Dear Fortitude family,

Welcome back to my midweek motivation! Each day and week brings its own set of experiences and inspirations, compelling me to share my thoughts with all of you.

For those of you who haven't watched Full Swing on Netflix, you're missing out. Full Swing is a Netflix documentary that follows the world's best golfers on tour. What I appreciate most about the documentary is its focus on the mental aspect of the game. In particular, Season 2, Episode 3 dives into the lives of two golfers: Joel Dahmen and Wyndham Clark. Man, this episode hit home for me as I watched. One quote that I simply can't get out of my head is when Clark says, "Things changed for me when I stopped focusing on the bad things that could happen and started believing in the good that will happen." There are so many benefits to the mental game. Sometimes, the most advantageous are simple perspective shifts.

I believe to my core that everyone in this world has the capability to be great at something. We just have to be willing to believe that it's possible. There's a question I'm deeply curious about finding the answer to: How far can our psychology really take us? I'm not sure that I'll ever find the answer. However, I'll always keep searching. Wyndham Clark was the 116th ranked golfer in the world with zero tour wins in 127 starts. Then he started meeting with a sports psychologist, which changed the trajectory of his career. Two years later, he's ranked 4th in the world with three tour wins, including one Major Championship. For those of you who don't follow golf, that's equivalent to a backup quarterback in the NFL winning the Super Bowl and MVP after being close to being cut from an NFL roster. So, if we can make that drastic of a change in our lives, why are people so resistant to training their minds? We see some of that resistance from Joel Dahmen, who is reluctant to meet with someone. His life and career were spiraling out of control until his wife said to him, "We can't keep living like this." We don't know what's on the other side yet for Joel, but he agreed to meet with someone at the conclusion of the episode. I'm happy for him and deeply rooting for him.

Sometimes all it takes is one bad experience with a person, and we write off the profession forever. One thing that is universal across all industries is that there are terrible people in every profession. There are also amazing people. One or two bad experiences should not push you away from seeking what you need. In any domain of life, whether we are struggling or looking to optimize, relentlessly pursue the help you're looking for until you get the answers you need. Don't take no for an answer. You'll either find the answers or create them.

Pride is a huge element that prevents us from working with people. It prevents us from opening up. I can promise you, everyone in this world is going through something. We aren't robots; we are humans with families, loved ones, and emotions. We are all fighting battles no one can see. Learning how to thrive through adversity can't always be done alone. Working with the right person or people will move you in directions you never thought possible. You just have to be willing to take that leap. You have to want the best for yourself. You're not weak for wanting to be better than you currently are; you're strong. I simply will never understand why wanting better for oneself isn't a universal decision we all make. I'll tell you this: the best in the world all have a coach they work with. That's a guarantee. That's one of their secrets to being the best. I can't answer this for you, but do you really want to be the best version of yourself? Are you working with someone who can draw the best out of you? If not, I challenge you to say you're not serious about unlocking your potential.

To be champions, we have to be worthy of being champions. We can't do so without pouring everything we have into everything we need. That starts and ends with our mindset.

To Building Fortitude.

Warm regards,

Colin Jonov CEO & Founder, Athletic Fortitude

P.S: If you've been enjoying our newsletter and finding it valuable, we would greatly appreciate it if you could forward it to your friends, family, or teammates who you think would benefit from it. By spreading the word, you'll be helping us reach more people who can benefit from our shared knowledge and insights!

Also, check out this show I appeared on with Athletic Aesthetic! It was a powerful conversation and I love the direction this company is going: