Mental Toughness In Action: Kendall Ellis
I rarely write about SPMI athletes and their success stories but I believe it is time the world starts hearing about them. SPMI has had a very positive impact in over 1000 lives in over 50 sports. The mission of SPMI is to reach millions of athletes from all over the world and help each one of them achieve their dreams by providing them with invaluable skills and discoveries that will elevate their well-being both in sports and in life.
Kendall Ellis was very gracious to allow her story to be told. Last week Kendall Ellis had an astonishing come from behind victory to help her team win the NCAA national title in the 4X400m relay. However, her victories began years before when we started working together on her mental toughness as a senior in high school. I am very proud of Kendall both as an athlete but more importantly as a person. Throughout all the obstacles she's faced in track, she has challenged every fear and setback in front of her, attacking her fears one by one until they became her strengths. To be clear, mental toughness training is not a quick fix but requires dedication and commitment from the athlete and Kendall demonstrated that commitment from day one, working exceptionally hard on her mental game. Her character as a person is exceptional as well as she is an inspiration to not only athletes in track and field, but to all who are facing obstacles in life.
One lesson I will share with everyone that we've worked on is in reference to Kendall's belief system. Many athletes set limitations on their goals, often allowing others to dictate or impose their own dreams instead of pursuing their own.
Earlier this year, Kendall made the commitment to raise her level even more. She decided to extend her biggest goal of becoming the fastest 400M athlete in college to becoming the fastest in the world. Since that commitment, she's won the NCAA indoor national championship in the 400m, broke the collegiate and American record, ran a 49.99 in the PAC 12 championships setting the second-fastest time in collegiate history, and with her team won the NCAA championships in the 4X400m relay.
Often times, it's not just about having the mental skills to overcome challenges, it's about pushing your belief system to new heights every day.
As I tell my athletes, you know you've achieved excellence when you make it look easy. That's because when something looks easy, it means that the athlete put a lot of work into it behind the scenes. Check out Kendall's come from behind win in the video link below.