The Fortitude Chronicle: A Weekly Digest of Athletic Determination

Monday’s Mindset

Starting last year, I made it a priority to do a meaningful years end reflection each year. As a result, I wanted to share my reflection with all of you!

1. What are your proudest accomplishments of the year?

   1. As I reflect on the past year, there are a number of accomplishments that I am incredibly proud of. Professionally, I am especially proud of the relationships I have built in my business. The connections I have made through my community have been truly amazing. When I started my private community for working with athletes to develop mental fortitude, I approached it with a coach-first mentality. What I didn't realize was how close I would become with some of the athletes and how much they would come to mean to me. To all those in my community, I want to express my sincere gratitude. Your impact on me has been greater than you may realize!

   2. On a personal level, my greatest accomplishment has been my growth in patience. Naturally, I am a very impatient person. I expect and demand immediate results in all areas of life. However, through facing adversity in business, dealing with injuries, and most importantly, navigating the challenges of parenting, I have experienced significant growth in this area. While I still maintain a sense of impatience when it comes to taking action, which is indeed a valuable skill set, I have learned to cultivate patience when it comes to seeing the desired results. I now understand that growth is not always a linear process, but rather an exponential one. The work I put in compounds every day, even if the results may not be immediately apparent. Whether I am having a conversation with my daughter about managing her temper, going through the rehabilitation process for my knee injury, or working on my newsletter, I have learned to show up every day and give my best without fixating on the outcome. I have come to appreciate and trust in the process, embracing the journey with love and dedication.

2. What were the most significant challenges you faced this year?

   1. Man, where do I start? This has been a year of adversity for me. I have already shared my greatest challenge with you all, which has been my three knee surgeries. Two weeks into the third and most significant surgery, I find myself facing my toughest battle yet. However, I am determined to emerge victorious. I am well ahead of my recovery schedule, having achieved my four-week goal within just 10 days, and I am making rapid progress in my physical therapy sessions.

      On the business front, I have encountered the difficulties of growing and expanding my brand. The process of demonstrating care, authenticity, and attracting a larger following has proven to be much more challenging than anticipated. Every day, I find myself pondering countless questions on how to grow in a meaningful way: How can I show that I genuinely care? How can I authentically connect with my audience? How do I expand my reach? How do I push beyond my comfort zone? It can be overwhelming at times. I am nowhere near where I aspire to be in my business, and that truth is hard for me to accept. As someone who is fiercely competitive and highly self-critical, it is personal when I do not achieve the desired results. From this perspective, this year has been a tough one, leaving me feeling beaten up.

      It is frustrating and challenging when you know that you have valuable products and services, but struggle to find the right strategies to bring them into the world on the scale you envision. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that I have experienced significant growth this year and I am learning the ropes of running a business. I am just getting started, and I firmly believe that 2024 will be an extraordinary year. I am committed to showing up every single day, giving my best, and continuing to learn and adapt along the way.

3. What key lessons did you learn from your experiences this year?

   1. I have learned a lot this year. So I will keep it to just three. Firstly, I learned what it means to really love the process. It’s not just a punchline, it’s a lifestyle. It isn’t easy to wake up at 4:00 am. It isn’t easy to write every single day. It isn’t easy to face some sort of failure routinely. However, when you love what you are doing, those things become easier to push through. I genuinely love how the mind works. In particular, I love how the mind works for athletes and those who want to be elite achievers. Coaching and teaching how to build fortitude lights a fire in me. As a result, I’ve learned that I have to earn the right to teach those principles. That means, loving the process of doing hard things.

   2. Hard work is the minimum. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success. It just gives you an opportunity. Everyone who starts their own business is working hard. Everyone who’s in this space is working hard. What makes me any different? What makes me different is me. I have learned that the best way to differentiate myself from the pack is to be truly myself. What is it that I uniquely have that other people don’t? What experiences do I have that no one else can relate to because it’s coming from my perspective? I am my own differentiation factor. When I realized this, I started to grow. The more personal I made my writing and business the more I began to see the results I was looking for. Don’t be entitled to results because you’re working hard. Understand how to stick out and take full advantage of your opportunities.

   3. I learned to be tenacious in my pursuits. It’s more than never giving up; it’s about coming back better after every challenge. It’s more than just being interested; it’s about living it out every single day. I can’t be afraid to take my shot when it’s there. I have to be willing to kick doors down and create opportunity when it doesn’t exist. I can’t be worried about others opinions. I can’t be worried about rejection. For every 100 no’s all i need is one yes. I just need to be willing to take those 100 no’s. That’s the hard truth. It isn’t easy being told no all of the time. However, when you get to that yes, its worth it. Too often we let failure and rejection keep us from pushing forward. Light is always on the other side of darkness. Never stop pushing forward. Learn, adapt, change, and most of all, always move the needle forward.

This is the condensed version of my reflection. I have six other questions I ask myself and reflect on. If you are interested in the other six, please feel free to email me back and I will gladly share those with you! At the end of the day, every year will mark new peaks and valleys. It’s our job to reflect on those and learn from them. I am so proud of myself in so many ways. However, I am not even 1/1000th of where I want to be. My promise to you all is I’ll continue to push forward. I’ll be here, every day.

To Building Fortitude forever and always.

Best Regards,

Colin Jonov, Founder & CEO Athletic Fortitude

P.S. Want to share your experiences or challenges with us? Reply to this newsletter or connect with me on social media @ColkyJonov10. I’m here to support you on your journey!

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