As you can imagine, I get my fair share of questions every week.

As of this morning, my inbox is showing 232 unread messages (hopefully by tonight, I aim to cut that number in half!)

So why am I telling you this?

Because while I make it my mission to reply to everyone, there are times when I get sent a message which warrants a deeper response. In this case, I figured I’d turn it into an article so that everyone may benefit.

The message was sent by a reader named Emily, and here’s how it went:

Hey! I love reading your stuff. It’s really motivating to read and I love how you keep it real and tell it like it is! Although I am fan, the real reason I am messaging you though is because I’ve noticed a really unfortunate trend and I was wondering if you could write something about.

Nowadays athletes and performers will watch videos of highly skilled individuals and it suddenly turns into personal negative self talk. They start telling themselves that “I will never be able to be that good” and “watching this makes me feel like I should quit” and blah blah blah. I think it’s really unfortunate because some of the people that do this really are talented and hard working individuals. Instead of seeing these performances as inspiration and as motivation to push their limits, it becomes “I am not good enough” I was wondering what you would have to say about this trend and what you would tell these individuals who experience this. THANKS SO MUCH!

[Sidenote: Starting a message with flattery is definitely a good move if you want quick replies 😉 ]

As it turns out, I do have quite a lot to say on this topic, so strap yourself in!

Back when social media didn’t really exist, the only time you could watch someone else perform high level skills is if they trained in the same gym or city as you did.

The abilities you saw depended on the local talent pool, or if there was a rare chance that it was covered in the evening news.

But now, all that has obviously changed. You can be on a toilet in a lonely town in Alaska, and armed with nothing but a smartphone, you can witness someone like Kristof Willerton do a triple layout on the Addicted To Tumbling facebook page.

Quick access to this type of information is definitely a good thing.

But how you react to it, is what will either make you better, keep you the same or as Emily has witnessed, make you want to give up.

So here are 3 lessons that I’ve personally learnt from watching and being around some of the best tumblers on Earth.

Lesson 1: There Will Always Be Someone Better, Accept It

It’s human nature to compare ourselves to everyone else, either in a physical or digital environment. If you neighbour gets a fancy new car, you’re more than likely to want one that’s equally as impressive, or a model that trumps theirs.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Keeping up with the Jonses”? 

It’s an idiom referring to the comparison to one’s neighbor as a benchmark for social class, or the acquiring of material goods (according to Wikipedia).

More accurately, in 2015 we should call it “Keeping up with the Kardashians.”

But here’s the dirty truth: trying to “keep up” with whoever is a losing game, as there will always be someone better.

If you’re the best tumbler in your gym, there’s a better one in the city.

If you become the best one in the city, there will be a better one in your state.

If you manage to be the best in your state, there will be a better one in the country, and so on…

Even if you manage to become the best in the world, there will come a time where someone will take your place.

• Michael Jordan was the best… until he wasn’t.
• Pete Sampras was the best… until Roger Federer came along.
• Kiara Nowlin was considered the best female cheerleader… until a video of Angel Rice surfaced.

But you know what? None of the people I mentioned above lose sleep over it, because they got to the top by aiming to be the best that they could be.

You need to stop comparing yourself to everyone else, and start comparing the person you are today, to the person you used to be.

If the person you are today is better than the person you were yesterday, then you’re on the right track – period!

Once you internalize this lesson, it will free you. Both mentally and emotionally.

In fact, I’m glad there are people out there who better than me in all aspects of life. Want to know why? Because it gives confirmation to the final two lessons I’ve picked up…

Lesson #2: I Will Always Have Something New And Exciting To Learn

Can you imagine if you literally knew everything there was to know about a topic or subject? You would get bored to death.

I get beyond excited when I visit camp Woodward every year because I always come home with new tips, tricks and strategies (both as a coach, and an athlete).

It’s like a never-ending source of inspiration, motivation and knowledge for your brain to feast on. Which means it’s as close to the fountain of youth as you can ever get!

Don’t believe me? Well consider that in 2012, a study in the Archives Of Neurology found that keeping your brain engaged throughout life was associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Those who stayed mentally engaged from childhood to old age had lower levels of beta amyloid in their brains (beta amyloid influences the onset and progression of AD, so you definitely want to keep its levels as low as possible).

So the next time you see someone perform something spectacular, admire it. Then rewatch it in slow-mo and see what tips, tricks and lessons you can pick up from them.

Every athlete, no matter how good or bad, can teach you something. It’s your job to find the lesson.

“If the person you are today is better than the person you were yesterday, then you’re on the right track – period!” (Tweet This)

Lesson #3: It Shows Me What’s Possible

You’ve heard about Roger Bannister, right?

I’ve referenced him before in one of my articles, but just incase you don’t remember let me give you a quick recap: Before 1954, it was thought that running a mile in under four minutes was impossible.

Even medical professionals believed that the human body was literally incapable of such a feat. So hardly anyone bothered to attempt it.

But Roger thought differently. And sure enough, he managed to smash this long-held belief by running a mile in 3:59.4

Now, thousands upon thousands of runners manage to run a mile in under four minutes every year. Physically, I bet they were already able to do so, but mentally they just needed someone to show them that it was possible.

Back when I started tumbling at 17, I thought that the hardest skill I could ever accomplish was a layout full twist since the commonly held belief was: “good tumblers and gymnasts begin training early.”

Nonsense. My good friend Elliot started just as late, had no formal coaching, and in just four short years was doing quad fulls. And this was back a few years ago, when I met him.

His tumbling today is at a world-class level, and it’s nice to know that if you have the drive and determination, that you can do the same.

What Type Of Lessons Will You Pick Up?

When it comes to tumbling (or any sport, really) there are only three possible states that you can be in:

• You’re getting better
• You’re staying the same
• You’re getting worse

And training alone isn’t going to keep you in the top state. Everyone’s experienced a plateau even though they’ve kept their training schedule consistent.

How you handle your mentality, and how you react to the world around you can have a dramatic impact on your success. So look around and see what valuable lessons you can pick up.

It’ll only make you better!

Enjoyed This Article?

Then do me a small favor and in the comment section below, share a valuable lesson that you’ve learned from others in your sport. I can’t wait to read about it!