Nora Hunt-Lee is a rodeo athlete who knows something about what it takes to be a successful competitor. While in high school, she won seven California high school championships. Later she added 12 regional college championships and two professional world championship titles to her trophy case. Today she spends much of her time working with young rodeo contestants and working toward her doctoral degree in counseling at the University of Nevada-Reno.
While rodeo skills are an important part of the clinics she conducts, she also focuses attention on how an athlete’s mental, physical and emotional balance affects her performance. She stresses that this balance is essential for success in any sport, not just rodeo.
Developing Balance
In a girl’s quest to become a successful athlete in any sport she must know how to create stability in her everyday life by focusing on the balance between mind, body, spirit and emotions.
I don’t believe that you can compete at your highest level if your personal life is unbalanced. The way we perform is a reflection of our everyday lives, so managing and constantly learning to prioritize what is important is essential if we want to achieve peak performance.
The mind is so powerful, that when balanced and with clear intention it can quite literally construct your dreams and goals. Visualize what you want to accomplish and your mind can help manifest the desired outcome. To begin this process spend a moment thinking about who you are, what it is you want to accomplish and how you can creatively arrive at the top. An example of this is goal setting.
Create a plan that focuses on how to accomplish your goals. If you’re a soccer player who wants to improve ball handling skills, plan to juggle the ball ten minutes a day. Of course, this planning needs active follow through but goal setting is certainly the first step.
Your body is the vehicle that transports your intentions and generates your plans. Proper nutrition, exercise, flexibility and strength training keep this”machine” performing in top condition.
The unique connection between mind and body is essential to achieving any goal. For example if you want to adapt better in pressure situations then work on becoming more flexible both mentally and physically. Take a deep breath and practice “going with the flow”. Physically, you can adopt a stretching or yoga practice into your workout schedule. Training yourself mentally and physically will help you deal with stressful or difficult circumstances.
Emotionally speaking, poise is a must, and keeping a level head is essential if you want to carry out your personal best. No one can make us do anything or feel anyway except ourselves. If you can learn to manage your emotions you can direct your attention, energy and focus towards what you really want to have happen.
It’s been my experience in competition that the minute I allow myself to become emotional I lose sight of my goal. In these cases, the attachment I place on the outcome overshadows my performance. If I remain in control of my thoughts, however, I remain focused on the process of achieving specific goals rather than the end result and I am much better off.
With regards to spirit, I believe that there is something greater than all of us and to be spiritually balanced is to be connected to your source, whatever your source may be. This connection can provide athletes with a sense of faith which enables them to trust the end result. This takes the pressure off of winning and puts the control into something more powerful than ourselves.
In my studies I have learned about “meaning” and how to make sense out of illness or turmoil in our lives. My spirituality has been the way I have found meaning in both my successes and failures and it keeps me moving towards my ultimate goal of self actualization.
In all of your endeavors, remember that a balanced, holistic approach will result n a better performance. Train your body but nourish your inner self as well.
Nora is a PrettyTough guest contributor. Check back for more articles on rodeo and other topics. Nora Hunt Videos & Clinics
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