In no particular order other than how they come to my mind:
1. Know that everything can be changed and improved.
2. Admitting that something is wrong or that you can do better is the first step down the road of improvement.
3. You have to be brutally honest with yourself – or put another way do not lie to yourself. This is related to number 2.
4. You can’t change yourself in one day, nor can you accomplish your goal on day 1, therefore heroic effort is of little use – consistency is the key.
5. Big scary goals help to motivate and help to create habits.
6. There is a huge amount of information available to you if you are willing to look and put in the effort.
7. Do not compare yourself to others instead compare yourself to the you of yesterday. It is a much more accurate measuring tool.
8. Efficiency is more important than strength.
9. Technique is more important than strength.
10. Celebrate all the little wins. My martial arts teacher talks about putting feathers in your hat – every little win is a feather. A feather can represent learning a new technique, applying a technique while running/swimming/biking/BJJ/or whatever your thing is, it can be doing something that you couldn’t do yesterday, or simply crossing something off your to-do list. If all you can do is make your bed then that is your feather. Strive to put feathers in your hat.
11. Pain is not a nuisance – it is an indicator of improper technique – it is your body screaming at you to do something differently.
12. Your comfort zone will kill you.
In summary, mindset is my biggest take-away. Set goals, build habits, learn how to accomplish the goal, and celebrate the wins.