The Mindset Of Champions

Balance is the most important skill many of us will ever learn.

Whatever your field, it takes time, space and rest to be at your best. Ask Olympic and World Championship medalist Daryll Neita. Finding mental focus has played a big part in her journey to becoming one of Britain’s premier sprinters. Getting there is about self-care as much as self-belief.

But it wasn’t always like that. For Daryll, the importance of keeping a clear head is something she learned the hard way – taking a day off has come with practice. With that in mind, as part of our I Wish I’d Known series, we asked Daryll what insights and tips she was missing in her early days.

“In 2018 I was overdoing it, because 2017 was so great and I wanted to do even better. But I put too many eggs in one basket and overcooked myself, basically. I struggled a lot with training, training, training, and nothing else. It's really important to get things in between that.”

“In life we set goals and we want to achieve them, but it's important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture instead of just focusing on one thing. I feel like I've done that quite a lot in previous years, and you can end up missing the beauty of so many things that happen around you.”

“I’ve definitely learned that you can't be on all the time. Get your downtime, go out with friends, bake, watch TV: these things are really important for a healthy mindset. I also got a brand new puppy over the summer which gave me so much more time outside.”

“You have to feel good within, and you have to feel good on your own because trying to get stuff externally doesn't really fill the void. You need to fix them yourself if you have them.”

“Oh, it was amazing. Best decision ever.”

Ready to grow your mental focus? Tap below to learn Daryll’s tips in the Nike app.