Alysa Liu just won 2 gold medals & schooled everyone on the mindset of a winner…
- Coach Seb
- Feb 24
- 3 min read
I recently made a social media post about things we can learn from the winter Olympics, but theres one thing from the whole event that really stood out to me…
That was Alysa Liu’s mindset.
To give you a very brief bit of back story:
She grew up ice skating and competing, reaching nearly the highest level, winning some national titles and some bronze and silver medals too.
She competed at Beijing, came 8th - and then retired from figure skating!
She said about that time that she was just keeping her end of the bargain (to her coaches, team, country etc) but often didnt enjoy it.
She went away, spent time with friends, went skiing, and started enjoying her life…
Then!
She realised that she did actually love figure skating - but not necessarily the competing, or to win, or to represent… but just because she loved expressing herself, and showcasing something beautiful.
So she decided to return, but this time, on her terms!
She came back with no vision of winning & not caring what people thought, or whether it went well or not.
After competing she was asked “When you knew you won gold, what was that feeling that hit you?”:
“It didnt really change how i felt about anything. The moment i finished my programme (routine), i was just on such a high. Nothing (including the gold) could make me feel higher or lower.”
She also said
“Winning isnt all that. And neither is losing. Its just something that happens. Its the outcome. But what matters is the input and the journey… and i think thats the way to do it.”
So what does this mean for us!?
Well it means re-evaluating whats important.
We often think its the outcome, or the goal. Hitting an RX movement. Wanting to get a new weight lifted, or compete and win/do well.
We can be so caught up on the goal (or even how we want life to look), that we make ourselves miserable trying to achieve it - defeating the whole point of striving for it because some part of it is supposed to make us feel good.
So what do we do instead?
Following Alysa’s mindset would mean focussing on the now & expressing yourself fully. Enjoying where you’re at and what you’re doing and not looking for some future or external event to bring you happiness.
It means making training fun & enjoying the process.
There will still be times when you have to work hard, grind through and do things that you dont always enjoy in the moment - but if the process can bring you joy and satisfaction, including the knowledge that youre doing something positive for yourself regardless of arbitrary outcomes, then youre heading in a good direction and able to find something positive from every day.
If some positive outcomes occur, let them be a by-product of who you are on a daily basis. Someone who looks after themselves, someone who trains, someone who is grounded. Someone who is organised. (If these are things you want to be.)
Become who you want to be. Then let the rest happen.
Instead of aiming for something that you hope will solve all your problems.
Thats something Ive always believed & the way ive coached.
Sometimes we have milestones along the way and measurements to help guide us, but the journey and how you conduct yourself is really what were focussing on.
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