CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE JAN/FEB 2020 ISSUE | Page 96

So, what does a bodybuilder do? How to Avoid the Validation Trap: Be selfish! Compete for yourself, not to make others happy or earn respect. Remind yourself what has brought you success thus far and focus on what YOU can bring to the table. Instead of trying to impress or prove you belong, be selfish with your focus and take care of the task in front of you. Focus on improving your performance and stay focused on that process. The only person you need to validate yourself is you! Self-respect is stronger than other-respect. Think about the reasons you started bodybuilding. What do you love about it? What valuable lessons have you learned?While you may hear the opinions of others, you do not have to accept them as fact, nor do you need to take on those opinions as your own.Let go of mind reading into what others might think about your performance. It doesn't help you perform optimally in competition. If you need tools to address the issue of caring too much what others think, contact me at (416) 805- 6155 or email me at [email protected] so you can learn how to have self- respect rather than other- respect.