Life After Sport: The Mindset
Four years ago, I decided I wanted to commit to the goal of qualifying and competing at the Tokyo Olympics. I also decided it would be my last four years in the sport. I just couldn’t see myself going longer than that, even at that point.
In the world of track and field, 28 is still pretty young. Some people’s careers take off at that age and if I really wanted to, I knew I could do another four years. But I knew even then, I wouldn’t want to. I love this sport, but I can’t do it forever. It can be a struggle for even the (best? craftiest?) of people to juggle more than one career. While it’s more than possible for me to balance my two career goals, I wanted to put my all into one or the other. I don’t have to choose. I want to. I want to know I put my all into these “bigger” goals. And while I did have my side hustles over these years, I always made sure track came first.
In 2016 I decided I’d give my everything to track and field for the next 4 years. In 2020, I had to tell myself “one more year”. As I hunkered down on my mom’s couch in March, watching the world come to a standstill, I had a new decision to make. I had given myself four years. And now it was four years. But not in the way I had imagined. The Olympics were postponed. I could stop here, retire early, and move on. Or I could do one more year. Finish as strongly as I could in this new, chaotic world and know that I tried to the very end. I went with the latter.
It didn’t take me long to make my choice. In reality, I had considered this pretty early on. Even before quarantines and lockdowns, I did pay attention to the news. I was extremely skeptical that the Olympics would happen at all and had been contemplating what I would do and how I would feel if they were canceled or postponed. I believe thinking ahead really allowed me to adjust to that reality fairly quickly and move forward.
As the world slowed down, holding our collective breaths behind our masks, I looked for ways to slow my racing mind. I meditated. I did a few yoga “challenges” from Yoga with Adrienne. And I started to make a plan. I had one more year of track. How could I put myself in the best palace possible to make the transition into retirement easier? Could I take classes? Could I find a job? Could I network? Where would I live? When would I move? What would I do if things worsened and the Olympics were canceled? Would I be ready?
Looking back now, I probably became so focused on a plan because I wanted and needed some semblance of control. I had no control over the pandemic ravaging the world and the massive effect it was having globally. But I could control how I reacted to it. I could make a plan and work on the small projects and ideas I came up with. Being an athlete has driven home the idea that you can only control the controllables. We can only control what we do and how we react. Worrying too much about anything else is just a lesson in futility.
So here I am, months later, working my way through that plan. The step I’m at now is to document and share. To give some insight into how I’m doing it. What steps did I make to make the switch? What worked and where did I have to return to the drawing board? How exactly does one face retirement head-on?
Hopefully, it’ll help others working their way towards the end of their athletic career. In many ways, I’m lucky. I’m not being forced to quit by an injury (*knock on wood*). The Olympics haven’t been canceled, so I still have a shot at them. I’m lucky enough to choose and prepare for my retirement and for that, I’m extremely grateful.
I’ll continue writing and sharing the process as I go in this series, aptly named ‘Life After Sport’. I’m excited to open up and share my thoughts and experiences as I fumble my way through it all. Hopefully, there will be something for everyone - professional athlete or not - to resonate with and learn from.
What has been your experience making bigger transitions in your life? Did you make a plan or did you dive headfirst into the great unknowns?
