

Speaker 4: There absolutely is, [00:12:00] and the technique is called reframing. This is what Adam did when he saw that there was a decline in his sport of racquetball.

Speaker 4: He took one of the most important lessons he had learned of the world's biggest problems have the biggest opportunities. So for you, let's go over this technique really quick of reframing and how you can use it in your life. When you're faced with a problem, ask yourself, what's one positive outcome that could come from solving this?

Speaker 4: Then take one action that moves you toward that outcome. Maybe it's learning a new skill,

Speaker 5: seeking advice from someone who's been there or brainstorming creative solutions. Shifting your focus from frustration to possibility empowers you to turn obstacles into stepping stones. And every step you take brings you closer to that opportunity.

Adam's decision to look at the problem facing the sport of racquetball as an opportunity rather than a stopping point has brought him to starting his own company with athletes all over the United States and [00:13:00] becoming the eighth best racquetball player in the world.

Speaker 5: I'd like to have another reflection moment because I find it personally helpful when I listen to podcasts, so here's another question I would like you to reflect on for a moment. What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now?

Speaker 5: Whether this problem is personal, professional, or somewhere in between, within this issue or challenge lies an opportunity. Here's an example. Maybe you've recently gone through a difficult breakup. Initially, it feels like a major setback.

When you have felt the emotions of your breakup, It's time to consider That maybe this wasn't a loss, but an opportunity for personal growth. You can ask yourself things such [00:14:00] as, what did I learn about my values, communication style, or boundaries? And the opportunity here is to build stronger connections moving forward.

Speaker 5: Maybe by strengthening friendships, exploring new hobbies, or developing a deeper self awareness. That breakup, painful as it was. could be what pushes you to create a richer, more fulfilling life than before.

Speaker 5: And challenges suck, don't get me wrong, but there are always opportunities to be explored in our challenges and it is up to us to take the time to discover what that is.

Speaker 6: Lastly, but very, very certainly not least, I want to go over an amazing quote provided by Erika Manilla. And if you didn't listen to Erika's episode, it was just one of strength and resilience beyond what I can even imagine in my own personal life. Erika went from being the [00:15:00] number one female USA racquetball athlete to being sidelined by a hip injury

Speaker 6: and through all of this she learned so much about herself In this specific quote from this episode, she shares how she decided to leave behind a comfy 80, 000 per year salary job out of university to pursue a career in professional racquetball.

Erika Manilla: when you meet the corner of the crossroads of excited and terrified, you know, you're in the right place.

Erika Manilla: And so like, that isn't something that I've always tried living my life by now, like the moment that I'm on that crossroad is, okay, I'm terrified. I'm excited. I'm terrified because I have no idea how I'm going to make income. I just turned down a steady income where I would be perfectly fine and have a house and, or an apartment or whatever it is, right?

Erika Manilla: To, uh, Maybe making 40, 000 a year, definitely under margin, [00:16:00] like the sport that people say is dying, but I know there's a potential for growth and it's just find a way. Like, if you put in so many hours every single week to find a way, you will find a way.

Speaker 7: No person who has followed their dreams hasn't felt fear. If you know somebody who hasn't, then they are either really not following their dreams or they haven't pushed themselves to that point yet. When it comes to athletes like Erika, the journey to success has many ups and downs, But when it came to decision making time to decide if she wanted to follow her dreams of becoming a racquetball player or going after this cushy job out of college, Erika listened to her gut.

Speaker 7: What she was feeling for starting a career in racquetball was not what she was feeling for starting her new job out of university. She felt fear and excitement for starting, and that's how she knew she was on the right track. When was the last time [00:17:00] you felt fear and excitement for starting something new?

Speaker 7: If you haven't felt this yet, maybe it's time to start. Especially for people who are younger, but even for people who have more established lives. One of the best ways that we can feel secure in going after the things that scare us is to lean into our communities, our families, and our friends.

Speaker 7: And in this story in particular, Erika talks about how important her family and her friends were in her journey. Many of the athletes that I speak to have similar feelings around the importance of their communities. So the next time you're making a decision or starting a new project and you feel in your gut that you're at the crossroads of fear and excitement, know that you are on the right track and understand that there's people around you who are there to help you.

Speaker 7: And in many of our lives we are asked to make decisions between going after what we want and staying in [00:18:00] the same place.

Speaker 7: And if you decide that you're going to go after what you want, then it's important to recognize that fear is a normal consequence of taking this road.

Speaker 7: And if you go after your goals and you feel fear and you feel excitement, and whatever it is that you are able to achieve, you will succeed in the mere fact that you decided that you were going to do it. Because ultimately, you grew.

Now for this next time that fear may be holding you back, as I mentioned before, leaning on your community is important,

Speaker 7: but also I found an evidence based technique called the fear setting exercise. It's inspired by Tim Ferriss and rooted in cognitive behavioral science. You can ask yourself three questions. One, what's the worst that could happen? Two, how can I prevent that from happening? And three, if the worst does happen, how could I recover?

Speaker 7: Writing down your answers helps you [00:19:00] see that most fears are either manageable or unlikely, and this simple exercise trains your brain to focus on solutions instead of spiraling into anxiety, making it easier to turn fear into a stepping stone for growth.

Speaker 8: I absolutely loved bringing these athletes on to my podcast, as I've mentioned before, and I want to think of discipline, opportunity seeking, and embracing fear as a powerful three part framework for achieving your goals. Discipline, as Eddie talked about, provides the foundation. It's the consistent daily effort that keeps you moving forward even when motivation fades.

Speaker 8: Opportunity seeking, like Adam mentioned, gives you direction. By actively looking for possibilities within your challenges, you stay open to growth and innovation. And embracing fear, as Erika mentioned, fuels that growth. By confronting what scares you and [00:20:00] taking calculated risks, you expand your comfort zone and unlock new potential.

Speaker 8: Together, these routines create a cycle of progress. Discipline keeps you steady, opportunity sharpens your focus, and facing fear ensures you're always pushing your boundaries in pursuit of bigger goals. This week, I challenge you to adopt one of these powerful routines. Whether it's building discipline through small daily habits, turning a challenge into an opportunity, or confronting a fear using the fear setting exercise.

Speaker 8: Each step you take strengthens your mindset and brings you closer to your goals. And stay tuned. I'll be sharing even more mental routines from top athletes in upcoming episodes to help you stay sharp and resilient. If you're curious to hear the full stories behind these insights, check out my previous episodes with Adam Manilla, Eddie Ogamba, and Erika Manilla.

Speaker 8: Their wisdom is packed with actionable insights that you won't want to miss. If you enjoyed this [00:21:00] episode, or you think somebody that you know may enjoy this episode, please share it. I would really appreciate it. Um, and That really helps me and my podcast and allows me to keep doing what I'm doing. And if you don't have anybody that you think that would benefit from this episode, then rate this episode.

Speaker 8: Tell me what you're thinking about it. As I mentioned, reach out to me. I would love to hear what you think and to be a part of your community. So, rate this episode. Let me know what you think. Share it with someone. Thanks for listening. And I will see you next Wednesday.