Welcome And Finish Strong Intent

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Successful ocean success. Welcome to the sweet spot. Welcome to the sweet spot.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Welcome back to the sweet spot with Dr. Derek Sweet, a board certified psychiatrist specializing in sports and performances. In the sweet spot, we explore what it takes to stay steady and perform when the pressure is on, and the moment matters. Stay tuned for Dr. Sweet's Finish Strong Friday.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Greetings and welcome. You're doing just fine. You're doing great. You're doing well. It is well with you. It is well with your family. It is well with your body, your mind, your spirit, it is well with your soul. Now things may not be going 100. Loki, they may be going terrible. But guess what? You can declare it is well. And you're gonna finish. You're gonna finish whatever you started. You're gonna finish this race and you're gonna finish it strong. That's what you do. And I'm here with you. I'm here with you to join with you in this thing we call life, in this mystery. We call life. We're on the journey. We're climbing the mountain. And today, as we are going on this mountain series journey here in the sweet spot, I want to leave you with

The Mountain Tests Commitment

SPEAKER_02 1:58

this thought. I want you to think about this. We've been talking about mountains and getting into the lessons mountains are giving us. And here, I want to leave you with this thought that mountains don't test your strength at the bottom. You know where they test your strength? They test your commitment when the climb has gone longer than you anticipated. That's where the mountain tests you and me. It doesn't test us when we're starting up, because starting is exciting. Who isn't exciting to go on the mountain climb, right? We have the rope, we have the gear, we have the sunglasses, we have the water bottles, we have everything we need. So starting the journey is often the easier part. And the test, the test of our strength is never at the bottom of the mountain, sweet climber. The test, the test of our commitment is when that climb is dragging on more than we thought, when we are realizing, oh my god, this is much more than I thought. You see, starting is always exciting, but finishing, that's different. The early part of the journey, fueled by enthusiasm. The latter part, the later part, that depends on something much deeper, doesn't it? Yeah, it depends on things like resilience, perseverance, patience, and the ability to keep moving when progress feels slow. That's it, right there. It's when the progress has come to a crawl, when you've come to that point in the marathon where you're on that 18th mile, when you're when the climb has gotten steep, right? That's where the progress slows down, and that's where your resilience, your perseverance, and your patience is being tested. That's where the finishing matters.

14 Peaks And The Upward Mindset

SPEAKER_02 4:05

So remember I mentioned to you I looked at a lot of documentaries on mountains. One of them that really stuck out for me was something called 14 Peaks. I think it's on YouTube, and you can look it up at any point. It is one of the most inspirational documentaries about mountain climbing that I've ever seen. And I've used it, as I've said to you before, in my work with elite performers. We just sit down in what we call the lab, for those of you who've been there, and in the lab, we dissect the 14 peaks. If any of you are listening and you want to be inspired, it doesn't matter what your journey is. This is not just for athletes or executives or high performers, this is about life. Climbing a mountain is about life. 14 peaks is something you might want to check out. So one of the quotes I saw from 14 Peaks is when the pain is forcing you to go down, you keep going up. That's right. When the pain is forcing you to go down, when it's forcing you down, you keep going up. That's a mindset. Now, this isn't about ignoring physical pain. No, that's not what I'm talking

Discomfort Versus Defeat In Life

SPEAKER_02 5:22

about. What I'm talking about is the lesson that that quote gives us about understanding the difference between discomfort and defeat. Because in every mountain climb, every meaningful mountain, you're gonna reach a point where your body is tired on the mountain, where your mind begins negotiating with yourself, and quitting starts to sound pretty reasonable. I know I've been there. Have you ever been there? Where the mountain feels just like it's too much that you're on. Yeah, everybody reaches that point where they have to think about whether they're gonna negotiate their way out of this. And can I negotiate my way out of it? And quitting or turning back or not continuing to climb feels like maybe it's pretty reasonable. And that's true whether you're climbing Mount Everest or you're just climbing through life, sweet climber. Look, maybe you've been caring for someone you love, a child or a parent or a loved one, someone who's in the hospital, someone who is in the nursing home, someone who can't move around or handle like they used to, and you're the caregiver and you're emotionally exhausted. You're climbing a mountain. Absolutely. Maybe there are months of rehab that you're doing right now. Some people are in rehab, like you had a bad injury and you're rehabbing. I remember when I tore my Achilles tendon, I tore both of them at different points. And wow, that rehab after that injury. Will I ever be myself again? Will I be able to run again, jump again, do the things that I like to do the same way? Rehab is a mountain. We talked about that last time, right? Maybe you're searching for work and you keep getting rejected over and over again. Another rejection letter comes in the mail, it's or lands in the inbox. Another bad news situation. That's a mountain to not let despair take over, right? Maybe you're rebuilding your marriage or rebuilding a relationship that has been broken and it's treacherous, it's difficult. Finding trust again. Very difficult, hard to do. You're climbing a mountain. Are you a college student? Are you a medical student? Are you a law student? Are you in graduate school? Are you taking a test to enter into something and you're not getting it? You fail by one point, two points. Maybe you didn't even take the test because you weren't prepared. That's a mountain. Mountains require us to be prepared. Alright, maybe none of that matters. Maybe you're retired and you're chilling and you're relaxing, you've had a great career, and now you're relaxing and you're realizing in your retirement, whoa, I gotta figure out a new purpose for me. I have all this wisdom, all this experience. How am I gonna impart it? Am I gonna sit in a room alone with this? Or is there gonna be an avenue for me to share this? How am I gonna battle the loneliness, the aloneness of retirement? How do I find purpose? That's a mountain. All different mountains, right? But like we said before, the same question is being asked by every single

The Question Every Mountain Asks

SPEAKER_02 9:13

mountain that you might face. We may be on different mountains, sweet climber. We probably are on different mountains. But every mountain that we're facing is asking us the same question. And that question is, will you keep climbing? That's right. Will you stay on the climb? That's another lesson from this documentary, 14 Peaks, that stayed with me. I really hope you check it out. And this line was really cool in this documentary, and it stayed with me. And you know what it was?

Expect Setbacks And Face Adversity

SPEAKER_02 9:53

Nothing goes exactly as planned on the mountain. That's right. On the mountain climb, nothing goes like you planned it. Think about it. The weather can change. Wind and rain and snow or whatever that can, whatever changes can come, weather can change and change suddenly and rapidly and dramatically on the mountain. The root of the mountain could change. The map that you had could look one way, and now when you're up there, you're on the climb, you can't figure out the route anymore because it looks different. Or your equipment fails, something breaks, something's not working like it used to, something you depended on. Maybe it's you. You twist an ankle, or something goes wrong, something happens with yourself on the climb. You know what strong mountain climbers have that lots of people don't? They expect all of it. That's right, sweet climber. The strongest climbers don't expect perfect conditions. They actually expect and prepare for changing conditions. That's one of the resilient lessons that you can learn from mountain climbers, that we can all learn from a mountain climber. Stop expecting life to unfold exactly according to your plans. Expect setbacks. Expect detours. Expect disappointment. Expect that the seasons will progress slower than you hoped. Not because the mountain is unfair, not because the mountain is against you. It's because this is what mountains are. Mountains are real. This is this is the reality. Let me reword that, right? Not because life is unfair. Just in case you think I'm only talking about a mountain. It's because life is real. So the people who finish strong, sweet builder, sweet climber, the people who finish strong aren't surprised by adversity. Something I learned from my own mom, who is one heck of a mountain climber, is that you should expect adversity and you should look it in the eye and face it. I've seen her do it a thousand times. The people who finish strong are never surprised by adversity. They have already decided that obstacles belong on the climb. Did you hear what I just said? Loki, this is deep. Alright? They already decide in their minds that obstacles belong on the climb. And since here in the sweet spot we talk about science, soul, and spirit, let me digress for a second into the spirit. You know, in the spirit realm, they have a song. I don't know if it's amazing, grace, I'm not sure. It says, Through many dangers, toils, and sneers, I have already come. Yeah, even at the spiritual level, in the ancient wisdom, they talk about expecting setbacks and troubles and trials and tribulations on the mountain climb. In this world, you shall have trouble, says the word, the ancient wisdom. But rest assured you don't have to stay there because you have something deeper than you in you that can overcome the world. But anyway, I digress. Just keep in mind that when you're climbing a mountain, you should expect setbacks and adversity. And that's why strong finishers finish strong. Mountain climbers have another word that I want to share with you that they

The Crux And The Hard Middle

SPEAKER_02 14:26

use. I told you, I've been studying this stuff just to talk to you. Did you know there's a word that mountain climbers use? It's called crux. C-R-U-X, the crux of the matter, right? They call it the crux. The crux is the most demanding section of the climb. It's the make or break point when you're climbing a mountain where either the path gets steep, there's less things to hold on to, there are all kinds of issues. This is where the mountain is its most challenging, and that's called the crux. It is the most demanding section of the climb. And ironically, it usually arrives after you've already spent hours on the mountain. It's never really at the beginning to make it easy so you can either turn back or figure it out. No, these crux challenges usually arrive after you've spent hours on the mountain. When you're a bit tired, when your attention is now too deep in and it's drifting, your confidence now is at a testing point, and it may be too far in to even think about turning back. You know, life has these crux moments too. The hardest season in recovery often comes after you've had a slowdown when things start to get slow. Haven't you been in that scenario where just before the breakthrough, things really begin to look bad? Yeah. Sometimes you're building a business, and the most demanding part of the business is after all the excitement fades, and now the funds aren't coming in, the receivables are low, the people, your employees need to be paid, you're looking like you don't know what you're doing, and your discipline has to now replace the adrenaline that you had in the beginning. You started off great, you were riding adrenaline, but adrenaline alone doesn't get you all the way up to the mountaintop. It doesn't put you at the summit. Your discipline is what it's gonna take to get through the crux. Writing a book becomes a lot harder after the first draft. Trust me, I know I'm trying to get this book done. Writing the book, it's a lot harder after the first draft because you know what? You need a lot of revision. Careful revision matters more than the inspiration that you had at the beginning. Oh, I was so inspired when I started my book. And now the discipline of revision is upon me. And that's not about inspiration, that's about discipline. I'm in the crux. Caring for someone you love, caring for someone who's hurt, caring for somebody who is chronically ill or debilitated, where there isn't a finish line in this. You just have to come there every single day and care for them. That's a mountain, that's the crux. This is where resilience earns its name. Bouncing back. How do you stay strong? How do you finish strong?

Strategy One Narrow Your Focus

SPEAKER_02 17:49

Let me tell you a couple of strategies from mountain climbers, and I'm gonna end. The first thing, you've got to narrow your focus. That's what they do. Great mountain climbers, mountaineers, they narrow their focus, they're experienced. These cats know what to do. Experienced climbers, they don't spend every moment staring at the mountaintop. They don't, they're not too far ahead. And they're not looking back either to see how far they've come. You know what they're focused on in that narrow focus as step one here? They focus on the next secure foothold. Where can I put my foot down? So that I'm standing or climbing on solid ground. They focus on the next foothold or the next hand hold that they have to grab, the next breath that they have to take. And because we're about science, soul, and success here on the street spot, let me jump into the spiritual. Sometimes you have to go into a situation where the ancient wisdom says it this way the word can be a lamp onto your feet. Sometimes you have to rely on spirit to light the path for you. Because the crux is very, very challenging. So it's the next handhold, the next breath, the next foothold. When life feels overwhelming, you have to shrink your attention. Maybe it's just one phone call you have to make today. Maybe it's one counseling appointment that you have to keep. Maybe complete just one more physical therapy exercise. Don't look at the entire road ahead of you. Read one chapter of the book that you're trying to finish. Or perhaps write the chapter. One chapter or one paragraph. Submit the application. Go for one more application. Even though you've had a thousand rejections, try that again. Take a walk. You can't exercise, you can't run, you can't fly, you can't do anything. You take one little walk. Maybe it's just a five-minute walk. Maybe it's one apology you have to do. Not a thousand. Maybe it's one healthy meal today, less McDonald's, less Wendy's, less Burger King, and one healthy salad, right? The next step is always more manageable than looking at the entire mountain. That's what I'm trying to tell you. That a lot of times when something is too overwhelming, focus on being narrow. Take that one step. That one next step. That's one of the steps that's gonna get you to the finish line. What's the second thing?

Strategy Two Learn From Slips

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Learn from the slips. Every experienced climber learns from the slips. And let me put it another way. Every experienced climber has slipped. That's how you learn. And what separates them is what happens next. You see, experienced climbers don't confuse a mistake with an identity. That's something we work with athletes on, we work with executives on, we work with general public on, right? Like you can't make your mistake your identity. Once you start getting into that conversation, we have a new problem. You are not your mistake. Experienced climbers ask a different question. They ask, What is this teaching me? What did that slip teach me? What do I have to learn here? And that perspective is everything, sweet builder. That is everything. Your setback is data, your setback is information, your setback is an insight, it's a revelation. It's not your identity. So you've messed up, so you screwed up. Up so things didn't go well. You blew it. Okay, what's next? What can you do next? This is not you. So that's the second thing. Don't allow yourself. Do not never, never, never allow yourself to not learn from your slips. And don't don't make yourself get into this whole thing like I am the mistake. You're not. You're just not. What's the third lesson from

Strategy Three Recover With Intention

SPEAKER_02 22:33

mountain climbers? Okay, so far we've done two, right? We've talked about two things. They narrow their focus on the on the hardest part of the climb, right? And they they learn from every slip so they can be better. You got that. What's the third thing? What is the third thing? You know what the third thing is? They recover with intention. One of the greatest misconceptions in mountaineering that I've seen in looking at these documentaries and reading on this is that people think reaching the top of the mountain or reaching the summit means that the climb is over. Sweet builder, sweet climber, did you know something here? I want to tell you something here. Experienced climbers know that coming down that mountain, the descent, demands as much attention as going up. In some cases, more accidents happen on the way down the mountain because people mistake relief for completion. They think just because they got to the mountaintop, because they got to the summit, that they've done it and they get relieved and they get relaxed. I think the same thing is true for driving. I remember reading somewhere that like a lot of accidents happen when you're just 10 miles from your house. Because you start to relax on your drive home. And accidents can happen there. So coming down the mountain, relaxing and relieving yourself or feeling relieved can be dangerous. And life works the same way. After surgery, your body needs plenty of time to recover. It could be weeks, it could be months. After a crisis, a relationship crisis, just because everybody's apologizing and feeling good doesn't mean you get to take your foot off the gas and just don't take care of the relationship. Maybe you got a promotion. That's fantastic. You made it, but that doesn't mean you release yourself from family obligations. Your family still needs your presence. Maybe you've had a demanding season. Maybe you've just come through a grueling season. Well, your mind needs rest. Don't jump into something else. Recovery ultimately isn't a reward for finishing well. That's a mistake. Recovery should be seen as part of why you finish well. Build in the recovery. Build in time for yourself. Make sure that you are truly listening to your mind. Listening to your body. Understanding that when you get to the top of the mountain, it's not just giving you a view, it's revealing the character it took for you to get to the top. You know what mountaineers say? They don't remember the top, the mountaintop, as much as they remember how they climbed it, the people they climbed with, the moments that they almost quit, the discoveries they made along the way, the stories that they can tell themselves. So whatever your mountain is today, sweet builder, sweet climber, maybe it's grief, maybe it's uncertainty or diagnosis, uh maybe it's about rebuilding trust in yourself or someone else. Maybe it's finding purpose, maybe it's believing that everything is gonna be okay and really being optimistic. Maybe it's getting through another ordinary day. Whatever the mountain is that stands before you, I want you to remember this. You don't have to conquer it today. You don't have to know how the entire climb is going to unfold. You don't, you just don't. You only have to take another faithful step. Trust God, trust in that which is in you. Because finishing strong isn't about being the strongest person on the mountain. It's about being the kind of person who keeps climbing with your wisdom, with your humility, with your trust, your hope, your faith, your courage. Even when you can't see the mountaintop because it's hidden by the clouds.

Next Foothold And Closing Charge

SPEAKER_02 26:40

That's what finishing is all about. I believe in you. I believe in you. And before this day ends, before this week ends, right, I want you to ask yourself, wherever you are on your mountain, what's my next foothold? Where do I put my foot next that's steady? And then take that step. And I'll see you on the climb. Until next time, sweet climber. Honor the mountain, trust the climb, and take the next faithful step. Love and blessings.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Thank you for listening to the sweet spot with Dr. Derek Sweet. If today's message was helpful, please feel free to share it and subscribe. There's no cost to subscribing, and it helps others to discover the show. We hope you'll join us again for another inspiring message from Dr. Sweet and the Sweet Spot team. For science, soul and success. Stay with the Sweet Spot.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

Success in the motion.