The Brave Athlete: Athlete Schema

An interesting exercise from The Brave Athlete, Calm The F*ck Down book I picked up Sunday. From the Athlete Schema/Identity worksheet, there are 7 statements for a Mature Athlete Identity (or something like that). To evaluate your Schema write about the 7 statements from these points of view: Current Thoughts & Actions, What I Will Say To Myself, and Actions I Will Take. This was fun, might be good to look back on someday? I will really minimize the edits, and type in what I wrote last night.

1. I currently participate in sports and exercise. 
CT&A I feel like I'm at the bottom of a big hill that I've climbed before, and that I'll take so long to get back to what I used to be.
WIWSTM You climbed it once before, you know the way up, and you have hindsight!
AIWT Slow down and savor the gains. Re-learn and fix problems.

2. I call myself an athlete
CT&A I define myself by my athletic stories, and can't imagine life without more. And everyone seems to expect more of the same.
WIWSTM Your accomplishments more than define you, they drive you forward.
AIWT Pick new races and challenges, long and short to not repeat but add to my accomplishments.

3. Others call me an athlete
CT&A Most of my interactions are with other athletes, and those non-athletes around me focus on that aspect of me.
WIWSTM They don't just love you for your accomplishments, they maybe love that you enjoy and share it.
AIWT I will move forward from past and seek more to share and share that love forward.

4. I am not embarrassed by my athletic ability, and I don't feel the need to prove it.
CT&A This year I constantly feel like I'm trying to prove myself! My mental scripts replay this over and over. But I stay quiet on it.
WIWSTM You aren't being judged, for now or for past or for future. You give your best each day, that is what is judged.
AIWT Give my best everyday, and appreciate what I have, and enjoy.

5. I don't engage in excessive self criticism or self aggrandizement about my abilities. 
CT&A My mental scripts are a lot of self criticism countered by self aggrandizement. I sometimes yearn for opportunities to prove what I can do, or to let others know. Like my recent "princess" run script [from sunday's run].
WIWSTM Being self critical is not a way forward. Having self aggrandizing only happens in your head [with the Others I imagine up].
AIWT Silence the voices that point out fails and flaws. And self aggrandize my new accomplishments and achievements [to myself and not the Others in my head].

6. I have habits and past times outside of sport and exercise.
CT&A No, I really don't. Even my current non-sport friends tend to be former sport friends, or sport friends I look forward to.
WIWSTM I'm learning to find other convo topics, just like my [former sport friends] I [be] more than one dimensional.
AIWT Learn something new to bring and visit outside of sports.

7. I have reasonable emotional reactions when shit goes wrong.
CT&A Outwardly, this is true. But oft times in my head it's less "reasonable" or smooth.
WIWSTM You're human. You have emotions. Luckily you're good at problem solving and can stay calm.
AIWT Step back from the shit and apply the calm problem solving.

6 was kinda weak, 7 too. But 4 and 5 where informative!