Sometimes when I'm in the first round or second round, and I'm not playing well, I say, okay, just accept it. Don't get frustrated. Just accept and focus.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
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When were you happiest?
Time & hindsight
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What does love feel like?
Relationships
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How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
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What would you like to be remembered for?
Death & what remains
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What most recently made you cry?
Identity & self
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What advice would you give your twenty-year-old self, and what should they ignore?
Time & hindsight
Yes. Today has been really stressful. We had a workout this morning. It went okay. And then just that five and a half hour wait or something. I was just shaking, could barely nap. I've just never felt like this going into a competition before. And I tried to go out here and have fun. And warm up in the back went a little bit better. But then once I came out here, I was like, "No, mental is not there. So I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself."
Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021 source ↗
Others on this question
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Rafael Nadal
Spanish professional tennis player, 2001–2024
Cheryl Strayed
Author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things
I’m a super big fan of list making. I’m like the list queen. And every problem I have ever had has been solved by a list. You write down all the reasons for this, and all the reasons for the other thing, and then there are sub-lists. You can color code them. You can get highlighters. And the answer is there.
Recorded
Tim Ferriss, The Tim Ferriss Show, The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss, 22 June 2018
source ↗
David Vélez
Co-founder and chief executive of Nubank
Now I try to protect one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon where I turn off Slack, and I don't check email. I might read, or write in a journal, or just go for a walk. It's become one of the most important parts of my day. It's when I'm most creative, and when I hit on ideas that can take the company in new directions.
Neil Gaiman
Author of fiction, comics and screenplays
And when things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art. I’m serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it’s all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn’t matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art.
Recorded
134th Commencement, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, University of the Arts (uarts.edu), via the Internet Archive, 17 May 2012
source ↗
More from Simone Biles
View profile →The Olympics: all my dreams came true in one place.
When you put others before yourself, and you’d do anything for them.
In dreams, but that’s about it.
As a confident, inspirational and very bubbly person.
Just a few days ago. I was overtired.
Yeah, I say put mental health first because if you don't, then you're not going to enjoy your sport and you're not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it's okay sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are rather than just battle through it.
Recorded
Post-competition press conference, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Tokyo Olympics, Rev, 27 July 2021
source ↗
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