It’s fair to say 2021 has been a tough slog of a year.
We’ve been tested in ways we didn’t know possible; with uncertainty, isolation, setbacks and worries at every turn.
But there is a way we can overcome the challenges...
No-one is immune to self-doubt, including world-class athletes.
But Nutri-Grain’s Team Unstoppable – a trio of inspirational Kiwis – have always dug deep and done whatever it takes to be their best.
Through sheer grit, determination and focus, this elite team of athletes has overcome incredible obstacles to represent New Zealand on the world stage.
As we head towards the end of a year many of us would rather forget, having expert guidance to maintain our focus in pursuing our dreams and goals is vital.
Here are some tips on how to be Unstoppable from Halfpipe World Champion Nico Porteous, Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand Champion Hannah Wells and Nutri-Grain IronMan Joe Collins.
Setbacks end up putting us into situations that make us better in the long run.
Sorting out the head: overcoming the ‘noise’
When it comes to facing challenges, it’s not only your body that has to be strong – your head must be in the right space too, according to Nutri-Grain’s Team Unstoppable.
Self-pressure and worrying about what others think takes a heavy toll. If left unchecked self-doubt and low performances will creep into all areas of your life.
When self-doubt happens, these three athletes work hard to change their thinking.
By letting go of what others think and instead just striving for your best, you come out on top.
“The situation where I’ve experienced self pressure is pretty much every time I compete," says skier Nico Porteous - at 19, New Zealand's youngest ever Winter Olympics medallist.
"I’m always trying to better myself and do better than I did in the last event.
"I like to call myself a bit of a perfectionist and put pressure on myself to do as good as I possibly can."
“Now as long as I try my best, if it doesn’t work out then I know I tried my best and left everything out on the table.”
Nutri-Grain IRONMAN champion Hannah Wells also knows training her mind is as important as training her body.
In 2019 she was a first-time competitor in the full-distance Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand, when she cramped up in the water. Her body was struggling but her mind was tough.
“I just put that down to being one of the challenges I was to face and carried on.
"It’s always about doing your best no matter what,” says Wells, who went on to stage an incredible comeback and win the event.
Dedication and grit
An athlete’s mantra: every dream we have, no matter how big or small, is worth chasing.
But reaching your goal can be a hard journey full of ups and downs, which anyone at the top of their game knows only too well.
Through hard-won triumphs, peak performers know you will only reach the finish line if you see setbacks as opportunities and learn from past “mistakes”.
Nutri-Grain’s Team Unstoppable know that having the right mindset is essential.
Putting their all into their passion to manifest their intentions is key: if you think it, it will come.
“The last time I got a running injury in my sport I used it as an opportunity to focus on my swimming and came away as a much better swimmer than I would have if I hadn't got the injury,” says Wells.
“Sometimes setbacks end up putting us into situations that make us better in the long run.”
Porteous suffered a major setback earlier this year when he broke his foot only a month out from the Halfpipe World Championships.
He refused to give up, using his recovery time as an opportunity to focus his mind on his goal of making it to the event.
It worked.
“I felt like I had gone through a massive rollercoaster ride of winning X games, then breaking my foot, going through a low, then coming back up again and winning world championships; then standing at the bottom skiing the best I ever had, to be crowned as world champion was pretty crazy,” he says.
"If it doesn’t work out then I know I tried my best and left everything out on the table," says Nico Porteous - New Zealand’s youngest ever Winter Olympics medallist.
"If it doesn’t work out then I know I tried my best and left everything out on the table," says Nico Porteous - New Zealand’s youngest ever Winter Olympics medallist.
Thinking back to the sacrifices I've made so far to get to the position I am in now... helps keep me motivated and striving for more success."
An eye on the prize. Keeping sight of the end goal
The past year has been hard on us all and some days even the toughest of us might feel like giving up on our dreams.
Those are the days when we need to dig a little bit deeper, focus on the finish line and stay motivated by remembering what’s at stake if we give up.
Just ask Joe Collins.
At age 17 he left New Zealand for the Gold Coast to pursue his dream of becoming a professional Nutri-Grain IronMan and says “being thrown in the deep end” taught him how to function in a high-pressure environment.
Joe Collins says being thrown in the deep end” taught him how to function in a high-pressure environment.
Joe Collins says being thrown in the deep end” taught him how to function in a high-pressure environment.
“Training can be both mentally and physically exhausting, but I find thinking back to the sacrifices I've made so far to get to the position I am in now, and that helps keep me motivated and striving for more success,” he says.
Wells is currently training for her second full IRONMAN race and admits the motivation is “hard when you’re tired” but she is determined to always keep going.
“For me I just want to become the best version of me, and that is what drives me to not give up,” she says.
Hannah Wells. Her earlier mishap in the water spurred her on even more. "Setbacks... make us better," she says.
Hannah Wells. Her earlier mishap in the water spurred her on even more. "Setbacks... make us better," she says.
These stories from Nutri-Grain’s Team Unstoppable inspire us to follow their lead and are proof that with strength, courage, determination, and resilience, you too can overcome obstacles and be Unstoppable.
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