It seems like there is a common theme today of recreational level athletes and enthusiasts trying to hold themselves up to the standards of professional athletes.

of course there’s nothing wrong with having high standards, but sometimes it can be detrimental to the enjoyment of the practice.

so before trying to train like a pro, here are a couple questions you can ask yourself:

-am I doing the thing I set out to do?

-am I doing it safely without putting myself at unnecessary risk?

-do I enjoy doing the thing?

-what is my true goal, and would being better at the thing make me happier?

another question to ask before putting professional athletes on a pedestal, is would they train the same way if they didn’t do it for a living? Would they maintain the same training regime if they weren’t under the pressure of competition? What unnecessary risks are they taking? Does the practice bring joy to their lives?

as always, no answers or absolute statements here, just something to think about when it comes to your practice and goals within it.

Personally, I’ve been trying to get out of the mindset of analyzing every little thing that went wrong, but rather try to see the bigger picture and enjoy it for its flaws.

It’s still a work in progress though.