If you are committed with all of your being to the pursuit of your dream - to the unearthing of your true self and potential - you will be blinded by the brilliant light that emerges when you are cracked open.

There will be tough workouts when the athlete has to really dig deep, believe, and not give up when the pain seems too much. The athlete can respond in one of two ways: Yield to the pain and self-doubt or decide that fear will not determine his or her potential. It's hard (and usually uncomfortable) work breaking through old barriers and self-defeating thought patterns to see meaningful progress, and fear is an absolutely natural response, but you can't let it become a limiter.

I constantly challenge my athletes with workouts that take them to the upper edge of their ability. Like Brett's, my philosophy is that your biggest competitor is yourself. I will never ask the impossible. But I will come close. Those who answer with courage and self-belief instead of fear and doubt are the ones who realize their dreams.

My coaching philosophy is rooted in the foundational belief that facing your fears head-on will result in performance breakthroughs. Pushing your body to new physical extremes can be seriously uncomfortable. But the better an athlete becomes at facing that fear - embracing it, even - the sooner he or she will realize that it's possible to push beyond the anticipated limits.