Expectation versus reality

“You can’t achieve great outcomes by creating false realities.”
Many times, athletes will hype themselves up (prep for the workout) by convincing themselves that it’s “going to be easy” or that “it’s not that bad.” However, if your goal is to create a mind that will propel you toward peak performance, creating that narrative is not in your best interest. What happens when you set your mind up for something that’s “going to be easy” and a quarter of the way through it, it realizes that it’s pretty damn hard? Being mentally unprepared for moments like this is where failure thrives. You can’t achieve great outcomes by creating false realities.
Imagine your mind possesses your armor and before the workout, you tell it, “Hey, don’t worry, leave the armor. We got this.” When the workout eventually brings the fight, what do you think will happen? You’ll be left facing an enemy you weren’t prepared to deal with.
Instead, you can choose to prep your mind by acknowledging that at some specific point the workout is going to try and kick your ass; that it has to be ready to accept and overcome that. “Bring your armor because we’re in for a fight.” Now, at the very point the workout gets difficult, your mind is ready. You prepared for this moment when you prepped your mind for what was to come. So instead of being surprised by the moment because you expected things to be easy, your mind can shift. You’re mentally ready to push your body past its perceived limits because you anticipated and looked forward to the fight.