As an adult I find myself on many different teams. Team of co-workers, team of coaches, team with my family, etc. Just like the Saluki Softball team these "life teams" are full of good and bad moments. Being mentally tough and dealing with adversity determines your mindset, balance, and happiness in life.
GAINING PERSPECTIVE:
It's funny how the longer you are away from an experience the more perspective you gain. For me I can remember thinking as a 22 year old - I can't wait for these workouts to be done! It was the only time in my life where I would get a migraine headache (apparently exercised induced). As a Jr/Sr in college I thought when I am done I'll workout - I'll go to the gym. Well I tried that but it was boring, it was easy to skip, I didn't have a goal in mind (other than how the clothes fit), and it became easy to just not go and not do. As my business got off the ground, my day would get busier and it was the first thing that I would drop to fit everything else in. Being a business owner is a 24/7/365 job and since our opener in 2007, I have put the business and its wellness in front of me. I kept thinking - once the business is up I'll get back at it. Problem is when it did get off the ground - there was even more to do so "getting back at it" never really happened.
THE TIME IS NOW:
I can't wait anymore and the time is now. I want that reminder of what I had back in 2003 and 2004. I went to one of my employees who is the Head of our Strength & Conditioning, Coach Jovick. I asked him to train me - I didn't want the focus to be to get skinny or just lose weight. I asked him to train me like an athlete getting ready for competition. The competition is life and I need the daily challenge of these workouts to continue to push me and my mental toughness. Life is hard but what are you going to do? You can't take the ball and go home because a call didn't go your way, when you get knocked down you get back up, when you are faced with something your should conquer then you shouldn't waste your time - you should short game them and move on for the next game - to me life is a game and you have to prepare for that game. So with that being said - you have to train for life and for me I am better when I am pushing myself mentally and physically. So now it's time to get back to work and I want the girls who I had the blessing of playing with as a Saluki to know that I will be pulling from my memories of our work together to push me through the days I think I might not make it. I start this coming Monday March 14th.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mental toughness
One of the most interesting characteristics I find in people is their Mental Toughness (or at times, lack there of). If I think back to my time spent with Saluki Softball I know we had a talented group of athletes to work with on our team, but I also know that talent alone didn't get us to the NCAA Division I Sweet 16. In 2003 Saluki Softball missed a berth to the College World Series by being beat out of the tournament by Alabama.
Looking back this accomplishment among others reached throughout the 2003 season were set in motion early on by the team fighting through some tough challenges. Early in the 2002 fall semester, our Strength and Conditioning program pushed us physically and mentally to be better individuals and better for each other. During that time our S&C Coach put our bodies (and minds) through challenges that bred a Sweet 16 finish. The determination, dedication to our team, and the mental toughness it took to complete the training prepared us for competition on the field - and in life. The mental toughness that I gained from the training, the competition and the failures are life's lessons that I call on in my daily life.
Developing Mental Toughness:
There are a number of ways to go about developing mental toughness and doing so is one of my personal passions. When it comes down to it people who become mentally tough have one thing in common - they got there because they were faced with and dealt with adversity. For youth, finding a healthy environment to face and deal with adversity can get them started down the path of developing mental toughness. One recommendation I have is getting into a true Strength and Conditioning Program and working through and passing their personal threshold can help them begin to develop mental toughness.
I'm One of the Lucky Ones:
I was blessed, heck down right lucky. Not only did I land in a program that was fighting to become nationally recognized but I was surrounded by leadership. Our Head Coach, Kerri Blaylock was a great motivator and leader. She also had a great support staff around her with Buddy and Skip. Outside of our coaching staff was the support of our S&C Coach Kline. I was lucky to be apart of a group of people who bought into the leadership around them and worked for the betterment of the team at an intense level. When our team finished our training we were ready to go to battle with anyone in the country. For some training with a team that is dedicated to each other is an option, for most it is not. With our society thriving on instant gratification it is becoming harder to go against the grain and allow kids, teens, and young adults to gain mental toughness through the ups and downs of life. Training hard is a lot like life - you have your good days and you have your not so good days but ultimately how you handle them determines what you accomplish in the long haul.
Looking back this accomplishment among others reached throughout the 2003 season were set in motion early on by the team fighting through some tough challenges. Early in the 2002 fall semester, our Strength and Conditioning program pushed us physically and mentally to be better individuals and better for each other. During that time our S&C Coach put our bodies (and minds) through challenges that bred a Sweet 16 finish. The determination, dedication to our team, and the mental toughness it took to complete the training prepared us for competition on the field - and in life. The mental toughness that I gained from the training, the competition and the failures are life's lessons that I call on in my daily life.
Developing Mental Toughness:
There are a number of ways to go about developing mental toughness and doing so is one of my personal passions. When it comes down to it people who become mentally tough have one thing in common - they got there because they were faced with and dealt with adversity. For youth, finding a healthy environment to face and deal with adversity can get them started down the path of developing mental toughness. One recommendation I have is getting into a true Strength and Conditioning Program and working through and passing their personal threshold can help them begin to develop mental toughness.
I'm One of the Lucky Ones:
I was blessed, heck down right lucky. Not only did I land in a program that was fighting to become nationally recognized but I was surrounded by leadership. Our Head Coach, Kerri Blaylock was a great motivator and leader. She also had a great support staff around her with Buddy and Skip. Outside of our coaching staff was the support of our S&C Coach Kline. I was lucky to be apart of a group of people who bought into the leadership around them and worked for the betterment of the team at an intense level. When our team finished our training we were ready to go to battle with anyone in the country. For some training with a team that is dedicated to each other is an option, for most it is not. With our society thriving on instant gratification it is becoming harder to go against the grain and allow kids, teens, and young adults to gain mental toughness through the ups and downs of life. Training hard is a lot like life - you have your good days and you have your not so good days but ultimately how you handle them determines what you accomplish in the long haul.
-Jen Doehring "JD""Mental Toughness is the ability to FOCUS and PUSH through when the PAIN makes you want to QUIT"
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Background
I grew up in So. Illinois in the small town of Nashville. I am lucky in the sense that I found my passion in life at a very young age. The game of softball has taught me some important life lessons throughout my playing days. Adversity, teamwork, and leadership are just a few of the life lessons I took away from the game. As a shortstop at SIUC I was blessed to be apart of a team that was very special. The time spent at SIUC not only revived my collegiate career but it gave me a team to fight for, a team to work for, and a coaching staff to run through a wall for. Some of the life's lessons I took away from my time at SIUC have continued with my business. I opened Turn 2, a baseball and softball training facility located in Collinsville IL in October of 2007. In January of 2008 the media began covering the downturn of the economy.
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