Welcome to the time of year when race drivers often become their worst enemies.
You've been racing all season in a certain way, this way has created the results that have led to you being in your current situation.
All of your decisions, your luck, your commitment and your work ethic throughout the year have brought you to this point.
Has the year turned out how you wanted or has it bombed?
It doesn't matter whether you are flying high or scraping the barrel right now, what does matter is how you run things and perform from this moment forwards.
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Warning! There are a few naughty words in this audio and post.
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Don't Fall For The Mid Season Trap
Most drivers fall for the trap of performing differently mid season compared to how they were at the beginning of the season.
And I don't mean in a good way.
At the start of the season you feel fresh, open minded, ambitious and quite simply you have less clutter in your mind which allows you to simply drive the car.
But as they go through the season you can easily pick up a lot of mental baggage that holds you back, that creates a heavy feeling and sometimes forces you to become an emotional wreck.
This can destroy the whole experience of racing, you lose the joy for it and you can find yourself asking questions like "Why am I even doing this?"
Mental baggage can come in many forms but common ways of making that baggage heavier is when drivers:
1) Relive the mistakes they have recently made
2) Take on too much conflicting advice
3) Worry about what sponsors/investors/team are thinking
4) Let their relationships with their team or team mates distract them
All of these disrupt your natural flow.
These are just a few examples but all of this weighs heavy on your mind and leaks into your driving and happiness as a driver.
By the time you are half way or two thirds the way through the championship you are dragging this baggage along and it is holding you back, preventing you from getting what you want and what you are perfectly capable of getting.
It causes you to double think, to get confused and distracts you from the simple task in hand.
All of a sudden instead of just driving a car around a track you are listening to internal thoughts that are crucifying your performance.
You are acting out a crime by murdering your potential through this kind of Mid Season Blues behavior.
If this sounds like you then you must stop this process before it is too late, if you want and need a strong end to your season then now is the time to really act.
That 'First Test' Feeling
I'm sure you have had times when you have gone to a test day with a new team or car and you laid it down.
Your times where good, you beat or equaled the regular drivers in that team/car and your performance was impressive.
You had a good test because you turned up only interested in one thing......to drive.
You got there focused on driving the car as good as you can, you were open minded, resourceful and free.
That's the mindset of champions. When you are at your best you allow yourself to perform. You do not stand in your own way, you let loose.
But as soon as you signed that contract or got half way through the championship you find yourself in a different mindset, one that is different from the way you were when you were fresh at the beginning of the season or in the winter period of the previous year.
Well that's because you are seeing things differently now, you are clouded by all the bullshit that distracts you from the basic principles of driving and being at your best.
You see this a lot when a new driver is called into the team and blitzes the current drivers. They are all given a wake up call by someone who has come in with no baggage, with nothing to lose and with a free mind to drive the car.
This is what you need to do if you want to have a strong second half or end to your season.
Hit That Reset Button Now
The objective here is for you to get back to your best, to strip away all the clutter that has built up over the season so next time you are at the track you get there with a fresh mind and ready to do one thing - to drive the wheels of that car.
See this part of the season you are at now as a new season, a new beginning, genuinely believe that this is a fresh start and you go in there and keep that outlook for the whole weekend.
That is my challenge to you!
You go into this next race weekend with your chin up high, breathing deeply, with a smile on your face focused on the simple things that need to be done that weekend. Which are to enjoy yourself and be at your best.
Don't fall for the same trap as others do by thinking that performing well is complicated, it's not.
You will be tested on this by the way, people in and out of the team will constantly attempt to bring your attention to the past and keep loading that baggage but I want you to stay in the moment, rise above this, stay focused on driving at your best, stay true to the path of being free minded to allow yourself to be at your best.
All the rest is details.
You are here to resolve, to turn over that new leaf.
Do this and you will get onto that track being more excited, not worried. Being more curious of how to go faster instead of worrying about the consequences that you could face if you are not fast.
Yes you can brake later there or carry more speed here, fine, you will try it next time out.
No more emotion than that has to be given to that kind of feedback. Give thanks for the feedback and get excited about getting out there and trying things out.
This is fun for gods sake, you are driving a race car on a circuit, it's mega fun. You need to keep this approach, this fresh and child-like attitude.
Let everyone else carry around the weights of their minds, you're above that.
You understand the consequence of hanging onto the baggage, that's not for you.
It's your job to act now in a way that will allow your future self to look back on this year and be happy with what you did, instead of carrying the self sabotaging route that everyone else is on.
It's time to stop standing in your own way.
So open that mental baggage, the bag itself, empty out all the crap that is in there, close that bag, feel how much lighter it is now and keep it closed throughout the weekend.
This way you can be the driver that you already are, let that driver step forwards. In doing this you will get better results, enjoy your racing and feel better, what else could you ever want?
If you don't act on this now, can you imagine what things will be like if you continue to screw up due to overthinking or self sabotaging like you have been recently? Can you imagine what your racing will look like next year?
It's dark, it's not good.
See this next weekend as a bright light. Walk into that bright light being free, open and ready to do what you know you can do.
Show everyone what you can achieve in just one weekend.
You are on your own quest, you get in there and you do it. Simple as that. Just wait and see what this fresh approach does for you.
You will be tested at times due to things out of your control but resist the temptation for self sorrow and keep mentally light, again you are only interested in driving and your best and enjoying the process.
All the rest can go do one!